The Central District's PDF rule
According to Local Rule 5-4.3.1 of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (June 1, 2026 edition, checked in September 2026), each PDF can be no more than 35 MB and contain no more than one document or part of one document. Larger files must be divided into sub-volumes.
The same rule says documents must be published to PDF from the word-processing file. Scanned PDFs are prohibited except for exhibits and certain records, such as bankruptcy appeals, habeas corpus and administrative review cases, which must be text-searchable.
When compression is the right fix
Compression is for scanned exhibits that are a little over the limit. A brief exported from your word processor is mostly text and is almost never close to 35 MB. For a long administrative record far over the limit, the rule's own answer is sub-volumes: split it with “Split PDF” at logical breaks and label each part.
ConvertirDocs recompresses only the photos inside the PDF. Text, including an invisible OCR layer, and vector graphics aren't touched, so the exhibit stays searchable.
Free, and your filing stays on your device
ConvertirDocs is 100% free, with no sign-up. Compression runs in your browser, so the exhibit never leaves your device, which matters for confidential case material.
Common mistakes and rejected filings
Don't force a file far over 35 MB through with heavy compression; split it instead. Don't put several exhibits in one PDF. Don't file a scan without OCR: run “OCR PDF” first so the exhibit is text-searchable. And redact with a tool that removes the text, not a black box drawn on top.
If CM/ECF refuses a file, check its size, that it holds a single document, and that the text is searchable. Other districts set their own limits, so don't reuse this number elsewhere.