Compress PDF to 100 KB
A hundred kilobytes is the tightest limit you will meet: application portals, visa forms, some HR systems and old e-mail gateways. A PDF that holds only text, such as a letter exported from a word processor, is usually already under it. A scan is another story: one colour page at 300 DPI is often a few megabytes, because every point of the paper is stored as a photo. This page opens the compression tool with the target already set to 100 KB.
Options
With a target set, the tool does not stop at one level. It starts at the level you chose, measures the result and climbs down: 150 DPI, then 100, then 72 in grey, then one rung lower still, until the file fits or nothing more can be done. Text, fonts and vector drawings are never touched, so a form stays fillable and a contract stays searchable.
Everything happens in your browser; the document is not uploaded, and the size written next to the result is the size of the file you download.
Tips
- Tick Grayscale images from the start: on a signed form or an invoice, colour adds weight without adding information, and a single grey page has a real chance of fitting.
- A scan of many pages will not reach 100 KB at any level. Split it with Split PDF and send only the required pages, or, if the form also accepts images, render the page with PDF to JPG at 72 or 96 DPI and shrink that with Compress image.
- Tick Remove title, author and dates when the file goes to a stranger: it saves a little and drops the document's history.
Why it is private
Everything you type or drop here is handled by your browser, on your device. Nothing is uploaded. To verify, open your browser's developer tools, go to the Network tab, and use the tool: you will see no request carrying your data.
Frequently asked questions
- Is 100 KB counted as 100,000 or 102,400 bytes?
- The tool counts 1 KB as 1,024 bytes, so the result is at or under 102,400 bytes. If the portal counts 1,000 bytes per KB and rejects the file, type 97 as the target and run it again.
- What happens when 100 KB cannot be reached?
- You get the smallest file the ladder can make, with the level that was used and its size written under the result. Nothing is cropped or removed to force the number; the next step is splitting the document.
- Will a 100 KB scan still be readable?
- At the lowest rungs the images are grey and at 50 to 72 DPI: printed text stays legible, small stamps and thin signatures get soft. Open the result and zoom on the smallest text before you upload it.