How to compress a PDF for email
- 1. Add your PDF. The target is preset to 10MB, which gets through almost any mail server.
- 2. Pick a limit if you know it — see the table below — and click Compress.
- 3. Download and attach.
Email attachment limits
- Gmail: 25MB total per message.
- Outlook.com: 20MB per message for regular attachments.
- Yahoo Mail: 25MB per message.
- Work email: company mail servers are often set to 10MB, and the recipient's server limit applies too.
Why a 20MB file can bounce from a 25MB inbox
Attachments are encoded for sending, which makes them roughly a third larger in transit. A 20MB PDF can travel as about 27MB and be rejected. Aim for a file comfortably below the limit — 10MB is a safe choice when you don't know the recipient's setup.
Sending several documents?
Combine them with Merge PDF first, then compress once. If one message still can't fit everything, use Split PDF and send the parts in separate emails.