Size limits
Understand file size limits and recommendations for optimal performance.
File size limits
Individual PDF file size:
- Maximum: 10MB per file
- Recommended: Under 5MB
- Ideal: 2-3MB
Why size matters
Large files cause problems:
- Slow upload times
- Slow page loading for customers
- Poor mobile experience
- Higher bandwidth costs
- Customer frustration
Small files provide:
- Fast uploads
- Quick page loads
- Better mobile experience
- Happy customers
- Better SEO scores
Size by plan
All plans have the same file size limits:
- Free: 10MB per file
- Basic: 10MB per file
- Standard: 10MB per file
- Unlimited: 10MB per file
Plan differences are about number of PDFs, not file sizes.
Total storage
No hard limit on total storage
You're limited by number of PDFs (based on plan), not total MB stored:
- Upload 30 × 10MB files on Standard = fine
- Upload 3 × 10MB files on Free = fine
- Storage within reasonable use is unlimited
What counts as "reasonable use"
Reasonable:
- Business documents and catalogs
- Product manuals and guides
- Policies and forms
- Marketing materials
Not reasonable:
- Storing personal file backups
- Video files disguised as PDFs
- Archive storage of unrelated content
- Excessive unused files
Compress large files
If your PDF is over 5MB, compress it:
Online tools:
- Smallpdf.com
- PDF Compressor
- iLovePDF
- Compress PDF
Desktop software:
- Adobe Acrobat Pro
- Preview (Mac)
- PDF-XChange Editor
- Nitro Pro
Target compression:
- Aim for 40-60% size reduction
- Don't compress below readable quality
- Test readability after compression
Break large PDFs into sections
For very large PDFs (catalogs, manuals):
Split into logical parts:
- Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc.
- Product categories
- Seasons or time periods
Benefits:
- Each file loads faster
- Customers download only what they need
- More manageable
- Better mobile experience
Link all sections:
- Link all parts to the same resource
- Customers see list of sections
- Clear naming helps navigation
Optimize before uploading
Reduce PDF size without quality loss:
- Compress images to 150-200 DPI
- Remove blank pages
- Delete unnecessary graphics
- Flatten layers
- Embed fonts properly
- Remove metadata
- Optimize for web viewing
Save settings:
- Most PDF software has "Optimize for Web"
- "Reduce File Size" export option
- "Smallest File Size" quality setting
What if upload fails
File too large:
- Compress the PDF
- Split into smaller files
- Reduce image quality
- Remove unnecessary content
Check actual size:
- Right-click file → Properties (Windows)
- Get Info (Mac)
- Must be under 10MB
- Displayed size might be rounded
Mobile considerations
Mobile data limits:
- Many customers use cellular data
- Large files consume data quickly
- Consider mobile-first file sizes
Recommended for mobile:
- Under 3MB for mobile-heavy stores
- Under 2MB for international customers
- Under 1MB for data-sensitive markets
Image-heavy PDFs
Photos and graphics increase size:
- Reduce image dimensions before adding to PDF
- Compress images (JPEG at 70-80% quality)
- Use appropriate resolution (150-200 DPI for screen)
- Don't use print resolution (300 DPI) for web PDFs
Text-only PDFs:
- Usually very small (under 1MB)
- Load instantly
- Ideal for manuals and policies
Monitor file sizes
In your library:
- PDF Connect shows file size for each PDF
- Sort by size to find large files
- Review and compress outliers
Before uploading:
- Check size on your computer
- Compress if over 5MB
- Test compressed version before uploading
Size limits summary
| Limit Type | Size |
|---|---|
| Maximum per file | 10MB |
| Recommended max | 5MB |
| Ideal size | 2-3MB |
| Mobile-friendly | Under 3MB |
| Total storage | Unlimited (reasonable use) |