How to get a PDF under 500 KB and keep it sharp
Open Compress, choose To a size and pick 500 KB. At this size most documents keep sharp photos, and the text is never touched.
CompressFree. Nothing is uploaded.
How to do it
- Open Compress and add the PDF.
- Choose To a size.
- Pick 500 KB.
- Press Compress it and check the result line, which says how sharp the photos are.
- Save the file or share it.
A comfortable limit
500 KB is room enough for several scanned pages, a set of certificates merged into one, or a photo-heavy brochure. Compress starts with the gentlest photo setting and stops as soon as the file fits, so at 500 KB the result often reads photos still sharp.
Making one file from several
If your documents are photos, Images to PDF makes them one PDF, one picture per page. If they are already PDFs, Merge joins them. Then compress the single file to 500 KB.
When you need a sharper copy, or a smaller one
For printing, use the original or the Light setting, which keeps photos print-sharp. For a stricter form, see compressing to 200 KB. If the limit is per file and you may upload several, Split by size cuts a big PDF into parts that each fit a limit in MB.
To a size, or Light, Balanced and Strong?
Compress works in two ways. To a size aims for a number, which is what an upload form needs. Light, Balanced and Strong each apply one fixed setting and give whatever size comes out, which suits a file you are emailing or keeping. If the form says under 500 KB, use To a size: one fixed setting might give 300 KB on one file and 900 KB on another, and only To a size keeps trying until it fits.
A worked example
A visa or loan file wants your last six months of salary slips as one PDF under 500 KB. If they arrived as separate PDFs from your employer’s payroll site, add them all to Merge, put them in date order and press Merge into one file. Tap Then, choose Compress, pick To a size and 500 KB, and press Compress it.
Typed salary slips are mostly text, so they often fit without any visible change. If the slips are scans, the result line says how sharp the photos stayed.
Checking quality before you send
Open the compressed file and zoom in on the smallest print, such as an account number or a seal. If it is crisp, you are done. If it has gone soft, use a bigger limit if one is allowed, or take out pages that are not needed with Extract pages. Do not compress the result a second time: start again from the original, which is always left as it was.
Questions people ask
Does compressing change my text?
No. Text and drawings are never touched. Only photos are made lighter, unless you tick Let pages become pictures.
My file is already under 500 KB. What happens?
Nothing is changed. The result says the file is already under 500 KB.
Do I need to install anything?
No. It runs in the browser you already have, on a phone or a computer.
Is my file uploaded to be compressed?
No. It is made smaller in your browser, on your device, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Will a 500 KB file print well?
Typed text prints perfectly at any size, because it is never touched. Photos at this size are usually fine for an ID or a certificate; for a brochure or photographs, print the original instead.
Can I pick a size between the ready ones, like 400 KB?
Yes. Choose Other and type 400. Any size from 10 KB up works.
Your file stays on your device. Foolscap does the work inside your browser, so nothing is uploaded and there is nothing for anyone to keep. How you can check