Make a PDF small enough to email or upload
Gmail and Outlook cap attachments at around 20 to 25 MB, many company mail servers allow only 10 MB, and job, council and visa portals often stop at 2 to 5 MB. Here's how to shrink a PDF to fit, without uploading it anywhere.
Why PDFs get so big
The usual culprit is images. A scanned document or a PDF made from phone photos stores every page as a large, high-resolution picture, often far more detail than anyone needs to read it on screen or print it.
Compressing a PDF re-saves those pages at a sensible resolution and quality. Text-only PDFs are usually small already; scanned and photo-based PDFs are where you'll see big savings.
Key benefits
- Fit attachment limitsGet under email and portal size limits instead of splitting documents or sending links.
- Choose the trade-offSmaller shrinks photos and keeps text selectable. Smallest turns pages into compact images for the tightest limits.
- Combine and compress in one goMerge several files and shrink the result in the same export.
- No upload, no waitLarge files don't need to travel to a server and back, so it's quicker and private.
How to compress a PDF
- Open Make a PDF smaller and add your PDF. You can add several to combine them at the same time.
- Remove any pages you don't need. Fewer pages is the easiest size saving of all.
- Choose Smaller first: it shrinks photos and keeps text selectable. Use Smallest if you need to hit a strict portal limit.
- Export and check the new size shown next to the original. If it's still too big, try Smallest or split the document.
Tips
- For upload portals with a tiny limit, try Split PDF to send only the pages they asked for.
- Smallest saves pages as images, so text can't be selected afterwards. Keep your original, or use Smaller, if you'll need to copy text later.
- For forms you need to sign and return, compress after signing, not before.
Questions
How do I reduce the size of a PDF for free?
Open Make a PDF smaller in Think Pages, add the PDF, pick a compression level and export. It's free and the file stays on your device.
What's the email attachment size limit?
Gmail allows 25 MB and Outlook.com 20 MB. Many work email systems allow 10 MB, and some much less. Aim for under 10 MB to be safe.
Will compressing make my PDF blurry?
Smaller keeps text sharp and only shrinks photos. Smallest is meant for strict size limits and may soften small print, so check before you send.
Tools for this job
More guides
- Privacy and securityWhy use PDF tools that don't upload your filesMost online PDF tools upload your documents to their servers. Learn why browser-based PDF tools are safer for contracts, payslips, medical letters and ID, and how to check.
- Work and adminCombine receipts into one PDF for your expense claimTurn receipt photos, PDF invoices and screenshots into one tidy PDF for your expense claim. Free, private and done in your browser, with no upload.
- Home and everyday lifePut application documents into one tidy PDFCombine payslips, bank statements, ID and reference letters into one ordered PDF for a rental, mortgage or visa application. Private, free and nothing uploaded.