Compress a PDF to 1 MB
Upload forms and some email systems stop at 1 MB. Add your PDF and get a copy under 1 MB, with the text kept sharp and searchable whenever possible.
How to get a PDF under 1 MB
- 1
Choose the PDF
Pick the file. It is processed on your device.
- 2
Click Compress PDF
The 1 MB target is already selected. Leave "Allow pages as images" off to keep the text searchable.
- 3
Download
Check the new size, open the copy to be sure it reads well, and download it.
Getting under 1 MB without losing text
Most PDFs over 1 MB are big because of photos, charts saved as pictures, or scanned pages. The text itself is tiny. So the tool leaves the text alone and makes the pictures smaller, starting gently and going further only if needed.
For a report with a few photos, the first or second step is usually enough. The photos still look good on screen and in print, and every word can still be searched and copied.
Large scans and long documents
A long scanned document can need more than shrinking pictures. Tick "Allow pages as images" to let the tool redraw pages as lighter images if nothing else fits; the text then can't be selected.
If you send the file by email, remember that attachments grow by about a third when sent, so a 1 MB PDF uses about 1.35 MB of a mailbox's limit. For very large documents, Split PDF lets you send them in parts.
Your files never leave your device
Your file is compressed on your own device, so it's never uploaded.
Many online PDF sites send your file to their servers, work on it there, and keep a copy for a while. PilotPDF does the work in your browser instead. The page loads the code it needs, and your file is opened and processed on your own device. The file itself is never sent to us, so there is no copy on our side to store, leak or delete.
Read more about how this works in our privacy-by-design explainer.