PDF Commons

Compress PDF to 1 MB

Basic compress tries to get the file under 1 MB and does not downsample images. It runs in this tab. The file is not uploaded. If it stays over 1 MB, the page says so.

A $6 day pass is 24 hours, charged once, and it does not renew. Pricing

No ad script loads from this choice. It stays in this browser.

What compress PDF to 1 MB checks

Compress PDF to 1 MB runs basic compress, then checks one number. The target on this form is 1,000,000 bytes. That is the 1 MB cap here, and it is not 1,048,576 bytes. Basic compress re-saves the PDF with object streams. It does not downsample photos. A text-heavy report can land under the cap when the save is cleaner. A scan or a photo page often stays near its old size, because those pictures were already compressed. The download is one PDF named compressed.pdf. If that file is over 1,000,000 bytes, the page also prints a note. The note gives the size in KB, using the byte length divided by 1000 and rounded up. The note does not hide the file, and it does not claim the cap was met. The note links to heavy compress.

This check runs in your browser. Open the network panel, drop a file, and the PDF should not appear as an upload. Closing the tab drops the copy. The original file on your computer is not rewritten. The result has no PDF Commons watermark. Words that were selectable stay selectable. This page accepts one PDF. It does not join files.

There is no account and no page cap on this local tool. The tab has to hold the file. A day pass is $6 and does not renew. A year is $60. Neither charge is required to run basic compress here. The free server file is PDF to Word, one file, up to 20 pages, and that page uploads. Compress PDF to 1 MB is not that offer.

When the saved file is over 1,000,000 bytes, read the note before you trust a portal cap. The note names the size in KB and links to heavy compress. Heavy compress uploads the PDF, downsamples photos to about 150 DPI, keeps the text as text, takes up to 20 pages, and deletes the file within 30 minutes. It needs a $6 day pass or the $60 year. Compress under 2 MB uses 2,000,000 bytes on its own page. Compress for email has no single number. A locked PDF stops on this page too. Open Unlock PDF first and type the password you already know. Unlock PDF will not crack a password you do not have.

Steps

  1. Drop the file. It stays in this tab.
  2. Set the one option on the page, if it has one.
  3. Download the result. Closing the tab drops the copy.

Questions

Does the file still download when it is over 1 MB?

Yes. The browser saves compressed.pdf either way. A file of 1,000,000 bytes or fewer has no over-target note. A larger file gets the note, with the size in KB. A day pass is $6 and does not renew. A year is $60. Neither charge changes this local save.

Is the 1 MB page an upload?

No. The network panel should show no PDF upload from this form. Heavy compress and PDF to Word are the pages that upload, and both say so before you drop the file.

Will the text stay sharp on this page?

Basic compress does not turn text into a picture and does not downsample. If the type looks soft, it was soft in the file you dropped. A photo page that is still over 1,000,000 bytes needs heavy compress, and that page uploads.

Do I need an account to aim at 1 MB?

No. This local tool has no account. A day pass is $6 and does not renew. A year is $60. Neither charge is required to run the check here. You need one of those only for a server job such as heavy compress, or for a PDF to Word after the free file.

Also