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Compress PDF to 250 KB

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

250 KB is 256,000 bytes. It holds 17 text pages, 6 pages with pictures, 8 scanned pages, 13 phone photos of pages or 9 pages scanned in colour. A phone photo of a page fits with room to spare at the default setting. Type 250, press Compress, and the result shows its exact size.

How to compress a PDF to 250 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 250 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.

Three readings of 250 KB

At 1,024 bytes to the kilobyte, 250 KB is 256,000 bytes, and this tool aims under that. A form that counts in thousands stops at 250,000. A form that means a quarter of a binary megabyte allows 262,144. A file set to 244 KB, 249,856 bytes, clears all three.

What fits in 250 KB

A 2 page colour scan of a US federal record went from 1.2 MB to 248 KB by re-encoding the placed pictures at 150 dpi. The default picture re-encode keeps the photo at 150 dpi, which is sharp on any screen.

DocumentPages at the default settingPages at the smallest setting
Text documentsPages at the default setting17Pages at the smallest setting17
Text with picturesPages at the default setting6Pages at the smallest setting6
Scanned pagesPages at the default setting8Pages at the smallest setting8
Phone photosPages at the default setting3Pages at the smallest setting13
Colour scansPages at the default setting2Pages at the smallest setting9

On the public files above 250 KB, the default methods cut the median file by 80%.

Making the most of 250 KB

For a scan, budget by the page: a scanned page came down to about 29 KB, so 250 KB holds 8. For a long text report, the fonts and the structure carry the weight, and those two methods change nothing you can see.

200 KB is the step down and 300 KB the step up.

Questions

How do I make a PDF 250 KB?
Choose the file and press Compress. The target is already set to 250 KB. If the result is over, the tool offers a stronger pass that redraws the pages at a lower resolution.
Why does my form reject a PDF under 250 KB?
It probably counts in thousands, so its cap is 250,000 bytes, not 256,000. Set the target to 244 KB and the file clears both readings.
Does a 250 KB target change how the pages look?
Only if a picture method wins. The structural rebuild and font subsetting change no pixel. The result names the method that won.
What does pdf compress 250kb do to a scan with a signature?
By default, a scan is redrawn no lower than 150 dpi and JPEG quality 60, and a black and white page stays a 1-bit image at 150 dpi, so a signature stays sharp.

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.

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