Compress a PDF for USAJOBS
USAJOBS takes PDFs up to 5 MB. PDF Desk shrinks yours to just under it, right in this tab.
Max 5 MBPDF / GIF / JPG / JPEG / PNG / RTF / TXT / ODT / DOC / DOCX
Files stay on this device. Nothing is uploaded.
USAJOBS upload limits
| Document | Max size | Min size | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resume upload (profile documents) Resume must be 2 pages or less; up to 5 resumes in profile; PDF portfolio files not accepted. | 5 MB | — | PDF, GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, ODT, DOC, DOCX |
Where this number comes from
“Your resume must be 5MB or less.”
— How to add a resume to your profile – USAJOBS Help Center, 2026-10-21. Checked October 2026.
PDF Desk aims at 4.8 MB, a little under the limit, because some portals count 1 KB as 1,000 bytes.
If the file will not get small enough
Scan in black and white at 150 DPI instead of colour. Remove blank and duplicate pages with Delete pages. If the portal allows several files, cut the PDF with Split PDF and upload the parts.
Other portals in United States
Limits of other portals
Questions
What is the maximum PDF size for USAJOBS?
Resume upload (profile documents): 5 MB. Source: usajobshelp.opm.gov, checked October 2026.
USAJOBS still rejects my PDF. Why?
Check that it is not password-protected, that the file name has no special characters, and that it is a few percent under the limit — some portals count 1 KB as 1,000 bytes.
Are my PDFs uploaded?
No. PDF Desk opens and writes the file with JavaScript inside your browser tab. Nothing is sent to a server, so it is safe for contracts, IDs and bank statements.