--- title: "Compress driver's license and passport to 1 MB for free" description: "Compress PDF scans, JPG and PNG photos to 1 MB, 500 KB or an upload limit for free. Processing stays in your browser; PDF text becomes an image." canonical: "https://dokus.app/compress-id-scan/" lang: "en" reviewed: "2026-10-02" app_store: "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dokus-private-id-wallet/id6781915709" translations: en: "https://dokus.app/compress-id-scan/" en-GB: "https://dokus.app/en-gb/compress-id-scan/" en-CA: "https://dokus.app/en-ca/compress-id-scan/" en-AU: "https://dokus.app/en-au/compress-id-scan/" pt-BR: "https://dokus.app/pt/comprimir-documento/" pt-PT: "https://dokus.app/pt-pt/comprimir-documento/" es: "https://dokus.app/es/comprimir-documento/" es-MX: "https://dokus.app/es-mx/comprimir-documento/" fr: "https://dokus.app/fr/compresser-piece-identite/" de: "https://dokus.app/de/ausweis-verkleinern/" he: "https://dokus.app/he/compress-id-scan/" ar: "https://dokus.app/ar/compress-id-scan/" hi: "https://dokus.app/hi/compress-id-scan/" ja: "https://dokus.app/ja/compress-id/" zh-Hans: "https://dokus.app/zh/compress-id-scan/" --- # Compress driver's license and passport to 1 MB for free Choose the scan, pick the size the form allows, such as 1 MB or 500 KB, and the tool on this page lowers the quality, then the resolution, until the copy fits. It shows the copy's size and how much smaller it is before you download, says so when a limit is out of reach, and uploads nothing. All your documents at hand on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, ready to send in two taps. [Free on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dokus-private-id-wallet/id6781915709) ## How to compress a scan of your ID 1. Choose the photo, scan or PDF of your passport, ID card or driver's license. Add the back if the form wants both sides in one file. 2. Slide Maximum size to the limit the form gives, from 100 KB to 5 MB; for a limit in between, take the step just under it. The size of the copy shows as you go. In Format, pick JPG or PDF. 3. Check the size shown just above Download, with how much smaller the copy is, then choose Download: the copy lands in your downloads (Files > Downloads on an iPhone). If the limit is out of reach, the tool tells you the smallest size it got to. ## Fitting an upload limit A photo straight from a phone camera often runs to several megabytes, and a scanner app can produce an even larger PDF. Upload forms for visas, rentals, bank accounts and jobs set their own limits, some in kilobytes and some in megabytes, and the number that counts is the one printed next to the upload button. Limits differ between portals, and the same portal can change its limit, so read it each time rather than trusting a general rule. One limit from an official page: USCIS online filing accepts evidence files of up to 12 MB, in PDF, JPG or JPEG (some forms also take TIF), not encrypted or password protected, with every image clear and all text readable. ### Getting the most from each kilobyte - **Crop first.** The table, the floor and your fingers around the card cost bytes and say nothing. Choose Crop above the preview, drag the four corners onto the document and choose Done: it straightens the document too, which makes the copy easier to read. - **JPG unless the form says PDF.** A PDF from this tool holds the same image as the JPG, plus a little structure around it. - **Both sides, one file.** When a form wants front and back together, add the back and choose PDF: both sides go into one file, and the limit applies to the whole file. - **1 MB here is 1,000,000 bytes.** That is a little under what some portals count as 1 MB, so a copy that fits here also fits there. - **Check the result.** Open the copy before you send it. If the numbers on the card look soft, choose the next size up: a copy nobody can read gets sent back. ## Common questions ### How do I compress a PDF of my ID to under 1 MB? Choose the PDF, keep PDF in Format and slide Maximum size to 1 MB. The tool redraws each page as an image at the quality that fits, so the result is a PDF of images whose text can no longer be selected. ### How do I reduce the size of a scanned document on my iPhone? Open this page in Safari, choose the scan from Photos or Files, pick a maximum size, then tap Download. The smaller copy lands in Files > Downloads, ready to attach in Mail, Messages or the app that asked for it. It works the same on an iPad. ### Why is my ID scan still too big? A detailed document can only shrink so far before its small print goes. Crop away everything around the card, send one side per file if the form allows it, or ask whether a larger file is accepted. ### Will compressing my passport copy make it unreadable? It can, at very small sizes. The tool lowers the quality first and the resolution only after, and it shows you the result before you save it. If the small print is blurred, pick a larger size. ### Does compressing a photo of my ID remove its location data? Yes. Every copy the tool saves is encoded again from scratch, so the location your camera recorded, the camera model and every other piece of photo data are left behind. ### Is my document uploaded to compress it? No. Compression happens in your browser, on your device. Once the page has loaded, it works with Wi-Fi and mobile data turned off. ## Sources Reviewed on October 2, 2026 - [Tips for Filing Forms Online (USCIS)](https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/tips-for-filing-forms-online)