How to reduce a PDF below a maximum size

1. Compress the PDF

1. Open “Compress PDF” and select your file.
2. PDFRoll shows the current size and, for most documents, estimates the size you’ll get with each level.
3. Choose the level whose estimate is under the required limit.
4. Click “Compress PDF”, then download the result.

Start with “Recommended compression”. If that isn’t enough, try “Strong compression”: the file will be much smaller, but images will be less sharp. Check that the text is still readable before sending it.

2. Remove unnecessary pages

A blank page, an appendix or an empty back side adds weight for nothing. Remove them with “Delete pages”, then compress again if needed. On a scanned document, every page counts.

3. Split the PDF into files under the limit

If the website accepts several files but limits the size of each one, use “Split PDF” in “By size” mode:

1. Open “Split PDF” and select your file.
2. Choose “By size”.
3. In “Maximum size”, enter the website’s limit, for example 1 MB or 500 KB.
4. Click “Split PDF”: PDFRoll groups the pages into files that stay under that limit.

If a single page is already over the limit, it stays alone in its own file and PDFRoll lets you know: compress the PDF first, then split it.

For photos of documents: use “Scan to PDF”

A photo taken with a phone often weighs several megabytes. If your PDF is made of photos, recreate it with “Scan to PDF” in “Document” mode: the photos are resized and cleaned up (white background, crisp black text), which gives a much lighter file. Frame the document as tightly as possible when you take the photo.