You're filling out an application, you hit upload, and the portal rejects your PDF: 'file size exceeds limit.' It's one of the most common document frustrations. Here's how to fix it fast.
Find the exact limit
Check the portal's stated limit — often 100KB, 200KB, or 500KB. Compress to just under that number, not far below, so you keep as much quality as the rules allow.
Compress to the target
Use a size-targeting compressor: enter the limit, drop in the PDF, and download a file that fits. For scanned documents this works well; for text PDFs the file may already be small.
If compression isn't enough
Upload only the required page (extract it), scan in grayscale at a lower DPI, or split the document if the portal allows multiple files.
Step by step
- Find the exact limit in the form's own instructions — the error message rarely states it.
- Compress to a target slightly under that figure rather than exactly on it.
- Re-upload. If it fails again, check the format and dimensions as well as the size.
- If it still will not fit, remove pages you were not asked for.
What usually goes wrong
KB is ambiguous, and portals disagree
Some read 100KB as 100,000 bytes, others as 102,400. Aiming a few percent under avoids the argument entirely.
The rejection may not be about size at all
"File too large" is a common catch-all for wrong format, wrong dimensions, or a corrupt upload. Check the spec properly before compressing again.
Compressing an already-compressed file achieves little
Each pass degrades quality for a smaller and smaller saving. Go back to the original.
Frequently asked questions
The portal says 100KB but my scan won't go that low — what now?
Try grayscale and a lower scan DPI, upload only the needed page, or check whether a higher limit applies to that specific field.
The portal says my file is too large but it is under the limit — why?
Usually a byte-versus-kilobyte mismatch, or the message is a generic catch-all for a format or dimension problem. Aim a few percent under the stated limit and check the format.
What if compression cannot get it small enough?
Convert to grayscale first, which typically removes a third of the size on a scan, or split out the pages actually required.