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Compress a PDF to 1 MB

One megabyte is a size many forms and email systems accept without trouble.

  • Nothing is uploaded. Your browser does the compression, so the file stays on your device.
  • Lands under the real limit. We aim a little below it, so the upload goes through first time.
  • Fast. A 30 second 1080p clip fits into 10 MB in about two seconds on a desktop.
Where are you sending it?

Custom size 1.00 MB. We aim for 970 KB, a small safety margin so the file never lands just over.

Sent to our servers: 0 bytes. It all happens in this tab.

When you need 1.00 MB

Forms, CVs, ID scans and invoices that a site refuses as too large.

What to expect

A scanned letter or a handful of pages stays readable. Photos inside the PDF are reduced the most.

How much room each page gets in 1 MB

The size is shared by all pages. Plain text pages need very little, pages with photos or scans need the most, so a mixed document sits somewhere in between. The tool checks the real result.

Pages in the PDFAverage room per page
1 page970 KB
3 pages323 KB
5 pages194 KB
10 pages97 KB
20 pages49 KB
50 pages19 KB

How we hit the number

We redraw each page as a picture at the sharpest resolution that still fits, saved as JPEG inside a new PDF. If the result is too big, we lower the resolution and quality a step at a time and try again; if it comes out much smaller than needed, we try a sharper one. Because pages become pictures, the text can no longer be selected or searched.

The target we aim for is 970 KB, which is 30 KB under 1.00 MB, so the file is not turned away over a few bytes.

Questions people ask

Can I still select and copy the text?

No. To reach a small size, every page is redrawn as a picture. It looks the same on screen and in print, but the text can no longer be selected, searched or read aloud. Keep the original if you need that.

Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?

No. The pages are redrawn inside your browser and the file never leaves your device.

What if my PDF has a password?

Remove the password first, then compress it. The tool will tell you when it hits a protected file.

Related

Limits change. We link the official page wherever there is one, and the safety margin means a small change is unlikely to matter. Last updated 2026-11-09.