PDFGym
EN

Compress PDF
to 150 KB

or drop one here
Compression level
Target size
Choose a PDF file first.

150 KB means 153,600 bytes, a strict budget that suits exactly one scanned page at modest quality. This page aims your PDF at that number without uploading anything, rechecks the result before download, and tells you plainly when the file needs fewer pages instead.

The signed form and the stubborn portal

Jonas studies abroad, and his university portal wants a signed housing declaration as a single PDF under 150 KB. His scan, declaration-signed.pdf, is one page at 1.9 MB: the library scanner saved it in colour at 600 dpi, which is generous for a form that holds twelve lines of print and one signature.

One run here brings it to 132 KB. The signature stays clearly his, the small print at the foot of the form stays readable, and the portal accepts the file on the first upload. The whole errand, including finding the file, takes less time than the coffee queue downstairs.

That is the shape this number loves: one page, mostly print, one signature or stamp. Two pages can work if both are clean text. Four pages of dense scan at 150 KB give each page under 40 KB, and small type starts to suffer.

Four clicks to a smaller file

  1. Choose the file

    Press Choose a PDF or drop it onto the page. The scan opens in this tab only, which keeps a signed form off other people's servers.

  2. Confirm the preset

    This page already targets 150 KB. If your box reads differently, choose a chip such as 100 KB or 200 KB, or type the exact number into the KB box.

  3. Press Compress

    Your processor runs the race: fresh rebuild, image pass, font pass, and only if those miss, the full redraw at screen resolution with the text laid back on top.

  4. Verify, then keep it

    The result shows the final size, the saving and the original size beside a preview. Press Download PDF when the smallest line reads well; the download keeps your filename plus -compressed.

How it works explains the four passes in depth. For a gentler goal with no hard cap, start from the quality first page instead.

A frank look at this budget

Think in pages, not wishes. A single clean scan thrives: 150 KB buys readable print, a legible signature and a recognisable stamp. A two page form works when both pages are mostly text. A four page scan splits the budget four ways, and footnotes begin to blur. A twelve page report never belonged at this number; it belongs split, or at a roomier cap.

The scanner settings that produced the file matter more than any slider here. Colour at 600 dpi is roughly six times the data of greyscale at 200 dpi for the same page, and a form gains nothing from the extra. If you can rescan, greyscale at 200 dpi plus one run here beats any heroic squeeze of a bloated original.

Neighbouring stops on the same engine: 100 KB below, 200 KB above. When a box already bounced a file that looked small enough, rerun at 145 KB; boxes that count flat thousands are stricter than their label.

Close misses and how to close them

Stopping at 160 or 170 KB against this target is the common near miss, and one small change usually closes it. Cut the cover page or the instruction sheet the portal never asked for with Delete PDF pages, then run again from the master. Each removed page donates its whole budget to the survivors.

If every page is mandatory, look at the Details report. A font win means the file is text heavy and quality is untouched, so the gap is structural: fewer pages or a bigger cap. An image win at the quality floor means the pixels gave all they had. Either way the report names it, so you adjust with facts instead of guesses.

When to stop squeezing and do this instead

A box that demands three proofs at 150 KB each is really asking for three files: split the scan and let each proof enjoy the full budget. A recipient who only needs to glance at the form in a message thread is better served by PDF to JPG pictures. And a portal whose cap cannot fit the document it demands deserves a support ticket, not a twentieth attempt.

Small questions, straight replies

My file stopped at 168 KB. One more run?
Not of the same file. Remove an unneeded page or rescan in greyscale, then run once from that better source. Re squeezing the same bytes rarely moves the number.
Will a stamp still look like a stamp?
On a one or two page file, yes. Stamps and signatures survive this budget well; check yours at full zoom in the preview before uploading.
Does the file keep its title and author?
Yes. The document details (title, author, subject, keywords) are copied onto the rebuilt file, so it describes itself the same way. If you would rather strip them before sharing, Privacy Scan removes them.
Is anything uploaded during the run?
Nothing. The page loads the tool, then your file moves only between your disk, the tab memory and your downloads folder. No account, no queue, no watermark.
Can a photo page reach 150 KB?
A single photo page can, with visible softening. Several photo pages cannot share this budget gracefully; split them or pick a roomier target.

Elsewhere in the toolbox

Trim pages, split proofs or export pictures around your run. Each tool below works in the browser and verifies its result first.