Compress PDF for Email
Email providers limit attachments to 10 to 25MB. Compress your PDF here so it sends without bouncing.
Compress PDF files while maintaining the best possible quality. Reduce file size for easy sharing via email or web. Siliph is free for personal use and needs no account. Many tools work right on your device; the others use secure servers in Europe and India and delete your files within 2 hours.
- Reduce PDF size by up to 90%
- Hit exact limits like 100 KB, 200 KB or 1 MB
- Text and drawings stay crisp at every level
- Sent over an encrypted connection
- Files deleted after 2 hours
- Free, no signup, no watermark
Loading the Compress PDF workspace… Files are processed securely and deleted automatically.
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Compress PDF in short
Compress PDF shrinks a PDF by re-encoding its images and removing redundant data while text and vector graphics stay sharp. Choose Less, Recommended or Extreme compression, or set a target such as 100 KB or 200 KB for portal uploads. It is free with no account, accepts files up to 2 GB and deletes uploads within 2 hours.
Step by step
How to compress a PDF
Step 1: Upload your PDF
Drag and drop the PDF or click to choose it from your device.
Step 2: Pick a compression level
Recommended compression suits most files. Choose Extreme only when the file must be as small as possible.
Step 3: Compress and download
Click Compress, then download the smaller PDF and check that it reads well.
Features
What Compress PDF gives you
Target size presets for portals
One-click presets for 50, 100, 200, 300 and 500 KB match the limits used by exam, government and bank portals, and a custom field accepts any size from 20 KB to 5000 KB.
Three compression levels
Less keeps images close to the original, Recommended balances size and quality for everyday sharing, and Extreme produces the smallest file when size is all that matters.
Batch compression up to 20 files
Compress a whole folder of PDFs in one task, up to 2 GB in total, and download them together.
What does Compress PDF do?
Compress PDF rewrites the file with smaller image data and tighter internal structure. Image-heavy scans and photo PDFs shrink the most; a text-only PDF has little to remove, so its size changes less. You pick how far to go: a quality level, or a target size the tool works towards.
Most oversized PDFs come from phone scans and embedded photos stored at print resolution. Compression re-encodes those images at a lower resolution and quality, which is why a 10-page scan can lose most of its weight while a contract typed in Word hardly changes. Text, fonts and vector drawings are kept as they are, so nothing becomes blurry when you zoom in.
Different documents need different settings. A CV or cover letter exported from Word is mostly text, so Less or Recommended keeps it crisp for a recruiter while still removing redundant data. A poster, brochure or photo book carries large pictures; Recommended usually brings it under an email limit, and Extreme is the fallback when a deadline matters more than print detail. A phone scan of a certificate or ID card is the classic oversized file: pick a target such as 200 KB and the tool lowers image detail until the scan fits the portal.
For strict upload caps, use a target size instead of a level. The presets cover the common limits, and the dedicated pages for Compress PDF to 100 KB, Compress PDF to 200 KB and Compress PDF to 500 KB open the tool with that target already selected. If a portal still rejects the file, run it again with Extreme compression or split it with Split PDF and upload the parts. When sharpness matters more than size, Compress PDF Without Losing Quality explains why Less is the safe choice for print.
Compression works best on one document at a time, but a batch of up to 20 files is fine when you are preparing a submission. Afterwards you can combine the results with Merge PDF, convert colour scans with PDF to Grayscale for a further reduction, or shrink standalone photos with Compress Image before they go into a PDF at all.
Compress PDF runs on our servers: your file travels over an encrypted connection, is processed automatically with no human access, and is deleted within 2 hours. There is no account and no watermark, and the free plan covers up to 30 tasks a day.
Guide for this use case
Gmail accepts attachments up to 25MB per message and turns anything larger into a Google Drive link. Outlook.com stops at 20MB, and company mail servers often set lower caps. Compress here before sending board packs or audit files that include scanned annexes.
Balanced compression usually preserves readable text while cutting photo weight. Reserve extreme mode for when the recipient still bounces the message.
Small files stay on your device.
Bigger files use an encrypted upload.
- No account, no sign-up
- Larger files go over HTTPS and are deleted automatically within 2 hours
- Never sold, never viewed by a person
When to use Compress PDF
- You need the result quickly and cannot install desktop software
- You are working from a phone, tablet or shared computer
At a glance
Compress PDF: free at a glance
What you get on the free plan, and when a paid plan applies.
| Price | Free for personal use, up to 30 tasks in any 24 hours |
|---|---|
| File size | Up to 2 GB per task |
| Files per task | Up to 20 on the free plan (up to 100 on paid plans) |
| Account | Not needed |
| Where it runs | On your phone or computer for files up to 300 MB on a computer or 100 MB on a phone; bigger files go to our servers over a secure connection |
| File deletion | Files sent to our servers are deleted automatically within 2 hours |
| Watermark | None |
| Business use | Paid plans from ₹399 a week |
Why Siliph
Compress PDF on Siliph and on typical free PDF sites
The right-hand column sums up 5 popular free PDF sites we checked in October 2026.
| Feature | Siliph | Typical free PDF sites |
|---|---|---|
| Account for personal use | Not needed | Some sites ask you to sign in to finish or repeat a task |
| Free use | Up to 30 tasks in any 24 hours, 20 files a task | Some sites stop you after a few tasks an hour |
| Where your file goes | Small files stay in your browser; larger ones are uploaded over HTTPS and deleted within 2 hours | Usually uploaded, then deleted after 1 to 2 hours |
| Compress to a target size | Yes: 50, 100, 200, 300, 500 KB presets, or any size from 20 to 5,000 KB | Not offered by most of the 5 sites we checked |
| Strongest compression level | Free | Paid on some sites |
Checked October 2026. Other sites change their plans; check before you rely on a limit.Side-by-side comparisons
Questions about Compress PDF
What is the largest PDF I can attach to an email?
Gmail accepts attachments up to 25MB per message and offers a Google Drive link for anything bigger. Outlook.com stops at 20MB, and many company mail servers set lower caps of their own.
Will compressed PDFs look fine when opened from email?
Yes. Balanced compression keeps documents readable while cutting attachment size dramatically.
What if the PDF is still too big to send after compressing?
Split it by file size into parts that each fit under the limit and send them in separate messages, or share a cloud link instead of an attachment.
Is it free, and do I need an account?
Yes. It is free, with no account to create and no daily task limit. Files uploaded for processing are deleted from Siliph servers within two hours.
How do I compress a PDF to 100 KB or 200 KB?
Select the 100 KB or 200 KB preset under Target size before you start. The tool lowers image resolution step by step until the file fits. If a scan cannot reach the target, choose Extreme compression or remove unneeded pages first.
Will compressing reduce the quality of my PDF?
Text, fonts and vector graphics are untouched at every level, so they stay sharp. Only images are re-encoded: Less keeps them close to the original, Recommended is fine for screens and most printing, and Extreme visibly softens photos in exchange for the smallest file.
Why did my PDF barely shrink?
A PDF made from typed text with no pictures is already small, and the tool has little to remove. Big savings come from scans and photos. If a text PDF is still large, it may embed full fonts or hidden attachments; try Extreme compression, which rebuilds the pages.
What is the largest PDF I can compress?
A task can hold up to 20 files and 2 GB in total, and a single PDF can be the full 2 GB. Those are the limits on the free plan, along with up to 30 tasks a day; paid plans take bigger batches.
Which setting should I use for email or WhatsApp?
Recommended compression is usually enough for email attachments. For WhatsApp, Telegram or a fixed portal limit, pick a target size such as 500 KB or 1 MB so the result is guaranteed to fit.
Can I compress a PDF on my phone or a Mac?
Yes. The tool runs in any modern browser on Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Mac and Linux, so there is no app to install. Pick the PDF from your phone storage, choose a level or target size, and the smaller copy lands in your downloads.
Guides for Compress PDF
Walk-throughs for common jobs, such as hitting an upload limit or preparing an application.
- Step by stepCompress PDF to 100KBShrink your PDF to around 100KB with strong compression. Text stays sharp while images are optimized for the smallest possible size.
- Step by stepCompress PDF to 200KBReduce your PDF to roughly 200KB, ideal for portals with strict upload limits. Choose a stronger level if you need an even smaller file.
- Step by stepCompress PDF to 1MBCompress large PDFs to under 1MB with balanced quality, perfect for email attachments and online submissions.
- Step by stepCompress PDF Without Losing QualityUse the balanced compression level to cut file size significantly while keeping your document looking identical on screen and in print.
- Use casePDF tools for studentsGet an assignment or form under the portal’s upload limit, such as 2 MB or 200 KB.
- Use casePDF tools for real estate agents and landlordsKeep large signed packs under email attachment limits.
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