Compress PDF to a Target Size
Choose 500KB, 1MB, 2MB, 5MB, or a custom file-size target. Tuko automatically tries progressively stronger compression while processing the PDF locally in your browser.
Need a PDF below a specific upload limit? Choose the target size instead of guessing quality sliders. Tuko starts with gentler Smart compression and can automatically use stronger compression if the selected target needs it.
Choose your PDF
Drag and drop or tap to browse
Before and after: what compression changes
How much a PDF shrinks depends on what is inside it. These are the three kinds of file people bring most often, and what to expect from each.
Phone photos saved as a PDF
- Before
- Each page is a full camera photo. A few pages can add up to several MB because the photos keep every pixel the camera took.
- What Tuko does
- Smart compression shrinks and re-encodes the photos inside the PDF. The page layout stays the same.
- After
- Usually the biggest drop. Zoom in on small print, IC numbers and signatures before you upload.
High-resolution scan from a scanner or copier
- Before
- Every page is one large image, often scanned at a higher resolution than any portal needs.
- What Tuko does
- If Smart compression is not enough, Tuko can redraw each page at a smaller size until the file fits.
- After
- The file gets much smaller, but text becomes part of the image and can no longer be selected or searched.
PDF exported from Word or a website
- Before
- Mostly text and vector graphics, with few or no photos. These files are usually small already.
- What Tuko does
- There are few images to shrink, so Smart compression changes very little.
- After
- If it is still too big, look for one large embedded image or remove pages you do not need.
Quick check: will it fit under 2MB?
Divide the limit by the number of pages. Under 2MB, a 5-page file has about 409 KB per page and a 10-page file about 204 KB per page. If that is far below what one page of your file uses now, remove pages you do not need or split the file before compressing.
How target-size PDF compression works
- Choose your PDF and the maximum file size you need.
- Tuko first tries image compression that preserves the PDF structure where possible.
- If the target is still not reached and stronger compression is enabled, Tuko can rasterize pages at progressively smaller settings.
- The result clearly shows whether your requested target was reached before you download it.
Very small targets are not always possible
A long image-heavy PDF may not fit under 500KB or 1MB without becoming difficult to read. Tuko therefore reports the closest result instead of pretending a target was reached. Always open the compressed PDF and check small text before submitting it.
Privacy by design
Compression runs in your browser. Your document does not need to be sent to Tuko's server, which is useful for files containing IDs, payslips, certificates, forms, or other sensitive information.
Compress PDF to a Target Size FAQs
Common questions about using our Compress PDF to a Target Size tool.
How does Tuko compress PDFs without uploading them?
Tuko uses browser-side PDF and image processing. Your PDF is handled in your device's browser memory rather than being uploaded to Tuko for compression.
Can Tuko compress a PDF to exactly 1MB or 2MB?
Tuko can automatically try progressively stronger settings to get below your selected target. Some PDFs cannot reach a very small target without a large quality loss, so the tool will show whether the target was reached.
Will my text stay selectable?
Tuko tries Smart compression first, which keeps the original PDF structure where possible. If you allow stronger compression, the fallback can turn pages into images, which may make text non-selectable.
Does compression reduce PDF quality?
Compression can reduce image resolution or image quality. Tuko starts with gentler settings and only uses stronger settings when the selected target requires it.
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