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Reduce a PDF size for email: the 10MB problem

Published 2026-08-20 · Tutorial

Your attachment is refused because it is too large. Understand why and shrink your PDF under the limit, whatever the email service.

Where the weight comes from

A PDF is heavy mostly because of its images: high-resolution photos and scanned pages quickly reach several megabytes. Embedded fonts also add bulk, even on text-only documents.

The two compression modes

Standard compression keeps the text selectable and shrinks the file 15 to 30 %. For a scan or a photo, maximum compression turns each page into an image: the gain is spectacular but the text is no longer selectable.

Step by step

Load a compressor like compress a PDF, compare the shown saving percentage, and download a file that finally goes through the inbox. If you still need smaller, reduce before exporting a lighter PDF.