How to reduce a PDF size for email

Gmail stops at 25 MB, Outlook often at 20 MB, and plenty of corporate mail servers cut off at 10 MB. Scanned documents hit those ceilings constantly.

Compress a PDF
Whichever tool you use here, the file stays on your device. How that works

Step by step

  1. 1Add your PDF to the compress tool.
  2. 2Run Balanced first and look at the size shown beside the result.
  3. 3If it is still too large, try Smallest, or split the document and send the relevant pages.
  4. 4Save and attach the smaller file.

Know the limit before you start

Attachment limits usually apply to the encoded size, which is roughly a third larger than the file on your disk. A 19 MB PDF can still bounce off a 25 MB limit, so leave yourself room rather than aiming exactly at the number.

If the document is mostly scanned pages, compression will typically take 60 to 80 per cent off. If it is a text document exported from a word processor, it is already efficient and you will save very little.

When a document genuinely will not fit, a link is better than a squeezed file. Compressing a 60 MB scan down to 20 MB will cost real legibility.

Questions

Why did my PDF barely shrink?

Because it was already text rather than images. There was nothing heavy in it to remove.

Does the quality drop?

Some, yes. Balanced is set to stay clearly readable in print, and you see the result before saving.

Is the file uploaded?

No. It is compressed by your own browser.