How to use Compress PDF to 100 KB
- Drop your PDF into the box, or click it to choose one.
- Click Compress PDF. The tool tries several settings and keeps the best one under 100 KB.
- Download your smaller PDF, ready to upload or email.
Why so many forms ask for PDFs under 100 KB
Job portals, university admissions and government websites receive huge numbers of documents, so many of them limit each upload to 100 KB. A CV exported from Word is often already small enough, but anything with a photo, a logo or a scanned page can easily be ten or a hundred times bigger.
How the tool fits your PDF under 100 KB
Text in a PDF takes very little space. What makes PDFs large is images: photos, scanned pages and graphics. The tool keeps all text and layout exactly as they are and reduces only the images. It tries several resolutions and quality levels and keeps the best result that still fits under 100 KB, so you do not lose more quality than necessary.
When 100 KB is not possible
Every PDF has a minimum size, set mainly by its text, fonts and number of pages. A long report or a document with many full-page scans may not fit in 100 KB without becoming unreadable. In that case you get the smallest version we could make, and you can:
- Remove pages you do not need with Delete PDF Pages.
- Upload in parts if the form allows it, using Split PDF.
- Rescan at a lower resolution. 150 dpi in grayscale is plenty for most documents.
Tips for CVs and cover letters
- Export from Word or Google Docs rather than scanning a printout. The text stays sharp and the file is tiny. Our Word to PDF converter does this too.
- Keep photos small. A profile photo in a CV does not need to be larger than a few centimetres.
We keep files under 100,000 bytes, the stricter way of counting kilobytes, so the result passes on every website.
Questions
Can any PDF be compressed to 100 KB?
Most single-page documents and short scans can. A long document with many pages of text, or many detailed photos, may have a minimum size above 100 KB. In that case you get the smallest possible version and a clear message.
Will the text still be readable?
Yes. Text in a PDF is stored as text, not as an image, so it stays sharp. Only photos and scanned images are reduced in resolution.
What if my PDF is a scan?
Scanned pages are images, so they compress well. A one or two-page scan usually fits under 100 KB while staying readable.
Is my document safe?
Your file is sent over an encrypted connection, compressed on our server and deleted as soon as your download is ready. We never look at, share or keep your documents.