How to Reduce the File Size or Compress a PDF - Part 6 - Practical file-size reduction steps

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Hazel

Guidance for exam submissions focuses on keeping PDF files small enough for upload, noting a general 20MB limit and a preference for collated submissions. It explains why photographed pages can inflate file size and provides practical steps to reduce PDFs to a more manageable size, often under 10MB. The material covers options without Acrobat via free online compression, using Acrobat’s Reduce File Size workflow, and producing smaller PDFs in Microsoft Word through PDF conversion and a Minimum size (publishing online) optimization setting.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

File-size limits for exam uploads

Why PDFs become too large

How to compress without Acrobat

Using free online compression

How to reduce size in Acrobat

Reduce File Size workflow">Document > Reduce File Size workflow

How to reduce size when saving from Microsoft Word

Save As PDF with Minimum size optimization

HOW TO REDUCE THE FILE SIZE OR COMPRESS A PDF The general rule is that examination files should not exceed 20MB for uploading onto the myUnisa or myExams learning management system. In addition, examination file submissions should be a collated file, consisting of all the answer content/pages the student wants to submit. Sometimes the answer file can become very large, especially if individual pages were photographed and the images collated into a single PDF file. By following a few simple steps, these large files can be reduced to a manageable size, mostly not exceeding 10MB. \#1 How do I reduce the size of a PDF if I don’t have Acrobat software? There are many online sites that can assist to compress the size of PDF file , free of charge. Perform an online search I your Internet browser using the keyword “reduce PDF size”. Select one of the options listed. It is to your benefit to select such a PDF file compression software before the examination starts. You will want to test the upload process, make sure the compression process is fast and you can successfully download the compressed PDF file. \#2 How do I make a PDF file smaller in Acrobat? • On your device, open the Adobe Acrobat software and open your PDF file. • Choose Document > Reduce File Size. • Select Acrobat 8.0 And Later for file compatibility and click OK. • Name the modified file. Click Save to complete the process. • Minimize the Acrobat window. View the size of the reduced file • Choose File > Close to close your file. \#3 Reduce the size as you save in Microsoft Word In MS Word, to convert a document to PDF, you use the Save As option. This option generally produces a small file, depending on the number of images in your document. However, if you find that your Word-converted PDF is still too large, there is a further option in Word that will produce a significantly smaller file. Here’s how to use it: Open the Word document you are going to convert to PDF. Click on the File button and then Save As. In the Save as type menu, select PDF and enter your preferred file name. Here’s the extra step: where it says Optimize for at the bottom of the dialog box, select Minimum size (publishing online) .

FAQs

What file-size limits apply for exam PDF uploads?

Exam files generally should not exceed 20MB for uploading to the myUnisa or myExams learning management system.

How can I reduce a PDF size if I don’t have Acrobat?

Use free online PDF compression sites by searching for “reduce PDF size,” then test that compression and download work before the examination starts.

How do I make a smaller PDF in Microsoft Word?

Convert the document using Save As to PDF, then set “Optimize for” to Minimum size (publishing online) to significantly reduce file size.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Hazel