How to Compress PDF for UPSC, SSC & Government Portals in India

Indian government portals like UPSC, SSC, NTA, and NSP have strict file size limits — usually between 100KB and 500KB. Uploading a file that's too large will simply reject your application.

The most common mistake is scanning documents at 600 DPI when 150–200 DPI is more than enough for text-based documents. High DPI creates unnecessarily large files.

Step 1: Use Tools360's Compress tool and select the portal preset that matches your requirement — UPSC (300KB), SSC (200KB), NSP Scholarship (150KB), or PAN Application (300KB).

Step 2: Upload your PDF. The tool will automatically reduce the file size using iterative DPI reduction while preserving text clarity.

Step 3: Download and verify the file size before uploading to the portal. If it's still too large, try the next smaller preset.

For Aadhaar-based documents: The UIDAI portal accepts up to 1MB. For passport applications, the limit is typically 1MB for photos and 500KB for supporting documents.

Pro tip: If your PDF contains mostly text (like a typed application form), compression will be very effective. If it's a scanned image, the file size reduction depends on the original scan quality.

Common portals and their limits: UPSC IAS (300KB), SSC CGL (200KB), NTA JEE/NEET (300KB), NSP Scholarship (150KB), DigiLocker (1MB), Passport Seva (1MB).