My File Was Too Big to Upload — Here's the Simple Fix No One Told Me

The Frustration is Universal

Last month I needed to submit a job application. Everything was filled out perfectly. Resume? Check. Cover letter? Check. Portfolio PDF? 37MB. Limit? 10MB.

I stared at that error message for way too long. Tried shrinking my browser window like that would somehow help. Refreshed the page three times. Nothing worked because... physics. The file was too big.

What I needed was blindingly obvious in hindsight: make the file smaller. But I didn't know how. Sound familiar?

Step 1: Figure Out What You're Working With

The fix depends on what kind of file you have:

Step 2: Compress It (The Right Way)

Here's the fix no one tells you: you can shrink files without destroying them. It's called compression, and when done right, you barely notice any quality difference.

For PDFs:

PDF compression works by reducing the quality of images inside the document. The text stays sharp, but photos go from “print quality” to “screen quality.” For most purposes? Totally fine.

My 37MB portfolio? Compressed to 8MB. Still looked great on screen.

For Images:

Image compression is even simpler. Most photos have way more detail than you actually need for web uploads. A 12-megapixel photo looks identical to a 2-megapixel photo on most screens.

Plus, removing metadata (location, camera info) alone can shave off significant size.

Step 3: Check the Size Again

After compressing, verify you're under the limit:

• Windows: Right-click → Properties
• Mac: Right-click → Get Info
• Phone: Check in your file manager app

Still too big? Compress with higher settings, or consider splitting the file if possible.

Common Upload Limits

Know your enemy. Here are the limits you're probably hitting:

• Gmail attachment: 25MB
• Most job application sites: 5-10MB
• Government forms: Often 2-5MB
• WhatsApp documents: 100MB
• Slack files: 1GB (free tier)

The 30-Second Fix

Stop staring at that error. Fix it now: