PDFora
Free forever · nothing uploaded

Compress PDF for Email

Most inboxes reject an attachment somewhere between 10MB and 25MB. This tool recompresses the images inside your PDF and tries progressively harder settings until it fits your target, so it sends instead of bouncing. No signup, nothing uploaded.

  • No signup
  • No watermark
  • No file limit
  • Free at download

Three steps

Compress PDF for Email,without the extra steps.

  1. Select your PDF, or drop it onto the page. It opens in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
  2. Set a target under your recipient's attachment limit (default is 10MB, safe for most inboxes).
  3. Check the result and attach it to your email. If it is still too big, try a smaller target or removing pages instead.

Why use this tool

Built forthis exact case.

The limit depends on the provider, not on you. Gmail caps a single attachment at 25MB, and plenty of company mail servers set a lower ceiling, often 10MB or 20MB. The default target here is set conservatively so the result clears most inboxes without you having to check first.

Need a specific file size instead?

Jump straight to a common target: 100KB, 200KB, 300KB, 500KB, 1MB, 2MB, 10MB. For full manual control instead of a target, use the general Compress PDF tool.

Other ways to use this tool

Compress a PDF for upload, without losing quality, to the smallest size, for free, without software. To cut pages instead of recompressing, use Split PDF, Delete PDF Pages or Extract PDF Pages. Not sure why the file is big in the first place? See the usual causes or how compression works.

The question everybody asks

Is it really free?

Yes. No account, no trial, no watermark on the output, no cap on file size or page count, and no payment step between you and the download button.

It is free because it is cheap to run: your PDF is compressed by your own browser, so there is no upload, no server doing the work and no storage to pay for.

Why this is free → How files are handled

FAQ

Questions peopleactually ask.

How do I compress a PDF so it can be emailed?

Set a target under your recipient's attachment limit and run the tool. It recompresses the images inside the PDF and tries progressively harder settings until the file is under that target, or as small as it can safely go.

What is Gmail's attachment size limit?

Gmail caps a single attachment at 25MB. Above that, Gmail switches to sending a Google Drive link instead of the file itself, which not every recipient can open the same way.

Why did my email with a PDF attached bounce back?

Most mail servers reject a message outright if any attachment is over their limit, rather than sending it anyway. A bounce almost always means the file needs to come down in size, not that anything is wrong with your email.

Is it better to zip a PDF or compress it before emailing?

Zipping a PDF barely shrinks it, because a PDF is already a compressed format at the container level. Recompressing the images inside the PDF, which is what this tool does, is what actually reduces the size that matters for an attachment limit.

Is my file uploaded anywhere?

No. Compression runs entirely in your browser tab. The PDF is opened, compressed and re-saved locally, with nothing sent to a server.

What if the recipient has a much lower limit than 10MB?

Lower the target field to whatever their system states, for example 5MB for a stricter corporate mail server, and run the tool again. It cascades through progressively harder settings on its own, so a smaller target just means a smaller result.

Related tools

Compressing is one job.Here is the rest.

Dashed cards are in build, they are not links yet.