Fitting application attachments under a total upload limit

School, job, scholarship and benefit portals often cap the total attachment size. Here is a calm way to deal with it.

Find out what is actually limited

Check whether the cap applies to each file or to everything together, which file types are accepted, and whether the portal measures in MB or MiB. When unsure, treat the limit as MB; it is the stricter reading. See MB vs MiB.

Keep the file set tidy

• Use clear, numbered file names that match what the form asks for.
• Combine pages that belong together into one PDF before you start; FileMending does not merge files.
• Scan or photograph on a flat, well-lit surface so compression has less noise to preserve.

Check the result like a reviewer would

Open the preview, zoom to 100% and read the smallest text: grades, dates, reference numbers. If it is hard to read, loosen the limit or ask the portal for another way to submit.

Leave a margin

A 1–2% margin guards against rounding differences between your computer and the portal. See combined upload limits.

Updated 2026-10-14.