Compress a PDF to under 5 MB
For an attachment that will not send, or an application form capped at 5 MB. Drop the file in and it compresses only as far as it has to.
How to get a PDF under 5 MB
- Choose the PDF that was too large to send. It starts working immediately.
- It compresses and checks the size, trying harder only if it has to.
- Save the result and attach it. The final size is shown next to the original.
Why 5 MB comes up so often
5 MB is the quiet limit behind a lot of everyday friction. Plenty of corporate mail servers reject attachments above it, recruitment systems cap CVs and portfolios there, and expense and insurance claim forms frequently use the same number. Unlike a portal that refuses the upload outright, email often fails later and less clearly — the message simply bounces, or sits in the outbox.
Because 5 MB is a comparatively generous ceiling, most documents reach it with very little loss. That is why this page stops at the first setting that fits instead of compressing as hard as it can: a 6 MB file usually needs a gentle pass, and there is no reason to degrade the images beyond what the limit requires.
Only the embedded images are re-encoded. The text layer is untouched, so a CV stays searchable and selectable — which matters more than people expect, because applicant tracking systems read the text rather than looking at the page.
As with every tool here, the file is compressed in your browser. A CV, a portfolio, a signed contract or a claim form never leaves your device on its way to being made smaller.
Questions about the 5 MB limit
Why did my email bounce when the file was under the limit?
Attachments are encoded for transport, which inflates them by roughly a third. A 5 MB file can arrive as about 6.8 MB, so a mail server with a 5 MB cap may still reject it. If that happens, use the 2 MB page instead — it leaves plenty of headroom.
Will my CV or portfolio still look good?
Yes. At this ceiling most files need only a light pass, and it never compresses harder than required. If your portfolio is image-heavy it may go further, and the before and after sizes are shown so you can judge.
Does the text stay readable by applicant tracking systems?
Yes. The text layer is not touched — only images are re-encoded — so anything that could read your document before still can.
What if the file is already under 5 MB?
It will tell you there was nothing worth doing rather than handing you a needlessly degraded copy.
Is my document uploaded?
No. Everything happens in your browser. A CV or a signed contract is not something that needs to visit a stranger's server to get smaller.