Sometimes you need to save a smaller version of your file or presentation in order to get it over to someone else. Email messages often only allow you to send emails with attachments of a certain size, like 5MB.

Follow the steps below to use the Reduce File Size feature in the newer versions of Word and PowerPoint so you can get smaller PDF files and also smaller word and powerpoint documents as well.

  1. With your document open in Word or PowerPoint, click the File menu in the upper left and select “Reduce File Size
  • 2. On the dialog box that comes up, select an appropriate setting for what the other person will be using the document for – most often using “On Screen (150 ppi)” will be appropriate for most uses. Also keep the checkbox on “Delete cropped areas of pictures” — doing this will remove all the extra information from parts of the picture that you may not be displaying in your document.
  • 3. Choose File–> Save As, then select the File Format “PDF.” Give your file a name and save it somewhere you can find it.
  • 4. That’s it! You now have a smaller PDF file without any need for using Acrobat Professional or other tools.

If you’d like to try and shrink the PDF even further, you can follow my guide on compressing a PDF using PDFCompress located here: https://wizdomonwheels.com/how-to-shrink-a-pdf-file-on-a-mac-without-needing-to-purchase-adobe-acrobat-professional/