Large scans and photo-heavy reports can easily be 10–50 MB. Add yours here and click Compress PDF — the 1 MB limit is set, and the tool finds the best quality that fits under it.
Tips for the best result
- Documents with many photos compress best with Black & white turned off.
- For huge files on a phone, close other apps first so your browser has enough memory.
How to compress PDF to 1 MB
- Select or drop your PDF (you can add several).
- Pick a compression level — or choose Exact size and type the limit, e.g. 200 KB.
- Click Compress PDF.
- Download the smaller PDF. We show you exactly how much space you saved.
Why use PDFNest to compress PDF to 1 MB
- Hit an exact sizeType 100 KB, 200 KB or 1 MB and we find the best quality that fits.
- See your savingsBefore and after size is shown, so you know it worked.
- Black & white optionTurn colour scans into grayscale for even smaller files.
- Stays on your deviceCompression runs in your browser — your PDF is never uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compress a PDF to 1 MB?
Add the PDF and click Compress PDF. The 1 MB limit is pre-set, so you'll get a file under 1 MB with the best quality possible.
Can I compress a 20 MB PDF to 1 MB?
Usually yes, especially scans and photos. Very long documents (100+ pages) may need pages removed or splitting into parts.
How do I reduce a PDF to 200 KB (or 100 KB)?
Add your PDF, choose "Exact size (KB / MB)", type 200 (or 100) and click Compress PDF. The tool tries different quality settings and gives you the best-looking version that fits under your limit.
Which compression level should I choose?
Recommended works for most files. Choose Extreme if you need the smallest possible size, Light if you must keep text selectable (for example a contract), or Exact size when a website gives you a maximum file size.
Why can't I select text after compressing?
The Recommended, Extreme and Exact size levels save each page as an optimised image — that's what makes scans and photos so much smaller. If you need selectable text, use the Light level.
Step-by-step guide: How to reduce PDF size for online forms (100 KB, 200 KB and more)
Read the guide