How to make a PDF smaller to send by email

Email attachments are often limited to 10-25 MB. Here is how to shrink a PDF quickly, which compression level to pick and how to keep text sharp.

Most email services cap attachments at around 20-25 MB, and many company mail servers set lower limits. Scanned documents and PDFs full of photos easily go over. The fix is to compress the PDF so its images take less space, while the text stays crisp.

The quick way

Open the Compress PDF tool.
Choose your PDF and pick a level. Recommended suits most documents.
Download the smaller file and attach it to your email.

Which compression level should I choose?

Smallest file: images are reduced to screen quality. Best for scans you only need to read on screen.
Recommended: a good balance for contracts, reports and brochures that people read on a laptop or phone.
High quality: keeps images suitable for printing, with a smaller saving.

Text and vector graphics are not blurred by compression; only images are resampled. If the result is not smaller, the PDF was already well optimised, and you get the original back rather than a bigger file.

Still too big?

Split it: send the main document and the appendices separately with Split PDF.
Remove pages you don't need, such as blank scan pages.
For scans, scan at 150-200 dpi in greyscale instead of 600 dpi colour; it is perfectly readable and many times smaller.

Is it safe for confidential documents?

Files are processed on our own server, never sent to third-party or AI services, and deleted automatically after the retention period of your plan. Password-protected PDFs need the password removed first.