How to compress a PDF to send by email
Updated 4 min readBy Total PDF Tools
Quick answer
To make a PDF small enough for email, open Compress PDF, add the file and start with the Balanced level. The tool recompresses embedded images to a sensible resolution and keeps text, links and forms intact, then shows the exact size before and after. If the file is still too large, try Strong. Maximum turns pages into images, so only use it when size matters more than selectable text.
Open Compress PDFStep by step
- 1
Open Compress PDF
Go to the Compress PDF tool and add your file.
- 2
Pick a level
Choose Balanced first. Use Strong for strict limits, and Maximum only if you don't need selectable text.
- 3
Compare sizes
Check the before-and-after size. If the file can't get meaningfully smaller, the tool tells you and you keep your original.
- 4
Download
Save the smaller PDF and attach it to your email.
Why PDFs get big
Text takes very little space. Almost all the weight in a large PDF comes from images: scanned pages, phone photos and high-resolution graphics. That's why compression focuses on images, and why a PDF that's mostly text often barely shrinks: it is already small.
Email size limits
Common attachment limits are around 20–25 MB for Gmail and Outlook.com, and many company mail servers allow less. Upload forms for job and government portals often cap files at 2–10 MB. If compression alone isn't enough:
- Split the PDF into parts and send them separately.
- Delete pages that aren't needed, such as blank scan backs.
- Scan text documents in black and white, which produces much smaller files than colour.
Compression levels explained
Balanced and Strong lower the resolution and quality of embedded images while keeping text as text, so it stays sharp, searchable and selectable. Maximum renders every page as an image: the file can become very small, but you can no longer select or search the text unless you run OCR afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
Will compressing a PDF make the text blurry?
Not with Balanced or Strong: text is kept as real text and only images are recompressed. Maximum rasterizes pages, which can soften small text.
Why didn't my PDF get smaller?
It was probably already optimized or mostly text. The tool tells you when it can't make a meaningful saving, so you never end up with a bigger copy.
Is it safe to compress confidential PDFs online?
With Total PDF Tools, yes: compression runs in your browser and the file is never uploaded.