ShrinkPDF

Compress a PDF to 100 KB.

The tool opens on the Smaller level, the one that gets a one-page scan under 100 KB. Drop the file and watch the size.

ShrinkPDF
Drop PDFs here
or a link to a PDF
QualityImages 72 dpi, for email
Files never leave your device

What 100 KB holds

100 KB is a hard limit for a PDF. A page of plain text with embedded fonts takes 5 to 20 KB, so a typed letter or a certificate exported from Word fits without any compression. A scanned page is a photo, and a photo at 300 dpi is 1 to 3 MB. The Smaller level resamples every image to 72 dpi and recompresses it as JPEG, which brings one scanned A4 page to roughly 30 to 90 KB: a form or a certificate with plenty of white space lands near the bottom of that range, a page dense with text near the top. One page fits. Two fit only when they are light; three do not.

Text, vector drawings and form fields are written out unchanged, so a document that is mostly text keeps its sharpness at any level.

Where the 100 KB limit shows up

  • Employment@Kerala, the Kerala employment exchange portal: every document other than the photo and signature "must be uploaded as PDF files (max size: < 100 KB)".
  • GST registration in India: the photograph of the authorised signatory is capped at 100 KB, while the address and appointment proofs get 1 MB.
  • State recruitment and admission portals in India often set 100 KB for the photo and signature and a larger limit for certificates. Read the number next to each upload field: it is usually different per field.

Steps

  1. Drop the PDF into the tool above. The engine downloads once (about 10 MB) and stays cached.
  2. Check the size next to the file name. Under 100 KB: download it.
  3. Still over: the file has more image pages than 100 KB can hold. See below.

If it is still over 100 KB

  • Upload only the page that is asked for. Open the PDF in your viewer, print the one page to a new PDF, then compress that. Most 100 KB limits apply to one certificate, not a bundle.
  • Rescan in black and white. A 1-bit scan of a text page compresses far better than a colour photo of the same page. Scan at 150 dpi, greyscale or black and white, and export straight to PDF.
  • Export from the source, not from a scan. A certificate that exists as a Word or Google Docs file exports to a text PDF of a few KB. Only scan when there is no digital original.
  • Crop the margins. A phone scan with the desk around the page carries pixels that are pure weight. Crop in the scanning app before saving.

Frequently asked

Will the text still be readable?

Yes. Compression touches only the images. Text and drawings in the PDF are stored as text and drawings, and they are copied as is. In a scan the whole page is one image, and at 72 dpi small print gets soft but stays legible on screen. Check the result before uploading if the portal reviews the document by eye.

Why did the size not change?

The PDF has no images to resample, or its images are already smaller than the level's resolution. The tool reports the file as unchanged instead of giving you a copy that is the same size. A text-only PDF over 100 KB is usually one with large embedded fonts or an attached file; try exporting it again from the application that made it.

Can I compress several files at once?

Drop them together. They are compressed one after another and can be downloaded one by one or as a zip.

Does the file leave my computer?

No. The compression engine runs inside your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and the site keeps nothing after the tab closes.

Nearby limits: 200 KB, 300 KB. All sizes: compress a PDF to a target size.

Ready? Drop your PDF into the tool at the top of this page.

Compressed on your device, never uploaded. No sign-up.

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Size limits on this page were checked on .