UPSC document PDFs must be 50–300 KB, not merely under 300 KB. Compress in this tab and check both ends of that band.
UPSC’s instructions for uploading documents set a range, not only a ceiling. Document PDFs are accepted between 50 KB and 300 KB. A file under 50 KB can fail the form the same way an 8 MB phone scan does. Photo and signature files are separate JPEGs (photo about 20–200 KB, signature about 20–100 KB) and are not what this PDF tool produces.
The source is the UPSC PDF “Instructions for uploading documents” on upsconline.nic.in. Last checked 7 October 2026. If the current advertisement prints a different band, use the advertisement.
Scan or export the certificate in black and white around 150–200 DPI. Colour photos of paper make huge PDFs and muddy text once they are compressed. One certificate per file is easier to land inside 50–300 KB than a 12-page dossier.
Open Compress PDF with the UPSC preset (target 300 KB, warn under 50 KB). The tool redraws every page as an image until the file is under 300 KB, then tells you if the result fell under 50 KB. If it did, upload the original when the original is already inside the band, or re-scan a bit sharper. Do not paste blank pages to pad the size.
Text in the download is not selectable. That is acceptable for a scanned degree or caste certificate the portal only needs to display. It is a poor idea if you still need to copy text out of the file.
A multi-page colour scan may stay above 300 KB even at the smallest setting. Split out the page the application actually asked for, then compress that page. Merge only the pages the form listed, then compress the pack once.
The UPSC upload instructions we checked require document PDFs between 50 KB and 300 KB. There is a minimum. Photo and signature uploads are JPEG, with their own ranges.
Not if the form enforces the 50 KB floor. The compressor warns when the image copy is under 50 KB. Prefer the original if it is already between 50 and 300 KB.
No. Compression runs in this browser tab. The certificate is not sent to pdfonbrowser.com.
No. Pages become JPEG images. Read the download before you upload it to UPSC, especially small print and seals.