Compress a PDF to 1 MB
A comfortable limit — and often reachable without touching image quality at all.
The compressor is on the front page. Set your target and go — nothing is uploaded.
Open the compressorTry Lossless first at this size
1 MB is one of the few common limits where the lossless route stands a real chance. Stripping metadata and repacking the file structure typically saves between 5 and 25 per cent, which is often the whole gap — and it costs nothing: your text stays selectable, searchable and copyable.
Only if that falls short is it worth rasterising. In the compressor, choose Lossless, look at the result, and switch to Target size with 1000 typed in the box if you still need more.
1 MB or 1000 KB?
Strictly, 1 MB is 1024 KB. In practice some upload forms treat it as 1000 KB, and a handful measure the encoded rather than the raw size. If a form rejects a file that appears to be under the limit, aim for 950 KB — the margin costs you almost nothing in quality and sidesteps the whole ambiguity.
Common questions
Is 1 MB the same as 1024 KB?
For file sizes, yes - 1 MB is 1024 KB. Some upload forms mean 1000 KB instead, and a few compute it differently again. If a form rejects a file just under 1 MB, aim for 950 KB and the ambiguity stops mattering.
Is 1 MB achievable for a scanned document?
Comfortably. A 1 MB budget is generous - twenty or thirty scanned pages at readable quality, or a hundred pages of ordinary text. If you cannot reach it, something unusual is in the file, such as embedded high-resolution images repeated on every page.
Should I use Lossless mode at this size?
Try it first. At 1 MB there is a real chance the lossless repack alone gets you under, which keeps your text selectable and searchable. Fall back to Target size only if it does not.
Is my file uploaded?
No. Compression runs in your browser and the document never leaves your device.