A hard attachment cap requires a measured workflow. Start from the original, note its exact byte size and leave room for email encoding and other attachments.

There is no universal setting that guarantees a target because two PDFs of equal page count can contain completely different image and font data.

Remove content that should not be sent

Delete unnecessary pages, duplicate scans and unused attachments before reducing visual quality. This often creates a cleaner document and a better size result.

Compress in controlled steps

Apply one quality level to the original, measure the result and inspect demanding pages. If needed, return to the original for the next level instead of compressing the previous result.

  • Check exact bytes.
  • Inspect small type and signatures.
  • Test search and copy.

Choose a secure link when the cap is unrealistic

If the document cannot fit without unacceptable loss, use an approved file-sharing service with expiration and access controls. Never split a confidential file across insecure channels merely to satisfy an attachment limit.