Reduce PDF file size while keeping quality
Pagivo PDF offers three smart compression modes to suit every use case. Optimize restructures the PDF and removes redundant data while keeping all text fully selectable and crisp - ideal for born-digital documents like reports and contracts. Balanced applies moderate image downsampling on top of optimization, a good middle ground for mixed content. Compact uses aggressive image compression to achieve the smallest possible file size, best for scanned documents or image-heavy PDFs where a slight quality trade-off is acceptable. All three modes run entirely on our server and deliver results in seconds.
Choose Compact for strict size goals and scanned files, Balanced for mixed documents, and Optimize for text-heavy PDFs. Exact target sizes are not guaranteed, but Ask PDF can process commands like compress this below 3 MB.
Scanned PDFs are usually image-heavy and shrink most in Compact mode. Text PDFs, contracts, and reports usually do best in Optimize mode because the text stays sharp.
Optimize keeps text lossless. Balanced and Compact can downsample images, so photos and scans may become smaller with a visible quality tradeoff.
Uploaded PDFs are processed server-side only for the conversion request and are removed after the compressed file is ready.
Pagivo PDF accepts uploads up to 700 MB and processes documents up to 300 pages for this tool.
The compressor works in modern mobile browsers. For very large scanned PDFs, desktop Wi-Fi is more reliable than mobile data.
Compression can fail if the PDF is damaged, encrypted, already highly optimized, or too image-heavy for the selected mode. Unlock protected files first and try Compact for scans.
Drag and drop the PDF you want to compress - up to 700 MB.
Select Optimize (lossless text), Balanced, or Compact (smallest file).
Get your reduced PDF in seconds, ready for email or upload.
Born-digital PDFs typically shrink 20-40% in Optimize mode. Scanned documents with embedded images can shrink 50-80% in Compact mode.
No. The Optimize mode is entirely lossless for text - characters remain sharp and fully selectable. Only Balanced and Compact modes reduce image resolution.
Use Optimize for documents with lots of text (contracts, reports). Use Balanced for presentations. Use Compact for scanned documents where file size matters most.
Yes, but if the file was already well-optimized you may see only a small reduction. Scanned and image-heavy PDFs benefit the most.