Prepare a PDF for an upload limit

An upload can fail even when a document looks fine. File type, file size and the receiving site's instructions all matter.

Start with the receiving site's limit

If it accepts PDFs up to 2 MB, enter 2 under Maximum PDF size. Get PDF Ready treats 1 MB as 1,000,000 bytes. A website may measure size differently or apply other checks, so always read its own instructions.

What the size control changes

When making a PDF, the tool fits added photos onto pages and tries progressively smaller photo sizes and lower JPG quality when needed. It stops when an output meets your target or when it has tried its available settings.

It does not recompress images already inside an existing PDF. A scanned PDF can therefore remain above the target even if you enter a smaller number. The size setting applies to combined PDF output, not split PDFs or JPG/PNG exports.

If the result is above the limit

1. Check whether every page is required. Remove accidental duplicates or unrelated pages, while keeping all information the recipient requests.
2. If you added photos, inspect their originals for unnecessary background. Crop them on your device and add the corrected copies.
3. If the existing PDF is the large part, use a dedicated PDF compression tool or export it at a smaller size from the application that created it.
4. Split the document only if the receiving site permits multiple uploads.

The tool reports when it cannot meet the limit and labels the download as a larger PDF. Downloading that result does not mean it will be accepted by the receiving site.

Readability comes first

Zoom in on names, dates, reference numbers, signatures and fine print. A small file is not useful if important details have become unreadable. If a page is already blurry in the original, reducing its size will not improve it.

Current working limits

You can add files up to 50 MB each, with up to 100 pages in the working list. Individual photos must be no larger than 40 megapixels. Large files can still exceed the memory available on a phone or computer. Try fewer files at a time if your browser struggles.