pdfpix

Compress PDF to 3 MB

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

3 MB is 3,145,728 bytes. It holds 210 text pages, 80 pages with pictures, 100 scanned pages, 170 phone photos of pages or 110 pages scanned in colour. A full scanned contract or a long illustrated report fits in one file. Type 3 with the unit set to MB, and the result shows its exact size.

How to compress a PDF to 3 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 3 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.

What fits in 3 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 setting210Pages at the smallest setting210
Text with picturesPages at the default setting75Pages at the smallest setting80
Scanned pagesPages at the default setting100Pages at the smallest setting100
Phone photosPages at the default setting40Pages at the smallest setting170
Colour scansPages at the default setting30Pages at the smallest setting110

A 29 page PLOS research article went from 6.9 MB to 1.1 MB by cutting each embedded font down to the glyphs the pages draw. On the public files above 3 MB, the default methods cut the median file by 76.5%.

Two readings of 3 MB

This tool aims under 3,145,728 bytes. A portal that counts in millions stops at 3,000,000, 145,728 bytes sooner. Set the target to 2,900 KB, 2,969,600 bytes, to clear both. A 3 MB mail limit takes a PDF of about 2.25 MB, because mail encoding adds about a third.

Fine-tune a 3 MB file

The tool hands back the smallest file it verified and the size it reached. To gain a little more, delete a page the form does not need. To gain a lot, the stronger pass redraws the pictures at a lower resolution.

2 MB and 4 MB are the nearest targets. Compressing a large PDF covers files of tens of megabytes.

Questions

How do I reduce PDF size to 3MB?
Choose the file and press Compress with the 3 MB target. The tool races four methods and keeps the smallest output that passes verification.
Can I compress a PDF to 3MB for free without an account?
Yes. There is no account and no cap on runs. The page loads from the web, and the compression runs in this tab.
Why would a 3 MB file be refused by a 3 MB upload form?
The form may count in millions, so its cap is 3,000,000 bytes. A file of 3,100,000 bytes passes here and fails there. Aim at 2,900 KB.
Which method wins at 3 MB?
The one that makes the smallest file that passes the check. On a long text document that is usually font subsetting, which changes no pixel. The result on your own file names its 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