How to compress a PDF toward 5 MB

Choose the PDF you want to shrink, or drop it into the tool.
Add more files or rotate pages if you need to, then open compression levels.
Leave Recommended compression selected, or pick Extreme if you need a harder cut, and compress.
Download the result and check the file size. Working copies are deleted after 60 minutes.

Features

Same compressor

This is the Compress PDF job with Ghostscript. Only the starting quality and this page's copy are different.

Balanced first

Level 2 keeps more detail than Extreme. Many reports and mixed documents fit under 5 MB at this setting.

You can go smaller

If the result is still over 5 MB, switch to Extreme compression and run the job again.

Deleted after 60 minutes

Uploaded files and results stay on the server only long enough to download. Then they are deleted.

No watermark

The compressed PDF does not get a MyPDF stamp. Free accounts get 5 jobs a day.

Need a tighter cap?

For a 2 MB form, use Compress PDF to 2MB. For 1 MB, use Compress PDF to 1MB. Those pages start on the smallest setting.

Why 5 MB is a target, not a promise

Job sites, schools, and some inboxes ask for a 5 MB cap. MyPDF uses the same Ghostscript compressor as Compress PDF. This page starts on level 2 (balanced) because that is usually enough for a 5 MB limit and stays more readable than Extreme.

A typical report or a short scan often drops under 5 MB at balanced quality. A long full-color scan may not. If the result is still large, switch to Extreme, split the file, or remove unused pages.

Working files are deleted after 60 minutes. We do not add a watermark. Free accounts get 5 jobs a day. Pro, Team, or a $5 day pass raise the file-size cap if the original is larger than Free allows.

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Compress PDF to 5MB