PDF ToolsOctober 25, 2026 1 min read
How to Reduce PDF Size for Email (Under 10 MB, 2 MB or 1 MB)
Gmail and Outlook cap attachments at 20–25 MB, and many forms accept only 1–2 MB. Here's how to hit any size limit.
By FileFlexify Team
Attachment limits are everywhere: Gmail 25 MB, Outlook 20 MB, and government or job portals often allow only 1–2 MB. Here's how to get under the limit without making your document unreadable.
Step 1: Compress the PDF
Use the PDF compressor:
- Strong — the best default; usually cuts size by 40–75%.
- Extreme — for strict limits like 1 MB; images become softer but text stays sharp.
Step 2: Still too big? Try these
- Lower the image quality slider and compress again.
- Remove pages you don't need — appendices and blank pages add up.
- Rescan at 150–200 DPI instead of 600 DPI. Text is perfectly readable at 200 DPI.
- Split the document into two attachments.
Typical results
| Document | Original | After "Strong" |
|---|---|---|
| Scanned 10-page form | 18 MB | 3.1 MB |
| Report with photos | 9.4 MB | 2.2 MB |
| Text-only contract | 450 KB | 410 KB |
Text-only PDFs are already small — compression helps most with scans and photos.
When email still isn't enough
For very large files, share a cloud link (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox) instead of an attachment.
#pdf#compression#email
Put this into practice
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