Compress PDF to 500KB

How to compress a PDF to 500 KB

1. Click Select PDF file or drop your PDF onto the page.
2. The target is already set to 500 KB. Change it if your limit is different.
3. Tick Black and white for text documents to make room for more pages.
4. Click Compress to 500 KB and download. The result screen confirms whether the file is within the limit.

When you need a 500 KB PDF

500 KB is used by visa and immigration portals, university applications and insurance claims, where several pages often go into one file. Uploading a larger file fails with errors such as "File size exceeds the maximum limit", and scans straight from a phone are often 2–10 MB.

How the 500 KB target is reached

At 500 KB most documents keep 130–150 DPI, so text stays sharp even when printed. It is a comfortable target for multi-page documents such as bank statements, transcripts and application packs. The tool tries settings from sharpest to smallest and stops at the first that fits, so you never get a file that is worse than it needs to be. If even the smallest readable setting is too big, it tells you and gives you the smallest version instead of an unreadable one.

Check before you upload

Open the downloaded PDF and zoom to 100% on the page with the smallest text, such as a certificate number, date or stamp. If it is readable on your screen, the reviewer will be able to read it too. If not, remove a page you don't need and compress again, or untick Black and white if a coloured stamp or photo became unclear. For more ways to get under a limit, see how to make a PDF smaller for upload forms.

Good to know

• Pages are re-saved as optimized images, so text can no longer be selected or searched. Keep your original.
• Page size and order stay exactly the same.
• Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first.

Other sizes: 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB, 1 MB, or the full PDF Compressor. For photos, use Compress Image to 100 KB. Your PDF is processed on your device and never uploaded.