How do I get a scanned PDF under 100KB?

Compress with the Smallest file preset — one or two scanned pages typically fit. For more pages, split the document, or re-scan at 150 DPI grayscale so the source images are smaller to begin with.

Does compressing to 100KB ruin the quality?

Text stays sharp (it isn't an image). Scanned pages drop to screen quality — fine for reading and for portals, not for printing photos.

Is this free, and is my file uploaded?

Free, no account. The file is compressed on the server in a temporary folder and deleted right after processing.

Compress a PDF to 100KB

100KB is the most common hard limit on application portals and government forms. It's comfortable for text documents of just about any length, and reachable for scans of one or two pages. Pick the Smallest file preset; for longer scans, plan on splitting instead of squeezing.

Compress to the smallest size

How to do it

1Open the Compress PDF tool with the Smallest file preset selected.
2Drop your PDF in and compress. You'll see the before and after size, so you know immediately whether you hit the target.
3If a multi-page scan won't fit, split it and upload the pages separately, or re-scan in grayscale at 150 DPI.

What fits in 100KB

Born-digital documents — anything exported from Word, Google Docs, or a form filler — will make it under 100KB at almost any length, because text and vector content is tiny. A 20-page contract without photos is routinely 80KB.

Scans get one to two pages into 100KB at screen quality. A photographed ID card or a single certificate is the classic case, and it works: compressed at the Smallest file preset, it typically lands between 40 and 90KB.

The 100KB portal problem

Portals that cap at 100KB usually want exactly one thing: a single ID, certificate, or signature page. If you're trying to push a multi-page scan through, upload requirements are usually per-document — split the PDF and submit each required page as its own file.

If the portal takes photos as well as PDFs, a cropped JPG of the document is sometimes smaller than a PDF wrapper around the same image. Our JPG to PDF and PDF to JPG tools convert in both directions, free.

FAQ

How do I get a scanned PDF under 100KB?: Compress with the Smallest file preset — one or two scanned pages typically fit. For more pages, split the document, or re-scan at 150 DPI grayscale so the source images are smaller to begin with.
Does compressing to 100KB ruin the quality?: Text stays sharp (it isn't an image). Scanned pages drop to screen quality — fine for reading and for portals, not for printing photos.
Is this free, and is my file uploaded?: Free, no account. The file is compressed on the server in a temporary folder and deleted right after processing.

Other size targets

Compress a PDF to 50KB · Compress a PDF to 200KB · Compress a PDF to 500KB · Compress a PDF to 1MB · Compress a PDF without losing quality