PDF not going below 200 KB? 6 fixes

The short answer

You compressed the PDF. It is still above 200 KB.

That is common. A phone scan is a set of photos inside a PDF. One pass cannot always shrink it enough.

Try the six fixes below, in order. Start from the original file, not from a copy you already compressed.

The work stays on your device.

Before the fixes

Read the line next to the upload button.

• “Max 200 KB each” means every file must be under 200 KB.
• “Total size” means all files added together.
• Some boxes want a JPG, not a PDF.

A longer walk-through of a 200 KB form is on How to make documents under 200 KB.

If the form names an exam, do not guess the size. Open Exam photo and signature size and use the page for that exam. Those pages name the notice they checked.

Fix 1: Delete pages you do not need

Extra pages keep the file big.

1. Open Delete PDF pages.
2. Remove blank pages and pages the form did not ask for.
3. Download that shorter PDF.
4. Then compress it.

Fix 2: Keep only the page the form wants

A marksheet PDF often has a cover, instructions and the mark sheet.

1. Open Split PDF.
2. Take only the page you must upload.
3. Compress that one page.

One page is much easier to bring under 200 KB than ten pages.

Fix 3: Compress again in black and white

Colour scans of text stay large.

1. Open Compress PDF.
2. Choose the 200 KB limit. You can type another limit if the form says so.
3. Tick Black and white for a text page such as a certificate or marksheet.
4. Download. Read the size the tool shows.

Keep colour only if a seal or a photo must stay in colour.

Compress PDF saves each page as a picture. You will not be able to select the text afterwards. That is fine for most upload boxes. Keep your original.

Fix 4: Scan a cleaner page

Shadows, fingers and a tilted page add grey area. Grey area is hard to shrink.

1. Put the paper flat.
2. Use daylight or a tube light. Do not let the phone’s shadow fall on the page.
3. Hold the phone straight above the page.
4. Open Document scanner and crop out the table.
5. Save, then compress.

Fix 5: Rebuild the PDF from smaller JPGs

Use this when the PDF is still too big after fixes 1 to 4.

1. Open PDF to JPG. Save each page as a picture.
2. Open Compress image or Compress image to KB.
3. Make each picture smaller.
4. Open JPG to PDF. Put the pictures back into one PDF.
5. If it is still over the limit, run Compress PDF once more.

Fix 6: Check the file type, then zoom in

If the form wants a JPG, stop making a PDF.

Use Compress image to KB and upload the JPG.

Before you upload, open the new file and zoom in.

• You can read the name and the numbers.
• The seal or stamp is still visible.
• The signature is still a signature, not a smudge.

If it is blurred, go back to the original and try a slightly higher limit. A readable file that is a little over the limit is a clue to remove another page, not to upload a blur.

If it is still rejected

Read Why your upload was rejected.

Several certificates in one PDF are covered in Merge certificates into one PDF. Merge first, then compress.