Compress a PDF to under 200 KB
“PDF, maximum 200 KB” is a common rule for certificates, degree scans, payment receipts and identity documents in online applications and admissions. The target of 200 KB is already filled in below: drop your PDF, press Compress and download a file that fits.
Drop your PDF here
or pick a file from your device
- Drop your PDF onto the box or press Select PDF. Nothing is uploaded: the file is read inside this tab.
- Leave Smart selected and the target at 0.2 MB. CLEKARA tests sample pages with every profile and picks the gentlest one that gets under 200 KB.
- Press Compress PDF. The result is opened and checked; the message tells you whether the target was reached and the exact final size.
How it gets under 200 KB
200 KB holds two or three scanned pages at a resolution that still reads well, or a long document that is mostly text. If the scan is in colour and colour does not matter, converting it to grayscale first leaves much more room for sharpness.
Compression runs on Ghostscript compiled to WebAssembly, inside your browser. If even the strongest profile is not enough, it lowers the resolution of the images step by step (80, 60 and 45 dpi) until the file fits, and the message says how far it went. If it still cannot fit, you get the smallest valid result with suggestions — never a broken file.
When the target cannot be reached
Most of the weight in a PDF comes from images. A file that is already optimised, or mostly text with embedded fonts, has little left to remove. Digitally signed PDFs are blocked on purpose, because rewriting them would invalidate the signature.
Frequently asked questions
My certificate has a photo or a coloured seal. Will it survive?
Yes, it will look softer but recognizable. If the seal must look crisp, keep the document to the pages that are really required, so the 200 KB are spent on fewer pages.
Is my document uploaded to a server?
No. The PDF never leaves your device; the compression engine runs in this browser tab.
Can I choose a different size?
Yes. Change the number in “Optional target size” to any value in MB, or use the links above for other common sizes.
Is it free?
Yes, with no account, no watermark and no daily limit.