Compress PDF to 1MB
Need a PDF under 1 MB for a portal or an email attachment? Add it here and the tool rebuilds it to just under 1 MB with as much quality as possible.
The result stays under this size whether a website counts 1 KB as 1,000 or 1,024 bytes. The tool tries several sharpness settings and keeps the best one that fits, so a long or detailed PDF with a very small limit will look less sharp.
Drop PDF file here
or click to browse files
Max 10MB per file
Compressing...
Re-encoding PDF pages...
How PDF compression works:
This tool re-renders PDF pages as optimized images and rebuilds the PDF. Best results are achieved with PDFs containing images or scanned documents. Text-heavy PDFs may have minimal size reduction.
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How to compress a PDF to 1 MB
- Check the size limit above (1 MB is already set).
- Drop your PDF (up to 10 MB) into the box, or tap it to choose a file.
- Press Compress PDF. The tool tries several sharpness settings and keeps the best one that is still under 1 MB. This can take a little while for a long PDF.
- Download the result. If the limit is too small for your document, the tool tells you the smallest size it reached.
Pages are turned into pictures, so this works best for scans and documents with photos. Text can no longer be selected afterwards.
Other popular sizes
Frequently asked questions
How do I compress a PDF to 1 MB?
Add your PDF, make sure "Target size" is selected, keep 1 MB as the limit and press Compress. The tool tries several quality and sharpness settings and keeps the best one that is still under your limit. Then download it.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. The PDF is rebuilt in your browser using your own device, so it is never sent to our servers.
What does compressing do to my pages?
Each page is turned into a picture and the PDF is rebuilt from those pictures. That works well for scans and documents with photos. Text can no longer be selected or searched afterwards, and a very small limit makes the pages less sharp.
Will the result stay under the limit on every website?
The tool stays below your limit counting 1 KB as 1,000 bytes, which is also below the same number counted as 1,024 bytes. So the file passes whichever way a website measures it.
What if the tool cannot reach my limit?
It lowers the sharpness step by step before giving up. If the PDF still cannot go below the limit, the tool shows the smallest size it reached, so you can choose a larger limit or split the PDF into parts.
Why is the maximum 10 MB and 25 pages?
Everything runs inside your browser, so very large files can run out of memory on a phone or an older computer. Target-size mode checks up to 25 pages.