Resize PDF to 20KB / 50KB for Online Application Forms

Why portals reject your PDF upload

• File size limit is strict (20KB / 50KB / 100KB).
• Scanned PDFs are image-heavy and become large quickly.
• Extra blank pages, borders and margins increase size.
• Re-saving or converting multiple times can inflate file size.

Step-by-step: Reduce PDF size to 20KB / 50KB

1. Open Compress PDF.
2. Upload your PDF.
3. Choose a stronger compression option (use the strongest available if you must hit 20KB/50KB).
4. Download the compressed PDF and check the file size.
5. If it’s still above the limit, apply the “size hacks” below and compress again.

Size hacks (when 20KB/50KB is very strict)

• Remove borders/margins: Use Crop PDF to cut unnecessary whitespace, then compress again.
• Delete useless pages: Remove blank/duplicate pages using Delete pages, then compress again.
• Split the document: If the portal allows multiple uploads, create smaller PDFs by keeping only required pages.

What if you only have a photo (JPG/PNG) and the portal needs a PDF?

If the portal requires a PDF but you have images, first convert the images into a PDF using Image → PDF. Then compress that PDF using Compress PDF to meet the size limit. (This does not “compress an image file” directly — it compresses the PDF you generate.)

Common use cases (high-demand uploads)

• UPSC / SSC / banking exam document uploads
• Visa and immigration document portals
• University admission forms
• Government job portals and eKYC uploads
• HR onboarding document uploads

Important tips to avoid rejection

• After compression, open the PDF and verify text is readable at 100% zoom.
• Keep filenames simple (letters/numbers). Avoid special characters.
• If the portal requires “PDF only”, don’t upload images directly—convert to PDF first.
• Keep the original file as backup before repeated compression.