PDF Medic OnlineCompress PDF to 10 MB
Make a PDF smaller than 10 MB for an upload form — the box below is already set.
Files never leave your device
How to Compress PDF to 10 MB
- Press Choose a PDF, or drop it on the box above. Big files work best on a computer; they are still never uploaded.
- Fit a size is already selected, with 9750 in Must be under (KB).
- Press Compress PDF. A long scan can take a while: the progress bar shows how far it has got.
- Scroll through the result, check a page of small print, then press Download.
Big files: long scans, brochures and photo books
A PDF over 10 MB is nearly always a long scan, such as a stack of papers scanned in color, or a document built around many large photos: a brochure, a catalog, a photo book, a portfolio or a design proof. With a 10 MB limit there is usually room to keep a good level of quality, so the result can look close to the original on screen.
What fit under 10 MB in our tests
These come from our own test files, with 9750 in the box. Note how the levels jump: twelve photos ended up at about 4.1 MB, far under the limit, because at Best quality they would have been about 11.3 MB. The levels are fixed steps, so the tool cannot stop halfway between two of them.
- Letter pages full of small print, scanned in color at 300 dpi (about 2.2 MB each): up to eight pages kept Best quality (eight came to about 8.7 MB); ten and fifteen pages fitted at Balanced (about 5 MB and 7.6 MB); twenty pages needed Small (about 4.6 MB).
- Pages with one detailed 12-megapixel test photo each (about 3.5 MB per photo): up to ten kept Best quality (about 9.4 MB for ten); twelve fitted at Balanced (about 4.1 MB).
Very long scans: split them into parts
If even Smallest leaves your file over 10 MB, the pages themselves are the problem, not the setting. Split PDF has a mode called Every few pages: type how many pages you want in each file under Pages in each file, and you get a set of shorter PDFs. Compress each part here, and send or upload them one after another if the place you are sending to accepts more than one file.
If you are scanning the papers yourself, the scanner’s settings matter more than anything this tool can do. A text document scanned at 200 or 300 dpi, and in grayscale rather than color when color adds nothing, starts much smaller. This tool keeps colors as they are: it has no grayscale option.
Is a 10 MB PDF small enough to email?
Not always. Microsoft says Outlook stops at 20 MB for internet accounts such as Outlook.com, and that the default for Exchange work accounts is 10 MB, counting the attachment and the email together. Google says personal Gmail accounts take up to 25 MB. A file of 9750 KB leaves almost no room on a 10 MB work account, so if you are emailing it, use the Compress PDF for email page, which is set to 9500 KB.
Why the box says 9750
Sites count a megabyte in two ways: 1,024 × 1,024 bytes, or a round 1,000,000. Here 1 KB is 1,024 bytes, so 9750 KB is 9,984,000 bytes. That is under 10 MB whichever way the form counts (10,485,760 or 10,000,000 bytes).
Everything happens in your browser: your file is never uploaded to any server. You can check: once your file is open, turn on airplane mode — the tool still works.
Questions
How do I reduce a PDF to under 10 MB?
Choose the PDF here, keep Fit a size with 9750 in the box, and press Compress PDF. The tool tries Best quality first and keeps the first level that fits under the number.
My 40 MB scan is still over 10 MB. What now?
If the message says the smallest it could reach is still over the limit, there are too many pages for one file at this size. Split it into parts with Split PDF, or keep only the pages that are needed, then compress again.
Can I print a brochure after compressing it?
At Best quality a full-page photo keeps about 220 pixels per inch on a Letter page, which usually looks fine from a home or office printer. For professional printing, send the printer your original file: this tool lowers the pixels in every photo, and the original is never changed.
Does compressing remove pages or text?
No. Every page stays, and typed text stays text you can select and search. Only the pictures inside are saved again with fewer pixels and a lower JPEG quality.
Is my file uploaded?
No. Compress PDF to 10 MB runs in your browser on your own device. The file is never sent to our server or anyone else. Once your file is open you can even turn on airplane mode.
Is it free?
Yes. No sign-up, no limits on how many files, and no watermark is added to your file.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, in any modern browser on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows or Linux. Very large files work best on a computer, because a phone browser has less memory.