How to Reduce PDF File Size for Email Attachments
To reduce a PDF's file size for email, use the Compress PDF tool with the Balanced or Strong preset, or set a specific target size matching your provider's limit (commonly 20-25MB for Gmail and Outlook, though some servers cap incoming mail lower). The tool downsamples embedded images and cleans up the document structure locally in your browser before you attach it.
Common email attachment limits
Gmail and Outlook.com both cap outgoing attachments around 25MB, but the recipient's incoming mail server may enforce a lower limit — a common source of "message too large" bounces even when your own provider accepted the send. When in doubt, aim well under 10MB for reliability.
Step-by-step
1. Open the Compress PDF tool and upload your file.
2. Enter a target size well under your recipient's likely limit, or pick the Strong preset for maximum reduction.
3. Review the achieved size and a preview of representative pages.
4. Download and attach the compressed file to your email.
If it's still too large
Very large PDFs are often scanned image-heavy documents rather than text. If compression alone doesn't get you under the limit, consider splitting the document into two smaller PDFs and sending them separately, or sharing a link instead of an attachment.