JPEG photos and scans
With Strong, each photo inside is reduced to at most 1100 px on its longest side and saved again at 55% quality. That is what weighs most in a scanned or photo-heavy PDF.
FREE TOOL · PRESET READY
Compress a PDF to send by email
The Strong level, which reduces the most, is already selected. It compresses the photos and scans inside the PDF without touching the text. If you need it to end up around 1 MB, below we explain what to expect and what to do if it does not get there.
- Free, no watermark
- Strong level pre-selected
- Your PDF never leaves your device
HOW TO DO IT
Three steps.
Add your PDF
Up to 5 PDFs without a password, up to 100 MB each.
Check the level
Strong comes pre-selected. If the photos or the print of a scan look too blurry, try Recommended.
Download and check the size
You see the size before and after. If it fits your email, attach it; if not, follow the tips below.
WHAT IT DOES
What it shrinks and what it does not
Text, fonts and drawings
They do not change: they stay sharp and selectable. That is why a text-only PDF barely gets smaller. In a scan, however, the lettering is part of the photo and is compressed with it.
Other images
Only JPEG photos are recompressed. Scans saved in black and white or PNG images inside the PDF stay as they are. If the copy is not smaller, you get the original.
TARGET: ABOUT 1 MB
If you need it around 1 MB
It depends on your PDF
There is no “exactly 1 MB” button: the final size depends on how many photos it has and how big they are. A few scanned pages usually end up well below; a catalogue with hundreds of photos does not.
If it does not shrink enough
Split the PDF with Split PDF and send the parts in several emails, or share a cloud link instead of attaching it.
Last resort: turn it into images
PDF to JPG at 72 or 150 dpi and then JPG to PDF at Light quality, “Fit to each image” and “No margins” turns every page into a photo without changing the layout. JPG to PDF takes up to 20 images per PDF: with more pages, make several and join them with Merge PDF. It can be much smaller for a scanned PDF, but the text can no longer be selected or searched.
Compress a PDF to send by email: common questions
Can I compress a PDF to exactly 1 MB?
Not with a fixed target: the tool has three levels (Light, Recommended and Strong) and shows you the final size. Strong reduces the most. If it is still too big, split it or turn it into images as explained above.
Why does my PDF barely get smaller?
Because what weighs is not JPEG photos: text, embedded fonts, vector drawings or images in other formats are not recompressed. If the copy is not smaller, the original is kept.
Does the text look worse?
In a PDF with real text, no: text and drawings are not touched. If the PDF is scanned, the text is part of the image and with Strong small print can lose sharpness; if it is hard to read, use Recommended.
Does it accept password-protected PDFs?
No. Password-protected PDFs are not opened. Remove the protection in the program where you created it and try again.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. Everything happens inside your browser: the file is read and processed on your device and is not sent to Cocuyo or to any third party. You can check it in your browser’s network tools: your file is not sent.
Is it really free?
Yes. You can try it before signing up; to download the result we ask for a free account, with no subscription. Your free account comes with 30 welcome uses; after that, each use costs 1 credit (top-ups from US$1), and they are unlimited with Basic or Pro. It never adds a watermark.
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