A job, university or visa application often wants many documents, and each upload box has its own size limit. Making the PDFs smaller one by one takes a long time. SafeResize can take up to 25 PDFs in one go, make each one smaller to the same size, and give you the results one by one or as a single ZIP file. This guide shows how, and how to pick the size.
Each PDF is made on your own device, one after another. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no account.
What it does, and what it does not
- It makes each PDF smaller and keeps them separate. You get the same number of files you put in. It does not join PDFs into one file.
- One size for all of them. You pick a size once, and every PDF is made to fit it. If two websites need two different sizes, run it twice.
- Every page is kept, in the same order. Each page becomes a picture. Text can no longer be selected, and form fields, links, bookmarks and digital signatures are not kept. Keep your originals.
Want one PDF from several photos or scans instead? Use JPG to PDF or scan documents to PDF. They put many pages into one file.
Step by step
- Open Resize a PDF, or the page for compressing several PDFs at once. Press "Choose PDFs".
- Select several files. On a computer, hold Ctrl (or Cmd on a Mac) while you click, or drag the files onto the box. On a phone, the file picker lets you tick several. Choosing two or more starts the batch.
- Check the list. Every file shows its size, with a Remove button if you picked one by mistake. Files that are not PDFs are left out, with a note. If you chose more than 25, the first 25 are used, and you can do the rest afterwards.
- Choose the size for all of them: Small, Medium (recommended) or Large, or type the exact size the website asks for, in KB or MB. "Black & white" makes text documents even smaller.
- Wait while the files are made. The page tells you which file and which page it is on, for example "File 2 of 7". You can press Cancel. The PDFs that are already finished stay available.
- Download the results: a button for each PDF, or "Download all as ZIP".
A batch of 25 ten-page PDFs takes 1 to 2 minutes on a computer with a typed size, and much less with Small, Medium or Large. A phone can take several times longer, and big scans take longer. Keep the page open and in front until the list appears.
Choosing the size
Ask what the form limits. There are two cases.
Each file has its own limit. Type it. For a limit of "200 KB per document", type 200 KB. Every PDF is made as clear as possible while staying under that number.
The limit is for all of them together. Divide it. If a form allows 2 MB for 5 documents, that is 2,000,000 bytes shared by 5 files, so each file can be about 400 KB. Type a little less, for example 350 KB, so there is room to spare. Files that are already small stay as they are, so the total is often lower than this.
If you do not have a limit, Medium is a good start: it is clear and light. Small makes the smallest files, and Large keeps the best quality.
Websites count 1 KB as 1,000 or 1,024 bytes. SafeResize keeps each file under the smaller count, so it passes either way. KB vs MB explains why.
What the results mean
Each PDF ends with one of these:
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| Done | The PDF is smaller, and the page count is shown |
| Already small enough | It was under your size already, so it is kept as it is |
| Could not reach the size | It is as small as we could make it, and the list shows that size |
| Locked with a password | Skipped. Save a copy without the password in your PDF app and add it again |
| Could not be opened | Skipped. The file may be damaged |
| Too big for this device | Skipped. Try it on its own, or on a computer |
| Could not read the file | Skipped. Choose it again |
| This browser could not open it | Skipped. Try a newer browser, or another PDF |
| Could not be made | Skipped. Something went wrong with this one, so try it on its own, or use a computer |
| Not done | You pressed Cancel before this one |
One bad file never stops the others. The list also shows the size before and after for each file, and how much was saved.
If some files could not reach the size, try "Black & white", or send fewer pages. The guide on making a PDF smaller has more ideas.
One by one, or as a ZIP?
Most upload forms take one PDF at a time, so use the Download button next to each file. The ZIP is handy for email or storage, when you want everything in a single file. It is a standard ZIP that opens with the usual tools, and the PDFs inside are stored as they are, not squeezed again.
Names follow the single download: name-181kb.pdf, with the size in KB. A PDF that was kept as it is keeps its name, cleaned in the same way. Letters and numbers in any language are kept; spaces and most symbols become hyphens, and long names are shortened to 40 characters. If two files have the same name, the second gets a number, so nothing is overwritten. The ZIP is called resized-pdfs.zip.
Tips
- Name the files first. Clear names such as "id-proof.pdf" make it easy to tell the results apart.
- Fewer at a time on an older phone. The files are made one after another to keep memory low, but a batch of very big scans can still be too much for a small phone.
- Open one result before you upload. Check that small print is readable. If it is not, choose a bigger size and run it again.
- Remove the password first. A PDF that needs a password to open cannot be changed here. Save a copy without the password, then add that copy.
Privacy
Every PDF is opened and made smaller in your browser, one at a time, and the ZIP is made there too. Nothing is sent to SafeResize or anyone else. The results are held in the page until you leave it or press "Start again", then they are gone.