How to Compress a PDF for Federal Court CM/ECF Filing (35 MB Limit)
Federal court CM/ECF (Case Management / Electronic Case Filing) caps each uploaded PDF at exactly 35 MB. Many state courts cap at 25 MB or even 10 MB. Your scanned exhibits or 200-page motions are usually larger. Get them under the limit without uploading sealed or attorney-client-privileged documents to a third-party server.
The problem
You're an attorney filing on PACER/CM/ECF and your motion + exhibits exceed the 35 MB cap. The "fix" most lawyers default to is splitting into separate filings — which adds clerical complexity and confuses the docket. Compressing keeps it as one filing. But uploading court documents to random online compressors creates malpractice risk: sealed motions, settlement drafts, and privileged communications shouldn't hit a stranger's server.
Use the tool now
Open the compress pdf tool and follow the steps below.
Step-by-step
- 1
Confirm your court's exact limit
Federal CM/ECF: 35 MB. Most state courts: 10-25 MB. Some state appellate: 50 MB. Check your specific court's e-filing rules. Aim for 90% of cap to leave headroom for the e-signature stamp PACER adds.
- 2
Open the Compress PDF tool
Drop your motion + exhibits PDF into the compressor below. Processing is local — privileged content never leaves your device.
- 3
Pick "High Compression"
For typed pleadings + scanned exhibits mix, High Compression cuts size 60-80% while preserving signature legibility for the judge's e-stamping. For exhibit-heavy filings (mostly scans), use Aggressive.
- 4
Verify legibility
Open the compressed PDF and zoom on small text — case caption, signature lines, exhibit labels. If anything blurs or pixelates, redo with the milder preset.
- 5
Confirm size and file
Right-click → Properties (Windows) or Get Info (Mac), confirm under your court's cap. Upload to CM/ECF.
Pro tips
- •For multi-exhibit filings, compress each exhibit separately, then merge — gives you finer control over which exhibit survives at full quality.
- •Sealed filings: never use online compressors. Browser-based tools like PDFShed process locally; verify by checking DevTools network tab during processing — there should be zero upload requests.
- •If you redact before filing, do TRUE redaction (delete underlying text) not just black highlights. Manafort case taught this lesson the hard way.
- •Save the compressed file with a court-friendly name like "Plaintiff_Motion_Summary_Judgment_2026.pdf" — clerks reject filenames with special characters.
Frequently asked questions
Is compression considered modifying a court document?
No. Compression alters the file size and image fidelity, not the textual content. As long as text remains legible, courts treat compressed and uncompressed PDFs identically.
Why not just split the filing into two parts?
You can — CM/ECF accepts multi-part exhibits — but each part needs its own docket entry and case header, increasing clerical work and creating navigation friction for the judge's law clerks.
Will compressing affect Bates numbering on exhibits?
No. Bates stamps are part of the page rendering and survive compression at any setting.
Is browser-based compression safe for sealed materials?
Yes — and arguably required for malpractice avoidance. PDFShed runs qpdf-wasm entirely in your browser. The file never reaches our servers, so we cannot leak it under subpoena, court order, or breach.