pdfpix

Compress PDF to 20 KB

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

20 KB is 20,480 bytes. It holds a one page text document, or one phone photo of a page at the smallest setting. Set the target, press Compress, and the tool picks the method that gets the page there. The file stays in this browser tab the whole time.

How to compress a PDF to 20 KB

  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 20 KB, 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.

What fits in 20 KB

A text page in the public set came down to about 14 KB, and a phone photo of a page to about 18 KB at the smallest setting. Both fit inside 20,480 bytes with room for the file's own structure.

DocumentPages at the default settingPages at the smallest setting
Text documentsPages at the default setting1Pages at the smallest setting1
Phone photosPages at the default settingSmallest settingPages at the smallest setting1

How the tool gets a page to 20 KB

For a text page, it cuts each embedded font down to the letters the page draws and rebuilds the file without its dead objects. Neither step changes a pixel. For a photo, it redraws the page at a lower resolution and keeps it readable.

Every file the tool hands back has been opened again and checked. The text stays selectable and searchable, and across the public run every output kept at least 99.99% of its characters.

Make the page easy to shrink

Export the page with a standard font such as Helvetica or Times, with no pictures. For a photo, crop it to the paper first. Both give the tool less to store.

A scan or a page with pictures fits from 50 KB, and 100 KB holds 7 text pages, 2 pages with pictures, 3 scanned pages, 5 phone photos of pages or 3 pages scanned in colour.

Questions

Can I compress a PDF to 20 KB for free?
Yes. There is no account and no cap on runs. A one page text document or a single phone photo of a page fits in 20 KB.
What target suits a one page scan?
50 KB. A scanned page came down to about 29 KB in the public run, so 50 KB holds it with room to spare, and 100 KB holds 3.
Is 20 KB 20,000 or 20,480 bytes?
This tool reads 1 KB as 1,024 bytes, so 20 KB is 20,480 bytes. A form that counts in thousands stops at 20,000. If a file under 20 KB is refused, set the target to 19 KB.
Does my file leave the browser when I reduce PDF size to 20 KB?
No. The file is read and compressed in this tab and saved to your downloads. It is never sent to a server.

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