Slightly over the cap
Start with compression only and keep your page set unchanged.
Open Compress PDFMeet strict PDF upload caps with a target-first workflow, readable output checks, and fallback paths when one file cannot hit the limit.
Work from hard limits backward: trim, compress, then split only when necessary.
Capture exact platform limits before changing file quality.
Remove appendices and duplicates before compression passes.
Run one moderate pass, review readability, then continue if needed.
Split by audience or section when one file cannot meet strict caps.
Check text legibility and upload acceptance before final send.
Open the right workflow directly from this guide.
Pick the path that matches your current failure mode.
Start with compression only and keep your page set unchanged.
Open Compress PDFExtract only required pages or split into smaller documents before re-uploading.
Open Extract Pages from PDFRun OCR-aware cleanup first to avoid heavy image-only pages.
Open OCR PDFHard limits should drive workflow order and expectations.
Some PDFs have limited compression headroom without harming readability.
Fallback paths keep submissions moving without over-compressing critical pages.
Use a short remediation checklist to avoid repeated failures.
These errors cause repeated upload failures and wasted retries.
Issue: Some PDFs cannot reach an exact size without unacceptable quality loss.
Fix: Aim for the required cap, then trim pages or split files when compression alone stalls.
Open Split PDFIssue: Extra pages often drive most of the file size.
Fix: Extract only the pages needed for the destination workflow before final export.
Open Extract Pages from PDFIssue: Over-compression can make forms and signatures unreadable.
Fix: Zoom-check fine text, charts, and stamps before sending the file externally.
Open Compress PDFNot always. Some files cannot reach exact targets without severe quality loss. If compression stalls, remove pages, extract a subset, or split the file for submission.
Start with compression. If the file remains over the cap, split or extract only required sections so you preserve readability where it matters most.
Scanned PDFs are often image-heavy. OCR and page reduction usually help more than repeated compression alone on those sources.
Use moderate compression plus page scope reduction. This keeps key content readable and avoids the fuzzy text common with extreme compression settings.
Browse all published workflows and references.