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≤256KB

PDF Compressor

100% Free

Compress a scanned-document PDF into the exact KB limit — MahaDBT (15–256 KB per document), Aaple Sarkar (≤500 KB), or any 75 KB/100 KB/200 KB/500 KB/1 MB cap. Free, in your browser.

100% in your browser
Exact KB target
Best for scanned documents

Compress your PDF into the exact KB limit

100% FREE · runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded

Your document never leaves this device — reading, compressing and rebuilding all happen in your browser. Best for scanned documents: every page is re-encoded as a JPEG image, so a text PDF comes out as images (no selectable text).

Size target

महाडीबीटी कागदपत्र · MahaDBT scholarship portal: each uploaded document PDF must be between 15 and 256 KB. Multi-page caste/income certificates scanned on a phone routinely land at 2–5 MB and get rejected — this preset compresses into the band.

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  width="100%"
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  loading="lazy"
  title="PDF Compressor">
</iframe>

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How to Use

  1. 1 Upload your PDF (max 50MB) — the tool reads it in your browser and shows its current size and page count.
  2. 2 Pick the size target — MahaDBT document (15–256 KB), Aaple Sarkar (≤500 KB), a generic 75 KB/100 KB/200 KB/500 KB/1 MB cap, or type a custom KB number.
  3. 3 Hit Compress. Each page is re-rendered and re-encoded, with the quality searched until the whole file lands under the target — you see per-page progress.
  4. 4 Check the measured result: the actual KB is shown next to the target before you download. If the target is genuinely unreachable, the tool says so honestly instead of pretending.
  5. 5 Download the compressed PDF and upload it to your portal.

Features

  • MahaDBT Document — each PDF between 15 and 256 KB
  • Aaple Sarkar Document — up to 500 KB
  • Under 75 KB — single-page supporting documents on exam and e-district portals
  • Under 100 KB — the tightest common cap (bank KYC, email gateways)
  • Under 200 KB — job-application and university portals
  • Under 500 KB — the most common govt-portal ceiling
  • Under 1 MB — comfortable target for email attachments
  • Custom KB target for any other published limit
  • Shows current size + page count before compressing
  • Global quality search — the real rebuilt-file size is measured every attempt
  • Honest red state when a target is unreachable, with a best-effort download
  • 100% in your browser — the document is never uploaded anywhere

Why it Matters

Indian portals reject document PDFs outside strict KB bands without saying why: MahaDBT wants every certificate between 15 and 256 KB, Aaple Sarkar caps at 500 KB, and a phone-scanned caste certificate easily weighs 3 MB. This tool renders each page, re-encodes it as a JPEG and binary-searches the quality until the rebuilt PDF actually measures under the target — the same deterministic, measured-output approach as our Passport Photo Maker and Signature Resizer, completing the govt-document trio.

★★★★★

Use Cases

CSC / Seva Kendra Operators

MahaDBT and Aaple Sarkar uploads rejected for size? Compress each certificate into the exact band on the first try, with the real KB shown before upload.

Students & Scholarship Applicants

Income proof, caste certificate, marksheets — scan at home, compress to 15–256 KB per document, and finish the MahaDBT form without a xerox-shop trip.

Job & Exam Applicants

Recruitment portals cap document uploads at 75–500 KB. Hit the published cap exactly instead of guessing with generic compressors.

Privacy-conscious Users

Certificates carry your name, address and IDs. Here they never leave your device — every step runs in your browser, no upload, no account.

How to use

  1. Upload your PDF. Up to 50MB. The tool reads it in your browser and immediately shows the current size and page count — the two numbers that decide how hard the compression has to work.
  2. Pick the target. MahaDBT (15–256 KB per document), Aaple Sarkar (≤500 KB), one of the generic 75 KB / 100 KB / 200 KB / 500 KB / 1 MB caps, or a custom KB number copied from your portal’s instruction line.
  3. Compress. Every page is re-rendered and re-encoded as a JPEG, and the quality is binary-searched until the rebuilt file genuinely measures under the target. You watch per-page progress the whole way.
  4. Verify and download. The actual output KB is shown next to the target — measured, not promised. Then download and upload to your portal.

Honest limits — read this once

This tool rasterizes your PDF: each page becomes a JPEG image inside a fresh PDF. That is exactly right for scanned documents, which are images already. But if your PDF was created digitally (a typed application, a bank statement export), the output will be pictures of that text — still readable, no longer selectable or searchable. If you need selectable text under a size cap, reduce the page count or re-export from the source instead.

Password-protected PDFs are not supported — the browser can’t read them without the password, so the tool tells you plainly instead of failing halfway. Unlock the PDF first, then compress.

And when a target genuinely can’t be reached — say 10 dense pages under 100 KB — the tool tells you so in plain words and still gives you the best-effort file, instead of silently handing you an unreadable smudge. Splitting the PDF into smaller parts and compressing each one separately is usually the fix; most portals accept multiple files.

Why the output is trustworthy

Every attempt rebuilds the complete PDF and measures its real byte size — the search compares actual files, never estimates. The KB bands, quality bounds and iteration budgets are plain, deterministic, unit-tested code. There is no AI, no server, no account: your document never leaves your device.

The government-document trio

The same portals that cap your document PDFs also demand exact-spec photos and signatures. The free Passport Photo Maker handles the photo (MahaDBT, MPSC, SSC, UPSC, PAN presets) and the free Exam Signature Resizer handles the signature (256×64 px, 10–20 KB and friends) — all with the same measured-output, in-browser pipeline. Need the photo background fixed first? The Background Remover feeds straight into the Passport Photo Maker.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do government portals reject my PDF for size?
Portals enforce hard per-file KB caps — built for slow connections and small storage budgets — and auto-reject anything over the limit, usually with an unhelpful error. A 260 KB file fails a 256 KB cap just like a 5 MB one. This tool compresses to the actual published number and shows you the measured size before you upload.
What is the MahaDBT document size limit?
MahaDBT requires each uploaded document PDF to be between 15 and 256 KB. The MahaDBT preset targets exactly that band, and warns you in the rare case a result lands under the 15 KB floor — portals that enforce the floor reject too-small files just like too-large ones. Portals occasionally tweak limits mid-cycle, so cross-check the portal's instruction line if an upload still fails.
What about Aaple Sarkar?
Aaple Sarkar (Maharashtra Right to Services) document uploads are commonly capped at 500 KB per file — use the Aaple Sarkar preset. Some individual services publish tighter limits; if yours does, type that number as a custom target.
Why does the output become an image PDF?
The pipeline re-renders every page with pdf.js and re-encodes it as a JPEG before rebuilding the PDF — that's the only way to reliably hit a hard KB number on a scanned document. For scans (which are already images) nothing meaningful is lost; that's exactly what govt portals expect you to upload.
Will the text still be selectable after compressing?
No — and the tool is upfront about it. Because each page becomes a JPEG image, a digitally-created text PDF comes out as pictures of text: still readable, no longer selectable or searchable. If you need selectable text under a size cap, reduce the page count or re-export from the source instead.
Does it work on password-protected (encrypted) PDFs?
No. Encrypted or password-protected PDFs can't be read in the browser without the password, so the tool shows a clear error instead of failing silently. Remove the password first (print-to-PDF from a viewer where you've opened it with the password works), then compress the unlocked copy.
Why did the tool say my target is unreachable?
There's a floor below which a page becomes an unreadable smudge, and the tool refuses to pretend otherwise. If even the lowest readable quality and scale can't fit your page count under the target, you get an honest red message plus the best-effort file. Fixes that work: split the PDF into smaller parts and compress each separately, upload fewer pages per file, or use a larger target if the portal offers one.
How do I keep the quality as high as possible?
Three things help most: scan in good light (dark, noisy scans compress badly), crop away empty desk/background before making the PDF, and don't put more pages in one file than the portal requires — the KB budget is shared across all pages, so a 2-page file under 256 KB looks far better than a 10-page one.
Is my document uploaded to a server?
No. Reading, rendering, compressing and rebuilding all happen in your browser using pdf.js and pdf-lib — the file never leaves your device, there is no account and nothing is stored. That matters for caste certificates, income proofs and marksheets, which carry exactly the personal details you don't want on a random server.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. The whole tool is free and unlimited — no sign-up, no credits, no watermark. It completes our free government-document trio: the Passport Photo Maker handles the photo, the Exam Signature Resizer handles the signature, and this handles the document PDFs.

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