How to compress an Aadhaar, Voter or other ID PDF
- Open the PDF. Choose the original file. If it needs a password, enter the password you already use to open that document. This tool does not guess passwords.
- Select a target. Choose 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 or 500 KB, 1 MB, or enter a custom target. The size applies to all pages together. Keep the limit required by your form in mind.
- Choose the right mode. Keep text clear is the default. It retains original PDF text, fonts and vectors, and recompresses supported embedded images at their existing pixel dimensions. Text-like images use scan-specific encoding by default. Compact mode rasterises everything and can blur text; choose it only if you accept that tradeoff. Light optimisation only rewrites PDF structure.
- Compress and inspect. The tool searches several quality levels and resolutions. Select each page, switch between original and compressed previews, and zoom to inspect small details.
- Download a copy. Review the actual size and target result. If text or a QR becomes unclear, use Clear small text or a higher target, then compress again. Keep your original file.
How text stays clear
The recommended mode edits supported image objects at their original references, keeping page text drawing commands, embedded fonts and vector graphics. Fonts are not replaced or recreated, and pages are not turned into screenshots. JPEG and some 8-bit RGB/grayscale image streams are supported; masks, uncommon colour spaces, unsupported codecs, small images and memory-heavy images are left unchanged. Text-like scan tiles are converted to an indexed-colour image after light colour cleanup, then losslessly encoded with Flate. Their pixel dimensions stay unchanged. Crisp document applies stronger black/white cleanup. Exact original leaves these image streams untouched. Photos are separately JPEG-compressed. This heuristic cannot identify every text image or certify QR readability. Turning scan protection off may JPEG-compress lettering inside images. Colour cleanup itself is lossy: lossless encoding refers only to the cleaned pixels. It can change faint strokes or colours. No OCR or font reconstruction is used.
Why a PDF may not reach 100 KB
A PDF with multiple full-page scans has more image information than a small card scan. The compressor searches within the chosen detail limits; it does not promise every document will fit every target. If it cannot meet the target, it reports the smallest tested result. If the source is already smaller than the target in compact mode, it can return the original unchanged to avoid unnecessary image conversion. If compression would increase the size, the original is offered and labelled clearly.
Text, QR codes, passwords and signatures
Compact mode renders the visible pages and creates a new image-based PDF with the same displayed page sizes and order, including rotated pages. It does not retain selectable text, interactive links, form fields, attachments, password protection or valid digital signatures. It cannot certify authenticity or QR readability. The recommended and light modes can open supported encrypted PDFs using the password you supply; rewritten output is unencrypted. Unsupported security variants show an error. Rewriting a signed PDF can invalidate its signature in either mode. For official verification, retain and use the original signed document as required.
Privacy and compatibility
For image-based IDs, begin with Balanced cleanup. If you need a smaller file with darker lettering, try Crisp document and inspect pale details. Exact original skips text-tile colour cleanup. Never assume a 200 KB limit is possible without a readability tradeoff.
PDF processing happens locally in this browser. The compressor does not upload your PDF or password. Original website analytics and advertising remain, and PDF libraries, fonts and character maps are loaded from external CDNs. Internet is needed for these resources. This version processes one PDF at a time, up to 30 MB and 10 pages; large or complex files can exceed a phone's available memory. It is suitable for many standard ID PDFs, without relying on Aadhaar- or Voter-specific crop percentages. It does not crop or alter ID information.
