Some application forms cap each supporting document at 100 KB: an Aadhaar or PAN copy, a caste or domicile certificate, a degree certificate or an experience letter. It is roomy for one or two pages and tight for more. This page is preset to 100 KB, works on your phone, and never uploads your documents anywhere.
Which documents usually need to be under 100 KB?
ID proofs and single certificates are the typical case. A two-sided Aadhaar card on one page, a PAN card, a caste certificate or an NOC is usually one or two pages, which sits comfortably under 100 KB once compressed.
Each form sets its own limit, so read the instructions next to the upload button. If it says 100 KB, aim a little lower so that whichever way the portal counts kilobytes, you pass.
Why is my scanned PDF so large in the first place?
Scanner apps and phone cameras save each page as a large photo — often 2,000 to 3,000 pixels wide. That is far more detail than a screen or a form reviewer needs. A one-page scan can easily be 1–3 MB before compression.
The compressor fixes this by redrawing those images at a lower resolution. It starts at 150 DPI, which is still sharp on screen, and steps down towards 40 DPI only if the file is still above 100 KB. Text typed into the PDF is not touched, so a digitally issued certificate stays crisp.
Getting a clean result at 100 KB
- For two-page ID proofs, put both sides on one page (scan them together) rather than as two separate pages.
- Use Black & white for printed certificates; keep colour only for documents where a coloured seal or photo matters.
- Photograph on a flat, well-lit surface. Shadows and creases add noise that is expensive to store.
- If you have the document as photos rather than a PDF, convert with JPG to PDF first, then compress here.
- Open the downloaded file and zoom in on the smallest print — roll numbers and dates — before you upload.
What if it says it couldn't reach 100 KB?
That happens with long, photo-heavy PDFs. The tool tells you honestly instead of shipping an unreadable file. Your options: switch on Black & white, remove pages with Split PDF, or check whether the form accepts a larger file on a different field. In our tests a 6-page scan reached 69 KB, but with images at about 55 DPI, so zoom in to check small print; the more pages, the bigger the trade-off.