# How to reduce a PDF under 5 MB (or 1, 2, 10 MB) | Nimbo

> Make a PDF small enough for an upload form or an email: target a size like 5 MB, see the saving, and know what quality trade-off you are making.

On any device

# How to reduce a PDF under 5 MB (or 1, 2, 10 MB)

Written by the Nimbo team · Last updated October 1, 2026

Short answer

Open the free Compress PDF tool, drop the PDF, choose Target size and pick 5 MB (or 1, 2, 10 MB). The tool lowers image resolution step by step until the file fits, and shows the new size before you download. Pages are turned into images in that mode, so text is no longer selectable.

## Compress PDF

Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

## With the free Nimbo web tool (any device)

1. Open [Compress PDF](https://nimbopdf.com/compress-pdf/) and drop your file.
2. Choose Target size, then 5 MB (or another size).
3. Check the new size and the saving, then download.
4. If the size cannot be reached, split the PDF or remove pages first.

## With Preview on a Mac

1. Open the PDF in Preview and choose File > Export.
2. In Quartz Filter, choose Reduce File Size.
3. Save and check the size; this filter can lower image quality a lot.

## With Nimbo on iPhone

1. Open the PDF in Nimbo and tap PDF Tools, then Compress.
2. Pick a level and save.

## Tips

- Try Light first: it re-saves the PDF without touching images and keeps text selectable.
- Scans and photo-heavy PDFs shrink the most; text-only PDFs are usually already small.
- Deleting unneeded pages is the most lossless way to save space.

## Frequently asked questions

### Will the text stay selectable?

With Light, yes. Recommended, Strong and Target size turn pages into images, so text is no longer selectable or searchable.

### Why can't my PDF reach 1 MB?

Some documents have too many pages or too much detail. Split it or remove pages, then compress again.

### Is my PDF uploaded to be compressed?

No. Compression happens in your browser.

## Related tools

[Compress PDF](https://nimbopdf.com/compress-pdf/)[Split PDF](https://nimbopdf.com/split-pdf/)

## More guides

- [How to scan a document to PDF on iPhone](https://nimbopdf.com/how-to-scan-a-document-to-pdf-on-iphone/)
- [How to save a webpage as a PDF on iPhone (clean, without ads)](https://nimbopdf.com/how-to-save-a-webpage-as-pdf-on-iphone/)
- [How to compress a PDF on iPhone to email it](https://nimbopdf.com/how-to-compress-a-pdf-on-iphone/)
- [How to convert a Word document to PDF on iPhone](https://nimbopdf.com/how-to-convert-word-to-pdf-on-iphone/)

Do it now, free

[Compress PDF](https://nimbopdf.com/compress-pdf/)

Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

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Source: https://nimbopdf.com/how-to-reduce-a-pdf-to-5-mb/ · Nimbo (English) · https://nimbopdf.com/llms.txt