How to compress a PDF to 100KB
- Drop your PDF in the box above, or tap it to choose a file. On a computer you can also paste a file with Ctrl+V.
- Pick the limit. 100KB is selected for you. Use Custom for numbers like 150KB or 250KB.
- Press Fit. You will see it try a few quality levels. That is normal; it is measuring the real file each time.
- Look at the preview of page one. If the text is readable, download it. If not, read the tips further down.
The striped bar is your original file. The green bar is the new one. The yellow line is your limit. Green ending left of yellow means the portal will accept it.
Why most compressors miss the number
Most PDF compressors give you buttons like “recommended”, “strong” or “extreme”. You press one, download, check the size, and find you are at 140KB when the form wants 100KB. So you try the next button, and now the page is a blur.
FileFitly works the other way round. You give it the number. It renders each page, saves it at a quality level, measures the actual bytes, and adjusts. It keeps the best-looking version that is still under your limit, instead of the smallest file it can make.
It also aims about 3% under the limit. Some portals count 1KB as 1,000 bytes and others as 1,024, and a file sitting exactly on 100KB can be rejected by one and accepted by the other. A small safety margin avoids that.
Common upload limits
| Where you are uploading | Usual limit |
|---|---|
| Government job and exam forms: certificates, caste or income proof, domicile | 100–300 KB |
| Scholarship and college admission portals | 200–500 KB |
| Bank, KYC and insurance uploads | 500 KB–2 MB |
| Job portals: resume or CV | 1–2 MB |
| Gmail attachment | 25 MB |
These are typical numbers. The limit printed on your own form is the one that counts.
How many pages fit in 100KB?
This is the question that decides whether your result looks sharp or rough. A rough guide for a normal scanned A4 page:
| Pages | Into 100KB | Into 300KB |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Clear | Very clear |
| 3–5 | Readable | Clear |
| 6–10 | Rough, small text suffers | Readable |
| 10+ | Not recommended | Rough |
If your document has many pages and a small limit, check whether the form really needs every page. Often it wants only the page with your name and result. Use Split PDF to keep just those pages, then compress.
What happens to quality
To reach a small size, each page is saved again as a compressed picture. Text stays readable, but you can no longer select or copy it, and links inside the PDF stop working. For an upload that someone will view on screen, that is fine. It is also exactly how a scanned document already works.
Keep your original file. If you ever need to copy text from it or send a high-quality version, you will want the uncompressed copy.
Tips when the result looks rough
- Tick Black & white. Colour costs space. Most certificates and marksheets read perfectly in greyscale, and the file gets noticeably smaller.
- Remove blank or extra pages with Rotate & Organize PDF. A blank back page still costs bytes.
- Crop the scan. If you photographed a document on a table, the table is wasting space. Crop each photo with Crop Image and rebuild the PDF with JPG to PDF.
- Ask for the next limit up. If the form allows 200KB, use 190KB instead of 100KB. There is no prize for being smaller than required.
Is it safe for private documents?
Your PDF is processed inside your browser, on your own phone or computer. It is not sent to FileFitly or anyone else, and nothing is stored after you close the tab. That matters when the file is an Aadhaar card, a bank statement or a marksheet with your roll number on it.
Questions people ask
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you compress.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. The compression runs inside your browser on your own device. Close the tab and nothing is left behind.
Why can I not select the text after compressing?
To hit a small number like 100KB, each page is stored as a compressed image. The page looks the same but the text becomes part of the picture.
Can I compress a password-protected PDF?
Not directly. Open it with the password in your PDF viewer, save a copy without protection, then compress that copy.
The result is still over my limit. What now?
The PDF has too many pages for that size. Tick Black & white, remove pages you do not need, or split it and upload the parts separately if the form allows.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. It works in Chrome, Safari and other modern browsers on Android and iPhone.