You're filling out an application, you hit upload, and the portal rejects your PDF: 'file size exceeds limit.' It's one of the most common document frustrations. Here's how to fix it fast.
Find the exact limit
Check the portal's stated limit — often 100KB, 200KB, or 500KB. Compress to just under that number, not far below, so you keep as much quality as the rules allow.
Try it nowCompress to target size — free, in your browser, nothing uploaded.
Open Compress to target size →Compress to the target
Use a size-targeting compressor: enter the limit, drop in the PDF, and download a file that fits. For scanned documents this works well; for text PDFs the file may already be small.
If compression isn't enough
Upload only the required page (extract it), scan in grayscale at a lower DPI, or split the document if the portal allows multiple files.