Compress PDF to 1 MB
PDFDrop a PDF and get it back under 1 MB — usually with its text, links and forms kept — compressed on your device.
1 MB is the limit on many job application sites and school portals, and on email systems that still cap attachments. Drop the PDF in; the limit is already set.
At 1 MB most documents keep everything that makes them a document: the tool shrinks only the pictures, step by step, and the text stays selectable and searchable, links keep working and form fields stay fillable. Measured on a 25-page scan of 9.8 MB, the pictures at 100 pixels per inch brought it under 1 MB in about 14 seconds, its text kept. Only if the pictures alone cannot get there does the tool draw the pages as pictures, and it says so; untick that to keep the text whatever the size. Everything happens in your browser.
Need a different limit? PDF Compressor takes any target, in KB or MB — whatever the form asks for.
Why do it here
100% private
Your PDF files are processed locally and never uploaded.
Instant
No upload or download wait — it runs at the speed of your device.
Free to start
Use it free every day; go Pro for unlimited runs.
No install
Works in any modern browser. No sign-up to begin.
How it works
- 1Drop your PDF
A scan, a report, a portfolio — one or several. Nothing is uploaded.
- 2Press Compress to 1 MB
The pictures are shrunk until the PDF fits; the text, links and form fields are left as they are.
- 3Download
Under 1 MB, with the resolution its pictures ended at.
Frequently asked questions
Will my text still be searchable at 1 MB?
Almost always. Only the pictures are made smaller, so text, links and form fields are untouched — a 25-page scan fitted with its pictures at 100 pixels per inch. Pages are drawn as pictures only when that is the only way, and the result says so.
How long does a big scan take?
Seconds: a 9.8 MB, 25-page scan took about 14 on a recent laptop. Each step is tried in turn, best quality first, and the first that fits is kept.
My PDF has no photos — why is it still over 1 MB?
Then it is heavy with something other than pictures: embedded fonts, detailed drawings, many pages of vector art. Shrinking pictures cannot help it; flattening the pages can, at the cost of selectable text — the tool does that only if you allow it.
Is 1 MB here 1,000,000 bytes or 1,048,576?
1,000,000 — the way upload forms almost always count. A file under that is under both.
Is my application uploaded to make it smaller?
No. The PDF is compressed in your browser and saved straight to your device.