pdfpix

Compress PDF to 1 MB

or drop one here
Compression level
Target size
Choose a PDF file first.

1 MB here means 1,048,576 bytes. It holds 70 text pages, 25 pages with pictures, 30 scanned pages, 55 phone photos of pages or 35 pages scanned in colour. Most documents people send fit, with their pictures at full screen quality. Type 1 with the unit set to MB, and the result shows its exact size.

How to compress a PDF to 1 MB

  1. Choose the PDF

    Press Choose a PDF, or drop the file on the page. The file is read in this tab and is not sent anywhere.

  2. The target is already set

    This page opens at 1 MB, so there is nothing to type. Pick a different level, or enter your own smaller number in KB, if you want another size.

  3. Press Compress

    Four methods race: copy the pages into a fresh file, re-encode the placed images, cut each embedded font down to the glyphs the pages draw, and, only when no other method reached the target, redraw the pages as images with the text kept on top.

  4. Read the check, then download

    Every candidate is opened again and its characters are counted against the source. The page shows the size, the method that won and the characters kept before it offers the download.

The four methods are described in full, with the measurements behind them, in how it works.

Why 1 MB is two different numbers

This tool counts 1 MB as 1,024 KB, which is 1,048,576 bytes. A system that counts in millions stops at 1,000,000, which is 48,576 bytes stricter. Set the target to 950 KB on the compress tool and the file clears both.

Mail adds about a third when it encodes an attachment. A hard 1 MB mail limit therefore takes a PDF of about 750 KB. The 800 KB page covers that case.

What fits in 1 MB

From 1 MB up, the run adds a second public set of 24 files from 2.0 MB to 38.4 MB: scanned FDA approval files from 1997, NASA technical reports, and long US government publications. Every file in both sets is a public document, and the worked example on each page links to its source.

DocumentPages at the default settingPages at the smallest setting
Text documentsPages at the default setting70Pages at the smallest setting70
Text with picturesPages at the default setting25Pages at the smallest setting25
Scanned pagesPages at the default setting30Pages at the smallest setting30
Phone photosPages at the default setting14Pages at the smallest setting55
Colour scansPages at the default setting10Pages at the smallest setting35

A 4 page colour scan of a US federal record went from 2.2 MB to 513 KB by re-encoding the placed pictures at 150 dpi. On the public files above 1 MB, the default methods cut the median file by 78.6%.

What a 1 MB budget holds

A 30 page scan, a 70 page report, or 14 phone photos at the default setting. For a longer file, split it and give each part the whole budget.

Two of the four methods, the structural rebuild and font subsetting, never touch a pixel. The result names the method that won, so you know whether the pages changed.

Questions

How do I compress a PDF to 1MB for free?
Choose the file, keep the 1 MB target and press Compress. The tool is free, with no account needed. If the default methods stop above it, it offers the stronger pass before you download anything.
Does 1 MB mean 1,000 KB or 1,024 KB here?
1,024 KB, which is 1,048,576 bytes. A system that counts in millions is 48,576 bytes stricter, and a 950 KB target clears both readings.
Why was my PDF of less than 1 MB refused by email?
Mail encodes an attachment before it sends it, and the encoded form is about a third larger. Under a hard 1 MB mail limit, aim at 750 KB.
Will a 1 MB target blur my pictures?
Only if a picture method wins. The structural rebuild and font subsetting run in the same race and leave every pixel as it was. The result names the winner.

Related tools

Each runs in a browser tab like this one, reads its own output back before the download, and needs no account. The footer links every tool.

Where to go next