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Pdfiqo

Compress a PDF for Gmail

Stay under the attachment limit and skip the Drive link.

Drop a PDF hereYour files stay on this device.Choose files
  • Processed on your device
  • Works offline once loaded
  • No sign-up, no watermark

How to compress a PDF for Gmail

  1. 1

    Add the large PDF

    Drop in the PDF that Gmail wanted to turn into a Drive link. It opens locally in this tab.

  2. 2

    Keep the 18 MB target

    Target size is a Custom 18,432 KB, which is 18 MB. That leaves room below the Gmail limit for encoding and any other attachments.

  3. 3

    Compress, then attach in Gmail

    Click Compress PDF, download the smaller copy and attach that one to your draft instead.

Attachment or Drive link

When a file is too large, Gmail does not refuse it. It swaps the attachment for a Google Drive link. That is fine for some people, but not for everyone. The recipient may not be able to open Drive at work, the link depends on sharing settings you have to manage, and the document now lives in cloud storage instead of in the email. Some forms and offices simply ask for an attachment.

The numbers

At the time of writing, Gmail lets you send up to 25 MB of attachments in one message, and that total includes every attachment. Files are encoded before they are sent, which makes them roughly a third larger, so a PDF well under 25 MB on disk can still be too large. This page targets 18 MB by default, a size that stays under the limit even after encoding. If you are also attaching other files, lower the target so the total stays under the limit.

How compression gets you under

Large PDFs are almost always large because of photos or scanned pages. The compressor re-encodes those images, starting at the Balanced setting and lowering quality in a few passes only if the file is still over 18 MB. At this target, the first pass is often enough, so images keep most of their detail. Text, fonts and links are not touched.

If it still becomes a Drive link

  • Check the other attachments on the draft; their sizes count too.
  • Split the PDF into two messages with Split PDF.
  • Remove pages the recipient does not need with Delete pages.
  • If the recipient is on a different provider, use the email page, which aims lower.

This tool is not affiliated with Google. It runs entirely on your device and never sees your inbox.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Gmail attachment limit?

At the time of writing, Google’s help pages say you can send up to 25 MB of attachments per message, counting all attachments together. Above that, Gmail offers to share the file as a Google Drive link.

Why aim for 18 MB and not 25 MB?

Attachments are encoded for sending, which makes them larger in transit, and the limit covers every attachment in the message. Encoding adds roughly a third, so even a 20 MB file can end up as a Drive link. At 18 MB, the encoded attachment still fits.

What if the recipient does not use Gmail?

Their provider may accept less than Gmail sends. If you are unsure, the email page on this site aims for 10 MB, which clears most common limits.

Is this an official Google tool?

No. It is an independent tool that runs in your browser. It does not sign in to your Google account, and the PDF is never uploaded.