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Compress a PDFOn this page
Find out what is making the file large
Upload portals often allow only 2, 5 or 10 MB per file. Before compressing, think about where the size comes from. Scanned pages and photos are almost always the cause; a 30-page text document exported from Word is usually small already.
If the PDF contains pages that are not needed, remove them first. Fewer pages is the only reduction with no loss at all.
How ClearwayPDF compresses
The Compress tool redraws every page as a JPEG image at the level you choose: High keeps the most detail, Medium is a good balance, and Low makes the smallest file. It works best on scans and image-heavy PDFs, often cutting the size by half or more.
Because every page becomes an image, the text in the compressed file can no longer be selected or searched. That is usually fine for an upload, but if the receiver needs searchable text, run the compressed file through OCR afterwards, or send the original if it fits.
For a PDF that is mostly text, compression may not help and can even make the file larger. If that happens, the PDF is probably already as small as it needs to be.
Pick the right level
Start with Medium and check the result. If it is still too large, try Low. If small print, signatures or stamps become hard to read, go back up a level; a portal will not accept a file the reviewer cannot read.
Zoom in to 200% on the smallest text in the document, such as footnotes or ID numbers, before you upload. That is where quality loss shows first.
If it is still too large
Split the document into parts and upload them separately, if the portal allows several files. Or extract only the pages the form actually asks for: many applications ask for "proof of address", not a full 20-page bank statement.