Compress PDF to a Specific Size
Pick a target like 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB or 1 MB, and the tool finds the best quality that fits under it.
Compress PDF to a Specific Size, free and private
Compress a PDF to a specific size, such as 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB or 1 MB. Pick the limit your upload form or email allows, and the tool finds the best quality that still fits under it.
It tries settings that keep your text selectable first. Only if those can't reach the target are pages saved as images. Everything runs in your browser, so the file is never uploaded.
How to compress a PDF to a specific size
- 1
Add your PDF
Press Select a PDF or drop the file onto the page. The current file size is shown under the options.
- 2
Pick a target size
Choose 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB or 1 MB, or press Custom and type a size like 150 KB or 2 MB.
- 3
Compress to size
Press Compress to size. The tool compresses the file several times at different settings and keeps the best result under your target. Large files can take a minute.
- 4
Check and download
The result shows the size before and after and whether the text is still selectable. Press Download PDF.
Why use PDFToolz for this
Hits a real limit
Job portals, visa forms and university sites often cap uploads at 100 KB, 200 KB or 1 MB. Set that number and the tool works to it, instead of guessing a level.
Keeps text when it can
First it rewrites the file and shrinks large photos. Text and drawings stay sharp and selectable. Only when that isn't enough are pages turned into images.
Honest when it can't
If no setting reaches your target, the tool says so and gives you the smallest file it could make, with the exact size.
Free and private
No account or file cap. The PDF is compressed on your device.
How to compress a PDF to 100 KB
Add the PDF, pick 100 KB and press Compress to size. A one or two page scan usually fits. A long scan may not reach 100 KB without becoming hard to read. In that case split it into parts with Split PDF, or remove pages you don't need, and compress each part.
The same steps work for 200 KB, 500 KB and 1 MB. The bigger the target, the more quality the file keeps.
How the target size is reached
The tool has 12 settings, from best quality to smallest file, in two groups. It runs a binary search on the 5 text-keeping settings first. Only if none of them fit does it search the 7 image settings. That usually takes four to eight full compressions:
- A lossless rewrite with object streams and maximum Flate compression. Nothing on the page changes.
- Large photos re-saved as JPEG at lower quality and resolution, four steps. Text and vector drawings stay as they are.
- Pages saved as JPEG images, from 150 DPI down to 50 DPI, seven steps. Text is no longer selectable at these steps.
KB and MB
The tool counts 1 KB as 1,024 bytes and 1 MB as 1,024 KB, the way Windows and most upload forms count. A 200 KB target means the file is at most 204,800 bytes.
Frequently asked questions
Add the PDF, pick 200 KB and press Compress to size. The tool keeps the best quality that fits under 200 KB and shows the final size.
Sometimes. Text PDFs often fit after a lossless rewrite. Scans and photos need lower image quality to reach 100 KB, and the tool picks the highest quality that still fits.
The tool tells you the smallest size it reached and gives you that file. Splitting the PDF or removing pages is the next step.
If a text-keeping setting reaches the target, yes, and the result says so. If pages had to become images, the text is no longer selectable. Run OCR PDF afterwards to add a text layer.
It is free, with no sign-up. The PDF is compressed in your browser and never uploaded.