How to compress a PDF to a specific size

Online forms often set a hard limit. The right approach depends on what is inside the PDF.

Choosing a compression level

• Screen — smallest file, lowest image quality. Fine when the file is only viewed on a phone.
• Ebook — the balanced default. Use this first.
• Printer — keeps images sharp, smaller savings. Use when the file will be printed.

If it is still too large

1. Remove pages you do not need with Remove Pages, or keep only the required ones with Extract Pages.
2. Re-run compression on the smaller file.
3. For scans, check whether you actually need colour — the Grayscale + Compress workflow saves a lot.

If it barely shrinks

A PDF made only of text is already efficient — there is little to remove. Most of the size in a big PDF is images, which is why scans compress dramatically and text documents do not.