Compress PDF to 1 MB
Get a PDF under 1 MB with the best quality that fits, without uploading it.
Runs entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded.
or drop it anywhere in this box
It never leaves your computer.
You get the best picture quality that fits. 1 KB is counted as 1,000 bytes, so the file passes limits that count either way.
Text and vector graphics are never changed. Only pictures are made smaller.
Compress PDF to 1 MB at a glance
- Target size
- Under 1 MB (1,000,000 bytes)
- Files uploaded
- None, it runs in your browser
- Quality
- The best that fits the limit
- Text
- Stays sharp and searchable
- Price
- Free
How to use Compress PDF to 1 MB
- Choose your PDFPress Choose a PDF file or drop the PDF into the box. It opens in your browser and is not uploaded.
- Compress to 1 MBExact size is already set to 1 MB. Press Compress PDF.
- DownloadCheck the new size, then press Download compressed PDF.
Many portals, email systems and application forms limit PDF uploads to 1 MB. Drop your PDF here and the tool works out the sharpest version that still comes in under 1 MB: it tries stronger picture settings step by step and keeps the first one that fits. Text is never turned into a picture, so it stays sharp and searchable. Everything happens in your browser, so the document is never uploaded.
What fits in 1 MB
Most typed documents and several pages of scans or photos fit comfortably, often with little visible change. Long scanned documents may need softer pictures, and very long ones may not fit; the tool then gives you the smallest possible file and tells you what is taking up the space.
If your PDF will not go under 1 MB
Split it into parts with Split PDF if the form accepts more than one file, or remove pages you do not need.
Questions
How do I compress a PDF to 1 MB?
Drop your PDF into the box. Exact size is already set to 1 MB, so press Compress PDF. When it finishes you see the new size, and you can download the file.
Will the PDF be exactly 1 MB?
It will be under 1 MB rather than exactly 1 MB. The tool keeps the best picture quality whose file fits under the limit, which is what an upload form checks.
Is 1 MB counted as 1,000,000 or 1,048,576 bytes?
The tool aims for under 1,000,000 bytes, the smaller of the two, so the file passes whichever way a website counts.
Is my document uploaded?
No. The PDF is compressed in your own browser and never leaves your device, which matters for identity documents, certificates and application forms.
Why does the text stay sharp when pictures look softer?
Only pictures are compressed. Typed text and lines are left exactly as they were. A scanned signature or a photographed certificate is a picture, so it softens along with the other pictures.
Other sizes
Compress PDF · Compress PDF to 100 KB · Compress PDF to 200 KB · Compress PDF to 300 KB · Compress PDF to 500 KB