Compress PDF to 500 KB
Choose a PDF and compress it to under 500,000 bytes. That is room for roughly ten scanned pages at a readable resolution, or fewer pages at a sharper one. Some portals ask for all education certificates in one file with a 500 KB limit, and this tool is built for that case. It runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.
Make a PDF under 500 KB
Nothing is uploadedStays under 500,000 bytes, below the limit whether the portal counts 1 KB as 1,000 or 1,024 bytes. Up to 20 pages.
Leave it empty to keep every page. To send only some, write them like 1-2 or 1, 3. The size limit then applies to the pages you keep.
What 500 KB holds.
About ten pages of scans. Ten low-resolution scanned pages, 1,217 KB in the source file, came out at 498.6 KB and 71 DPI. Five mixed pages fit at 114 DPI, three scans at 120 DPI and two at 147 DPI.
A phone scan starts far above the limit. One page saved from a phone scanner was 283 KB in our test, and three scanned A4 pages 912 KB. The tool redraws each page smaller, so the same pages land under 500 KB without a visible change at normal reading size.
The tool does not merge files. It compresses the pages that are in one PDF. If a portal wants every certificate in a single file, combine them first, for example by scanning them one after another into one multi-page PDF in your phone's scanner app, and then compress that file here.
Official notices that set 500 KB for a PDF
The IBPS and Kerala rows were read in each authority's own file on 29 Sep 2026. The railway notice could not be reached from our network, so its row comes from an archived copy read on 25 Sep 2026.
| Notice and file | Official rule and source |
|---|---|
| IBPS recruitment portal, April 2026 (address folder bpclapr26)Documents other than photograph and signature; one file for education certificates and one for experience certificates | PDF only, maximum 500 kbIBPS (opens in a new tab) Guidelines for scanning and upload of documents, page 2 (file dated 16 Apr 2026), checked 29 Sept 2026 |
| Admission to LL.M Course 2025Certificates, originals in colour | PDF, 10 kb to 500 kbCommissioner for Entrance Examinations, Kerala (opens in a new tab) Guidelines for upload images and certificates, page 2, checked 29 Sept 2026 |
| RRB CEN 01/2026 (ALP)SC/ST certificate for a free travel pass | PDF, less than 400 KBRailway Recruitment Board (opens in a new tab) section 13.5.2, pages 18 to 19, read from the archived copy, checked 25 Sept 2026 |
The RRB row is here so that nobody uses this page for it: 400 KB is lower than 500 KB, and a file this tool makes near 500 KB would be too large. For RRB, enter 400 in the box above and check the result.
What fits in 500 KB
Six files at a 500 KB limit. Everything over the limit fit except SBI's eleven-page A3 advertisement, a real PDF, and the reason is worth knowing. The other files are computer-generated, except UPSC's own PDF.
| File | Before | At 500 KB |
|---|---|---|
| Twelve typed pages | 65 KB12 pages | Already under 500 KBReturned unchanged |
| Two sides of a document, scanned | 605 KB2 pages | 489.3 KB147 DPI, JPG quality 71 |
| Five mixed pages | 595 KB5 pages | 495.9 KB114 DPI, JPG quality 71 |
| Ten scanned pages at low resolution | 1,217 KB10 pages | 498.6 KB71 DPI, JPG quality 63 |
| UPSC's four-page instructions, a real PDFupsconline.nic.in, read 2026-09-29 (opens in a new tab) | 847 KB4 pages | 489.3 KB126 DPI, JPG quality 66 |
| SBI's Junior Associates advertisement, a real PDF on A3 papersbi.bank.in, archived copy read 2026-09-25 (opens in a new tab) | 1,055 KB11 pages | Does not fitSmallest the tool could make: 1144 KB |
KB here is 1,000 bytes; a refusal quotes the tool's message, which counts 1,024. Chrome, 29 Sept 2026.
If your PDF will not go below 500 KB.
Ten to twenty pages is the practical ceiling. The tool handles up to 20 pages. Ten scanned pages needed 71 DPI to fit, so twenty of them would have to go lower still, near the 60 DPI floor. If the portal takes several files, split the pages between them.
A long typed document can come out larger. SBI's eleven-page advertisement is 1,055 KB on A3 pages. The tool turns every page into an image, and even at its lowest settings that came to 1144 KB, more than the original. A PDF made of typed text is compact until it becomes pictures, so for a document like that, cut pages or keep the original file.
Keep the pages the portal names. Type the pages in Pages to keep, for example 1-6. A form that asks for education certificates does not need the covering letter, and every page you drop leaves more space for the ones you keep.
Read the limit for each kind of file. Kerala's guidelines give 500 KB for certificates and a different range for the photograph and signature, and IBPS gives its own numbers for those. Use the image size pages for pictures and this page for PDFs.
Why 500 KB is common for documents.
What two notices ask for. IBPS's upload guidelines for an April 2026 recruitment say documents must be PDF, the file must not exceed 500 KB, and candidates should make one file for education certificates and one for experience certificates. The Kerala Commissioner for Entrance Examinations asks for certificates as PDFs between 10 KB and 500 KB, original and in colour. Both limits apply to a whole file, however many pages it holds.
Why it feels tight. A combined file is why 500 KB feels tight although it is five times 100 KB. Ten pages leave about 50 KB each, which is why the tool sits near 70 DPI for a ten-page scan.
Other sizes and tools.
If 500 KB is not the number on your form.
Questions
How do I compress a PDF to 500 KB?
Choose the PDF, leave the limit at 500 KB and select Compress. Every page is redrawn as sharply as the limit allows, and the new PDF is under 500,000 bytes. A file that is already under 500 KB is offered back unchanged.
How many pages fit in 500 KB?
About ten scanned pages. Our ten-page test came out at 498.6 KB and 71 DPI, and five mixed pages kept 114 DPI. Large paper such as A3, or pages full of photographs, need more room each.
Can I combine several certificates into one PDF under 500 KB?
Combine them first, then compress. The tool does not merge files, but many phone scanner apps add one page after another into a single PDF. Export that file and choose it here; the limit then covers all the certificates together.
Will my compressed PDF still be readable?
Usually, at this limit: ten pages were drawn at 71 DPI, and fewer pages at more. It is still a picture of each page, so small print in a phone scan may be soft. Zoom to the smallest text in the result before you upload.
Why can I not select text in the compressed PDF?
Each page is saved as an image, which is how the tool reaches a size limit for scans and typed pages alike. Links, bookmarks and fillable fields are gone, so keep your original file if you need the text.
Is 500 KB the limit for IBPS and for railway jobs?
For the IBPS recruitment portal we read, yes: 500 kb for documents in PDF. The Railway Recruitment Board's ALP notice says less than 400 KB for the SC/ST certificate, so choose 400 KB for that upload. Cycles differ, so read the limit in your own notice.
Does the PDF leave my device?
No. Reading, redrawing and writing all happen in your browser, and nothing is sent to FormAssets or anywhere else.
Read your own notice for the number.
A 500 KB limit on one portal says nothing about another, and cycles change. Copy the figure from your notice or upload screen, keep the original file, and open the compressed one before you send it.
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