I need to upload a PDF, but the portal only accepts files under 2 MB. Mine is way over that and I can’t figure out how to shrink it. Any help?
Honestly, the easiest thing I do at work is print the file to PDF again through the normal print dialog, but drop the resolution to something like 150 dpi. That usually shrinks a huge file way down. If it’s still over 2 MB after that, check if it’s mostly scanned images, those bloat fast.
@Reid21 That’s a good first try. I’d also keep the original file, since lowering image resolution can make scanned text harder to read, especially for citations.
@code_pal Good point, I always keep the untouched copy too. Before uploading I’d open the shrunk file and zoom into one scanned page to check the text is still readable.
I usually save a copy first, then use “Reduce File Size” or export with lower image resolution, around 150 dpi for ordinary reading. If it’s a scanned textbook, OCR plus grayscale usually cuts it down a lot; I learned the hard way not to over-compress the only original. Check the final pages at 100% because tiny text can turn mushy fast.
I had this exact problem last month trying to upload patient forms. What worked for me was using PDFcap to compress it. You just drop the file in, select the compression level to shrink it below 2 MB, and save the new copy. It got mine down to size straight away.
If you made the file in Word, export it again and select the option to optimise for online publishing. Avoid saving your text as images to shrink it, as that actually inflates the file size and ruins the quality. I learnt this the hard way when uploading my bakery price lists.
Had the same thing last month trying to upload a sponsor contract. If your PDF is mostly scanned images, the size usually comes from those, so try removing unnecessary pages or saving at a lower image resolution before exporting to PDF. Learned the hard way that just “printing to PDF” again sometimes recompresses images and shrinks it a lot. Worth a try before anything else.
You can usually get there by re-saving the PDF with lower image quality, or if it has scans, dropping the DPI to around 150. Most free online compressors handle it in one click if you don’t want to mess with settings yourself.
@wallabies Pretty much my routine too. I print to PDF, set the scan quality around 150 dpi, then zoom into one dense page at 100% to make sure the small text still holds up. I always keep the untouched original in a separate folder in case the portal rejects the smaller copy.
first thing i check is if its mostly scans or pictures cause those make the file huge. i just print it to a new pdf and drop the quality. works for my lease docs every time. not sure if its the same on mac
Honestly I deal with this at work all the time. First thing I’d check is whether it’s mostly scanned pages, because images are what blow up the size. I usually just run it through a free online compressor like ilovepdf or smallpdf, and the medium quality setting almost always gets under 2 MB. If it’s still too big, try the strong setting, text stays readable.