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PDF Too Large for Irish Institutional Email or Portal Uploads
Emailing a scanned document set to an employer, a college admissions office, or a bank rarely goes wrong — until the file is a stack of scanned pages instead of a few pages of text. Institutional email systems and upload portals in Ireland commonly cap attachments well below the 25MB most consumer webmail allows, and a scanned bundle can outgrow that fast.
By GaryLast updated 3 min read
Where this comes up
Sending scanned ID and proof-of-address documents to a bank, a full set of academic transcripts to a college, or a signed contract with several supporting pages to an employer are the situations most likely to hit a size limit — they're usually scans, which compress far worse than a document exported directly from Word.
How to fix it
Work through these in order — the first two solve most cases without noticeable quality loss.
- Compress the PDF before sending — scanned pages usually shrink significantly with no visible loss in legibility
- If you're sending several separate files, combine them into one PDF first, since one moderately sized file often beats several small ones combined
- If it's still too large for the recipient's limit, split it into parts and send across two emails or two upload sessions
- Scan at a lower resolution in the first place if you're the one producing the scan — full print quality isn't needed for a document nobody will print
Portal file size limits
Figures with a source were checked on the official page on October 7, 2026. Portals change their limits, so confirm on the portal before you submit.
| Portal | Document | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail (personal accounts) | Attachments per email | 25 MB | Gmail Help: Send attachments |
| Outlook.com | Attachments per email | 25 MB | Microsoft Support: Sending limits in Outlook.com |
| Irish university and public-body email | Attachments per email | TODO: verify on official site | — |
Frequently asked questions
What size limit should I expect?
It varies by institution — some cap attachments as low as a few megabytes, well under the 25MB many consumer webmail providers allow. Check the specific portal or email guidance if it's stated, and compress proactively if you're unsure.
Will compressing a scanned document make it hard to read?
A moderate compression level keeps scanned text and signatures legible while cutting file size substantially — only very aggressive settings cause real readability problems.
Is my document uploaded to a server when I compress or merge it here?
No. Both tools run entirely in your browser, so your file never leaves your device before you send it yourself.