How to make a PDF small enough to email
- Click Choose PDF.
- Keep the Recommended level — it already reduces most PDFs a lot — or choose a limit such as 5 MB.
- Click Compress PDF, download the file and attach it to your email.
Email attachment limits
- Gmail: up to 25 MB of attachments per email.
- Yahoo Mail: 25 MB.
- Outlook.com: 20 MB.
- iCloud Mail: 20 MB (larger files go through Mail Drop).
- Company email: often 10 MB, sometimes less — and the recipient's server may have a lower limit than yours.
Attachments grow by about a third when they are encoded to be sent, so a 20 MB PDF can already go over a 25 MB limit. To be safe, aim for under 10 MB — that gets through almost any mail server.
Why a smaller PDF is better even when it fits
A light attachment arrives faster, doesn't fill the recipient's mailbox and opens immediately on a phone. Recruiters, clients and offices receive dozens of emails a day — a 2 MB PDF is read; a 40 MB one may not even arrive.
When compressing isn't enough
Very long documents full of photos can stay large. Then you can split the PDF by size and send it in two or three emails, or remove pages that aren't needed.
Private
The PDF is compressed in your browser — it isn't uploaded to any server before you send it.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Gmail say my file is too large when it is under 25 MB?
Attachments are encoded for sending and grow by about 33%. A file of roughly 19 MB or more can exceed the 25 MB limit. Compress it to under 10–15 MB to be safe.
Gmail offers a Google Drive link instead. Is that a problem?
It works, but the recipient has to open a link and may need permission. A compressed PDF attached directly is simpler for everyone.
Will the compressed PDF look worse?
With the Recommended level the difference is practically invisible: text stays sharp and only images are optimized.
Is it free?
Yes, with no sign-up and no watermark.
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