File too large to upload? Make PDFs and photos smaller on Windows

Most upload forms limit each file to a few megabytes. Photos get small enough when you resize them and save them as JPEG, which Photos or Paint in Windows can do. Scanned PDFs shrink when you scan at a lower resolution or split them. Your files never have to leave your PC.

By RSDWare · Updated · 3 min read · Windows 10 and 11

The short answer

For a photo, open it in the Photos app, choose Resize image and save a copy around 1600 pixels wide as a JPEG: that is usually a few hundred kilobytes and still sharp on screen. For a scanned PDF, scan again at 150 to 200 dpi in grayscale (or black and white for typed text), or split it into the pages the form asks for. Check the form’s limit first: 1 MB is 1,024 KB, and a limit of 500 KB means half a megabyte.

Check what the form accepts

  • The maximum size per file, and sometimes for all files together.
  • The formats it takes: often PDF, JPG/JPEG and PNG. Photos from iPhones may be HEIC, which many forms refuse: save them as JPEG first.
  • Any rules for pictures, such as an exact size in pixels for a passport-style photo.
  • Whether it wants one PDF with every page, or separate files.

Make a photo smaller

In the Photos app on Windows 11:

  1. Open the photo, choose See more (…) › Resize image.
  2. Pick a preset or enter a width in pixels, such as 1600, and keep the aspect ratio.
  3. Save the copy as JPEG under a new name. The original stays as it was.

In Paint (Windows 10 and 11): open the photo, choose Resize (Ctrl + W), enter a percentage such as 40 with Maintain aspect ratio ticked, then File › Save as › JPEG picture.

A phone photo is often 3,000 to 4,000 pixels wide and several megabytes. Screenshots and documents with text stay sharper as PNG, but photos are far smaller as JPEG.

Make a PDF smaller

A scanned PDF is a set of pictures, so its size depends on how it was scanned:

  • Scan again at 150 to 200 dpi; 300 dpi or more is only needed for printing. Use grayscale, or black and white for typed text, instead of colour.
  • Remove blank pages and pages the form doesn’t ask for.
  • If the form allows several files, split a long PDF into the documents it asks for.
  • To turn photos of pages into one PDF, select them in File Explorer, right-click › Print (Show more options on Windows 11) and choose Microsoft Print to PDF.

Be careful with online compressors

Free websites that compress PDFs work by uploading your file to their servers. For a passport scan, a bank statement or a tax form, think about who gets a copy. Tools that run on your own PC keep it there.

Do it all in one place

File Upload Fixer is RSDWare’s free Windows app for exactly this. Enter the form’s maximum file size and the formats it accepts, drop in your PDFs and photos, and it makes copies that fit, merges, splits and rotates PDF pages and resizes images. Each copy shows whether it meets the requirements. Files are processed on your PC and your originals are never changed. You can save the requirements of a form you use often as a profile.

Before you submit

  • Open every file you made and check that each page is readable, especially small print and signatures.
  • Check the size in File Explorer (right-click › Properties) against the form’s limit.
  • Keep the original files: some forms ask for a better copy later.

Common questions

How do I check a file’s size?

Right-click it in File Explorer and choose Properties: Size shows it in KB or MB.

My photo is still too large after resizing.

Save it as JPEG rather than PNG, and try a smaller width, such as 1200 pixels.

Will a smaller file be rejected as blurry?

For on-screen reading, 150 to 200 dpi scans and 1200 to 1600 pixel photos are usually clear. Check that small text is still readable before you upload.

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