Learn how to compress a PDF to 1MB to reduce file size.

A woman uses a laptop to compress a PDF to 1MB and reduce file size.

Whether you need to send or store, it’s not always easy to work with huge files. Learn how to compress a PDF to 1000KB both online and offline.

There are many reasons why you might want to compress a PDF to 1MB or less. Maybe someone sent you a large file that you’re having issues opening, or you need to send a small file to someone else. Our guide below will teach you how to compress PDFs to the size you need.

Why compress PDFs to 1MB (1000KB) or smaller?

Compressing a PDF makes it easier to share and open. Many different platforms have made 1MB the maximum file size for uploading or sharing, so it’s likely you’ll want to compress your PDF to fit that requirement. Because 1MB is a small size, your PDF will share, upload, and download much faster.

Perhaps you need to submit your PDF online for an assignment or share it efficiently on an online platform. Either way, learning how to compress PDFs to 1MB will help you out.

Compress PDFs to 1MB - how to reduce your PDF file size

Even if you don’t have access to an internet connection, you can still compress pdf files to make them more manageable in just a few easy steps:

Inserting image...

  1. Open the file in a PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat.
  2. Open the Tools center and click Optimize PDF Tool.
  3. Choose a file to compress.
  4. Select Reduce File Size in the top menu.
  5. Pick the file version compatibility.
  6. Rename and save your file.

Depending on the original PDF size, this should get you close to 1MB. If it doesn’t, you can repeat the process a second time or use the Reduce File Size command in Acrobat to choose the exact level of compression you want.

Compress PDFs online to less than 1MB for free.

If you want an easier way to get smaller file sizes and can access an internet connection, you can also compress a PDF online. Just follow these four easy steps:

  1. Go to the Acrobat online PDF compressor.
  2. Upload your file.
  3. Let the compressor work its magic.
  4. Download or share your smaller file.

The online PDF compression tool automatically optimizes the file size. If your downloaded PDF isn’t quite at 1000KB, you can repeat the process to compress it even further.

How to compress PDFs to other sizes.

Need to compress PDFs to other sizes for various reasons? Learn how to deal with large files and reduce PDFs to the sizes below:

Want to learn more about working with PDFs online? Discover what more you can do with Acrobat to make it easy to compress and manage your files.