Online forms for government services, university applications, tenders and job portals usually cap each attachment at a few megabytes. Email providers cap attachments too. A two-page document scanned on a phone or office copier can easily be 5 to 10 MB, so it bounces.
The usual fix is a free compression website. That means uploading your ID, certificates or bank statements to a server you know nothing about. You do not need to. Here is how to do it on your own computer.
Check the limit first
Look for the maximum file size next to the upload button, and note whether the form wants PDF only. Write the number down. It decides which compression level you need.
Shrink the PDF with Kifuli
- Open Kifuli and choose Compress PDF.
- Drop in your PDF.
- Leave the level on Recommended and click Compress.
- Kifuli saves a new file next to the original and shows how much smaller it is.
Recommended re-saves the pictures inside the PDF at a lighter quality while keeping text sharp and searchable. For scanned documents this usually cuts the size by 80 to 95 percent. In our own test, a 9.2 MB scanned contract came down to 416 kB.
Still too big?
- Try Strongest. It turns each page into a compressed picture, which gives the smallest file. Text is no longer selectable, which forms rarely need.
- Split the document. If the form has separate upload slots, Split PDF can break one long scan into parts.
- Rescan smarter. Scanning at 150 to 200 dpi in greyscale gives files a fraction of the size of 600 dpi colour scans, and they still print well.
Photos of documents
If you photographed the pages with your phone, use Images to PDF with the Clean scan look. It whitens the paper and darkens the text, which also makes the file compress much better. Then run Compress PDF on the result.
Keep the original
Kifuli never overwrites your original file. Keep it for printing and records, and upload the smaller copy.