CompressThis

Compress a PDF to 500 KB.

For tight upload limits that won't budge.

Free tool

Open the tool — drop a PDF, get a smaller one back in seconds.

Compress to 500 KB

The problem

500 KB is a surprisingly common limit for scanned document uploads: some insurance portals, state benefit applications, and older government systems cap individual documents at 500 KB or even 250 KB. A single-page scanned form can easily hit 2–3 MB. Compressing to 500 KB is harder than 2 MB — it requires heavier image resampling — but a single readable page of text is achievable at any compression level.

The fix

CompressThis's Maximum mode targets the smallest possible output — which for most single-page scanned documents gets well under 500 KB. For precise targeting, use the target-size field and type "490 KB". The tool iterates compression settings until your document lands just under the threshold. Readability holds because even at aggressive settings, a single column of text at 12pt is fully readable at 100px-per-inch resolution.

What you get

  • Maximum mode targets minimum file size — usually well under 500 KB for typical scanned pages.
  • Type "490 KB" in the target-size field for a safe buffer under strict 500 KB limits.
  • Single-page documents (ID scans, insurance forms, benefit applications) typically land at 100–350 KB.
  • Multi-page documents can also hit 500 KB total — each page gets compressed proportionally.
  • Use Preview before downloading to verify readability — at Maximum settings, faint text may soften slightly.

Questions

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Why is my PDF so large?
Five reasons — and the fix for each.

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Compress to 500 KB

Last updated: May 2026

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