Why 1 MB is usually easy
Most documents fit in 1 MB once their photos are recompressed. Keep text sharp mode is normally enough, so text stays selectable and crisp. Only large scans of many pages may need Smallest mode.
How it works
In Keep text sharp mode the tool finds the photos and scans inside your PDF, re-encodes them as JPEG at a lower quality and resolution, drops thumbnails and metadata, and repacks the file. Text and vector graphics are left alone, so they stay sharp and selectable. It tries several quality levels and keeps the sharpest one that fits your target.
In Smallest mode every page is drawn to a picture and rebuilt as a new PDF. That gives the smallest files, but text can no longer be selected or searched.
Tips for smaller PDFs
- Scan at 150 DPI instead of 300 or 600. Text is still readable and files are far smaller.
- Scan in grayscale when colour does not matter.
- Export from Word or Google Docs instead of printing a photo of the page.
- Split a long document if one file has to stay small and readable.
Questions
Is 1 MB the same as 1000 KB?
This tool treats 1 MB as 1024 KB. If a portal counts 1000 KB, choose Custom and enter a slightly lower number.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. The PDF is opened and compressed in your browser. The page blocks network requests to other sites, so the file never leaves your device.
Will the text still be selectable?
In Keep text sharp mode, yes. In Smallest mode every page becomes an image, so text cannot be selected or searched.
Can it compress a password-protected PDF?
Yes, if you know the password. You are asked for it when you open the file, and the compressed PDF is saved without a password.