Want to send a PDF but its size is too large? Know how to reduce PDF file size for FREE

If you need to send a PDF file but it is exceeding the limit, then do not worry. There are some easy solutions to this problem. Find out how to reduce PDF file size for free without affecting the quality.

Check out this step-by-step guide on how to reduce PDF file size for free and easily. (Docusign)

If you use PDF files on a regular basis, you know that their file size can get quite big, especially if it has images and illustrations. And while it is always better to have interactive PDF files to explain the project you're working on, sometimes it is not that easy to send a file across. From emails, WhatsApp and other instant messaging platforms as well as government websites have a limit on the file size you can upload, and if your PDF exceeds that, you will struggle to share it. So, if you are in a similar situation, you should know how to reduce PDF file size. There are ways you can compress PDF files for completely free and without affecting the quality of the file. Read on to find out.

How to reduce PDF file size for free

There are quite a few methods to do it, but here we will go through three methods which should be accessible to most. We will take a look at how to reduce PDF file size using Adobe Acrobat, which many have installed on their computer as well as free online tools like SmallPDF and DocuPub. Let us take a look at how to use all three of them.

How to compress PDF files using SmallPDF

Step 1:

Open SmallPDF using your browser on desktop or mobile. Or alternatively, click on this link.

Step 2:

Scroll down to see the options and select Compress PDF.

Step 3:

Add your PDF file to the central area where it says “add file”.

Step 4:

After the compression is done, you will see two options. One is free and compresses the file by around 40% and another is capable of compressing it by 75% but requires you to pay. Pick the one that fulfills your needs and download the file.

Step 5:

Do not worry about the file’s content being leaked as the platform auto deletes all PDF after one hour.

How to reduce PDF file size using DocuPub

Some people prefer DocuPub over SmallPDF because they get more manual control over the reduction process. You can simply click on the ‘rescale/resize' option and tweak it as per your requirements. Do note, it only allows file upload of upto 24 MB.

Reducing PDF file size using Adobe Acrobat

Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.

Go to Tools and click on ‘PDF Optimizer'.

Among the options, select ‘Reduce File Size'

You can also play around with image quality as well as check the file size contribution of individual images and illustrations using Advanced Optimization.