Need to compress PDF to 1MB? Upload your file to Smallpdf, pick Basic Compression, and download a high-quality PDF under 1 MB—fast, free, no signup.
Why Compress a PDF to 1 MB?
Many online portals, especially for job applications, university submissions, and government services, limit file uploads to 1 MB. If your PDF is too large, you might not be able to submit it at all. Compressing it solves that instantly. When you shrink PDF files under the 1 MB threshold, it helps you avoid upload errors, keep emails under size limits, and speed up sharing across devices. Whether you're working with forms, scanned images, or multi-page reports.
How To Compress a PDF to 1MB or Less for Free
- Go to our online tool for PDF compression.
- Upload or drop your PDF file into the toolbox.
- Select “Basic Compression”—you'll see the estimated compression rate that maintains quality while reducing file size.
- Download your compressed PDF file, now under 1 MB.
Using Smallpdf to compress a large PDF to 1MB or less
We use the best technology on the market to reduce your PDF documents' size while maintaining the highest file quality. With Basic Compression, your file won't be discernible from the original except by size. However, the stronger the compression level, the more distortion may occur in the compressed document, especially in files containing many images. Therefore, Strong Compression, a Pro feature, may result in some quality losses but can achieve smaller file sizes when needed.
Compress Non-PDF Files
Compressing your PDFs isn’t all we can do, though! Our online PDF compression tool can also reduce the file size of other file types, including:
- JPG images
- Word documents
- PPT slides
- Excel spreadsheets
Once you upload one of these documents, we’ll first turn your file into a PDF so our compressor can shrink the file, as described above.
Don’t think we’ll just leave you hanging with a PDF file when you want a compressed Word document! Of course, we can convert the compressed PDF back to its original format. Just head over to the PDF Converter, drag and drop the file, and we’ll take care of the rest.
Secure and Free PDF Compressing
From the moment you upload your file to when you download your compressed PDF, we’ll make sure that it goes through the utmost secure processing environment. On top of that, our servers automatically delete uploaded files after an hour of processing.
All our tools comply with GDPR standards, ensuring your personal data stays private and protected. We also apply 256-bit TLS encryption across all uploads and downloads for added peace of mind.
Once you reduce PDF size, you’ll see options to protect, edit, or convert your file before downloading. If the file contains sensitive information, you may want to protect it—even after you shrink the PDF file.
You can do this by encrypting your compressed PDFs with a password using our Protect PDF tool—just choose this option on the result page to go straight to the tool before downloading your file. If you accidentally protected a PDF before compressing it, just use Unlock PDF to remove the protection.
Reduce PDFs to Other Sizes (200KB, 300KB, and Custom Targets)
Already compressed your file to 1 MB and need to go even smaller? No problem—Smallpdf gives you the flexibility to apply compression more than once by switching to Strong Compression (Pro) to shrink PDF files even further.
Whether you're trying to compress PDF to 200KB, compress PDF to 300KB, or just need a smaller file for strict upload limits, Strong Compression is your best bet. You can also re-compress files that were previously compressed with Basic Compression to achieve even smaller sizes.
If you're working with images, simply upload them to the Compress PDF tool—Smallpdf will first convert them to PDF, compress them, and then you can use the PDF to JPG tool to convert your file back to image format. It's a quick way to reduce JPG file size without extra steps.
Start Your Free Trial to Access All Smallpdf Tools
Want to unlock Strong Compression and other Pro features? Try Pro free for 7 days and get access to unlimited compressions, batch processing, and advanced compression options that can shrink files even further while maintaining quality.
Frequently Asked Questions About Compressing PDFs to 1MB
Will compressing a PDF reduce its quality?
Basic Compression keeps your file visually identical to the original in most cases. Only Strong Compression (Pro) may slightly impact image-heavy documents.
Can I compress the same PDF multiple times?
No, but if you first used Basic Compression, you can upload the compressed file and use Strong Compression to shrink it further. Re-compressing an already compressed file might not shrink it much further and could affect clarity if done repeatedly.
Can I use Smallpdf's compression tools on my phone?
Absolutely! It's just as easy to make your PDF smaller from your mobile browser. The tool works smoothly on Android and iOS, no app needed.
Can I compress scanned PDFs to under 1 MB?
Yes—but image-based scans tend to be larger. For best results, use grayscale scans and try Strong Compression if the file is still too big.
Is it secure to compress PDFs online?
Yes! We use 256-bit TLS encryption for all uploads and downloads, comply with GDPR standards, and automatically delete your files after one hour of processing.
