How to compress a PDF to 500KB
- 1. Add your PDF. The target is preset to 500KB.
- 2. Click Compress. SlimIO runs text-preserving compression first — at 500KB that is usually enough.
- 3. Download your file, ready to upload.
Resumes and cover letters
Applicant tracking systems and job boards often cap resume uploads at 500KB. Resumes with a photo, a designed template or embedded fonts can easily go over. At 500KB there is enough room to keep text sharp, so recruiters can still search and copy from your resume.
Other documents that fit well
Portfolios of a few pages, signed contracts, insurance claim documents and multi-page scans of up to about ten pages usually fit under 500KB with good readability.
Keep your resume searchable
- Start from the original exported PDF, not a scan or photo of a printout.
- Large background images and full-page graphics take the most space — remove them if you can.
- Add page numbers to longer documents so reviewers can follow along.