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detailed_fact3541
Participating Frequently
October 14, 2026
Question

How can I reduce the file size of scanned PDFs in Adobe Scan?

Hello Adobe Community,

I regularly use Adobe Scan to scan documents, but some PDFs become quite large, especially when scanning multiple pages or documents with images.

Is there a way to reduce the PDF file size directly in Adobe Scan without significantly affecting the text quality or readability?

I would appreciate any tips or recommended settings for creating smaller PDFs that are easier to share by email or upload to websites.

Thanks in advance for your help!

    1 reply

    Amal Jaiswal
    Community Manager
    Amal JaiswalCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    October 14, 2026

    Hi @detailed_fact3541

    I hope you are doing well, and thanks for reaching out. Large file sizes are common when scanning many pages or pages with images, because Adobe Scan builds the PDF from high-quality camera images, so the size grows with the number of pages.

    Here are a few things you may want to try:

    1. If your document is mostly text, choose a Grayscale or black and white color option before saving the scan, which can make the PDF smaller.

    2. In the review stage, you may be able to reduce the page dimensions with the Resize option, which may also lower the file size.

    3. You can also try to use the compress PDF option in the Acrobat Reader mobile app via the premium subscription. You can find the steps for Android here and for iPhone here. 

    Let us know how it goes.

    Regards,
    Amal




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