Do you have a large PDF file? Is it stopping you from doing certain actions? Making a new smaller version is tempting. But that is not the answer to this problem. That's time-consuming! Don't worry. There are ways to reduce the file size to 5MB. Here, we listed the best tools to use to compress PDF to 5MB. Kindly continue reading to learn about these PDF compressors.
How Does PDF Compression Affect PDF Size
How does compression work? It is a process where a program re-encodes the file data to use fewer bits of storage than the original file. The program scans the file for repetitive data and patterns. Then, it replaces the duplicates with a unique identifier. Since the identifier is smaller than the original element, it consumes less space.
It results in a drop in file quality, however. Please keep that in mind.
How to Compress PDF to 5MB With Easy Steps on Windows/Mac
Here are the two best ways to compress PDF to 5MB on Windows PC or Mac.
Use PDFelement
PDFelement is an affordable, all-in-one PDF solution. Here are the steps for using it to compress PDF.
On Mac
Step 1 Open Wondershare PDFelement.
Step 2 Open the PDF that you want to compress.
Step 3 Click File > Save as Other > Compress PDF.
Step 4 Select a compression level. If it's a large file, the one you should use is probably the highest setting. It cuts more MB than the other options.
Step 5 Click Preview to check the output file.
On Windows PC
Step 1 Launch Wondershare PDFelement. Click Compress.
Step 2 Open the PDF file that you want to compress.
Step 3Select a compression level. Similar to the method for PDFelement on Mac, the higher the compression level, the smaller the output file will be. Click Apply.
Why choose PDFelement?
Wondershare PDFelement is a solid choice for a PDF compressor because it's reliable. It provides you with three different compression settings. So you can target a specific file size or quality.
Besides that, Wondershare PDFelement is also very user-friendly. You may be new to working with PDFs. It does not matter. Expert or newbie, you'll find PDFelement easy to use.
PDFelement is also not just a PDF compressor. It also offers other PDF tools. You'll appreciate its versatility.
Another thing is that PDFelement is budget-friendly. PDFelement is cheaper than other alternatives.
Pricing
Starts at $29.99 per quarter for individuals or $278 for teams with 2 users.
Use Adobe
Adobe Acrobat, the very first PDF editor, also has a Compress PDF feature. Here are the instructions for using it to reduce PDF file size to 5MB.
Step 1 Launch Adobe Acrobat Pro. Click Tools to see Adobe Acrobat's features.
Step 2 Select Optimize PDF. Choose a file to optimize. Click Reduce File Size.
Step 3 Leave the "Make compatible with" option at Retain existing. Click
Step 4 Name the output file and click
Why Choose Adobe Acrobat Pro
Adobe Acrobat Pro is a very advanced PDF tool. It has features or a combination of features not found in other software. For instance, the compression method discussed above is the simple method. Adobe Acrobat Pro has a more advanced PDF optimizer that allows you to remove unwanted objects from the PDF.
Pricing
Starts at $12.99 per month.
How To Compress PDF to 5MB Online and for Free
Is money a problem for you? Don't worry. There are free tools you can use to compress PDFs to 5MB. The best thing is that they're online tools. So storage space also does not matter much.
Here are the three best free online PDF compressors and the steps to use them.
Use Sejda
Step 1 Open your favorite browser. Visit Sejda's website.
Step 2 Click Upload PDF Files to upload files from your computer. Alternatively, click the small arrow pointing down icon to select the cloud storage system where you have your PDF saved.
Step 3 Optionally, click More Options to access advanced settings.
Step 4 Click Compress PDF.
Step 5 Wait for Sejda to finish compressing the file. Click Download when it is done to save the compressed file to your computer.
Limitations
Sejda is free. But it has downtime. The free version allows you to process only 3 documents per hour. Furthermore, you can't use it on any PDF. The free version can only process PDFs with 200 pages or less. Also, the file size must not exceed 100MB.
Use HiPDF
Step 1 Open a web browser and visit HiPDF PDF Compressor.
Step 2 Click Compress PDF.
Step 3 Click Choose File to upload your file from your computer. If it's on OneDrive, Box, or Dropbox, click the small downward arrow. Select the location of your PDF file.
Step 4 Select a compression level. If it's a large file, select High. Click Compress > Download.
Limitations
HiPDF is a free advanced online PDF tool. It can let you process multiple PDFs at once. However, there's a limit to how many documents you can process in one day. But you can easily remove this limitation. All you need to do is register an account.
Use Compress2Go
Step 1 Open a web browser. Go to Compress2Go's website.
Step 2 Drag and drop the PDF you want to compress into the red box. You can also click the Choose File button to upload the PDF from your computer. Importing from Dropbox, Google Drive, or a URL is also supported.
Step 3 Select Strong Compression. Click the Start button below the "Optional Settings."
Step 4 A download should automatically start after Compress2Go has processed the file. If it does not, click Download.
Limitations
The free version of Compress2Go has a limit on how many tasks you can perform in one day. Furthermore, it can only process PDF files no larger than 100 MB.
Batch processing is available. But it allows you to compress only 10 PDF files simultaneously.
Can I Compress PDF to 5MB Using My Mobile Phone?
Yes, you can. The online tools listed above are also available on mobile. But if you want a more stable option, you can use PDFelement for mobile. It has kept the best qualities of PDFelement for Mac/Windows: powerful and easy to use. Here's more information about this app.
Pros
Free to download
Easy to use
Offers different compression settings.
More stable than online tools.
Cons
It does not tell you what the size of the output file will be for each compression setting.
The Reduce File Size is available only on iOS.
What Else Can PDFelement for Mobile Do?
One reason to choose PDFelement over other PDF editors on mobile is the OCR feature. It allows you to scan and convert scanned documents into editable PDFs. Yes. That means you can also use PDFelement for mobile to edit PDFs. Creating PDFs from blank documents is also possible.
PDFelement for mobile also has annotation tools. You can highlight text or areas and add notes, shapes, and stamps. It also lets you add signatures to PDF files.
PDF organization features are also available. You can combine files into one PDF, extract PDF pages, insert new pages, delete pages, etc.
These are just some features of PDFelement for mobile. Download it to know more.
Conclusion
Compressing PDF to 5MB is very easy. It only takes a few clicks as long as you use the right tools. For example, compressing with Wondershare PDFelement takes only a few steps. You can always rely on PDFelement for PDF compression.
If you would rather use free online tools, try HiPDF. Just register an account, and you can compress PDF to your heart's content.