Many email systems, job application portals, and government submission forms enforce a strict 1MB file size limit. If your PDF exceeds that threshold, it gets rejected -- and...
Open Compress PDFNeed your PDF under 1MB? We'll get it there.
Drop the file. See current size and estimated compressed size.
Start medium. If over 1MB, try heavy. Preview updates in real-time.
Confirm output and download. Ready for email or portal upload.
Choose a PDF from your device. Drag and drop or click to browse. Your file stays on your computer.
Your browser handles all the work using JavaScript. Nothing is uploaded to any server. Processing is instant.
Save the processed file to your device. That's it — no account, no email, no waiting.
Documents you need to compress to under 1MB are almost always headed somewhere specific: an email to your accountant, a job application portal, a government submission system, a university admissions form. The document is being compressed because a recipient's system demands it.
Server-based compression tools insert an unintended stop on that journey. Your tax return visits a compression service's server before reaching your accountant. Your resume passes through third-party infrastructure before reaching the hiring portal. The recipient probably would not approve of that detour.
ModernPDF compresses locally in your browser. The document goes from your device directly to its intended destination, smaller in size but never having been transmitted to or seen by any third-party service along the way.
Most PDFs can reach 1MB or below. Image-heavy files like scans and photo documents achieve 50-80% reduction with medium to heavy compression. Text-heavy PDFs with minimal images are often already small. Very large documents with many high-resolution images may require heavy compression or splitting into sections.
Light to medium compression keeps all text clearly readable at normal viewing sizes. Heavy compression reduces image quality noticeably but text rendered as vector data remains sharp. Preview the output before downloading to verify the quality meets your needs for the intended use.
Yes. The compressor displays the output size in real-time as you adjust settings. Target any size you need. For 5MB targets, see Compress PDF Under 5MB. For email-specific limits, see Compress PDF for Email.
Text-heavy PDFs are typically small already because text data is inherently compact. If yours exceeds 1MB despite having few images, it likely contains large embedded fonts, metadata, or hidden layers. Compression will target these elements and can usually achieve meaningful reduction.
Yes. The output is a fully standard PDF file. All text remains searchable and selectable, all hyperlinks remain clickable, all interactive form fields stay functional, and all bookmarks are preserved. Compression targets image data and redundant structures, not functional elements.
Free to start. Files stay on your device. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited use.
Open Compress PDF