Drop, paste or pick an image
JPG · PNG · WebP · AVIF · HEIC — up to 50 MB
Settings
- Original
- —
- Result
- —
Free account. Your images stay on this device.
Processing runs in this tab. Your images are never uploaded to a server.
Compress a JPG to a specific size: where limits apply
Many upload forms reject a photo that is even one kilobyte over their limit. These are the ranges people run into most often; always check the exact figure on the form you are filling in.
| Where you upload | Typical limit | Suggested setting |
|---|---|---|
| Government exam and recruitment portals (photo) | often 20–100 KB | Target 50 KB or 100 KB, longest side 1024 px |
| Signature scans on the same portals | often 10–50 KB | Target 100 KB after cropping tightly, then lower if needed |
| US visa application photo (DS-160) | 240 KB maximum | Target 200 KB |
| Job and university application sites | often 500 KB–2 MB | Target 500 KB or 1 MB |
| Several photos in one email | about 25 MB per message in total | Target 500 KB per photo |
Limits change without notice and differ between portals. The rows describe common patterns, not official rules; the form itself is the source of truth.
Kilobytes, not pixels
A form that says 'max 100 KB' is talking about file size. The pixel dimensions can stay the same as long as the encoded JPEG fits.
Leave a small margin
Some portals count 1 KB as 1,000 bytes and others as 1,024. Aiming a few kilobytes under the limit avoids a rejected upload.
Photo and signature are separate files
Exam portals usually give the signature a much smaller limit than the photo. Compress each one with its own target.
How the target size search works
In Target size mode you don't guess the quality. The tool tries qualities for you and keeps the best one that fits.
It halves the range each try
It encodes at a middle quality, checks the byte count, then searches the upper or lower half. A handful of encodes is enough to land on the highest quality under your limit.
Highest quality that fits
The result is not just 'small enough': it is the sharpest version that still respects the limit, so you don't throw away detail for nothing.
When the target can't be reached
A very large photo may not fit 50 KB even at the lowest quality. The tool tells you so; pick a smaller longest side, such as 1024 px, and it tries again.
Quality mode, dimensions and metadata
When no form dictates the size, set the quality yourself and use the longest side to control the pixel count.
Quality slider from 10 to 100
Each position re-encodes the JPEG and updates the before/after comparison, so you can judge edges and skin tones at full zoom before you commit.
Longest side: 2560 down to 1024 px
Shrinking the dimensions cuts the file far more than lowering quality alone. 1920 px is plenty for screens; 1024 px suits forms and thumbnails.
EXIF and GPS are removed
Re-encoding writes a fresh JPEG without the camera metadata block, which also drops the location your phone may have saved.
Compress JPG: questions
How do I compress a JPG to under 100 KB?
Switch to Target size and choose 100 KB. The tool finds the highest quality that fits; if it reports that the target is out of reach, lower the longest side to 1280 or 1024 px and it will usually fit.
Can I type an exact size like 45 KB?
Yes. Choose the custom option and enter any number of kilobytes. The result lands at or just under that number, never above it.
Does compressing a JPG remove the location data?
Yes. The output is a newly encoded JPEG that carries no EXIF block, so GPS coordinates, camera model and capture time are not in the downloaded file.
What happens if my image has a transparent background?
JPEG cannot store transparency, so transparent areas are filled with white. If you need to keep the see-through parts, use the PNG compressor instead.
Why does my compressed JPG look blocky?
The target was so small that the search had to drop to a very low quality. Reduce the longest side instead: fewer pixels at a decent quality look better than many pixels at quality 10.
Is the JPG compressor free?
Compressing is free and unlimited because it runs on your own device. Downloading the result asks for a free account; the photo still never leaves your browser.
Related tools
Other Optimize tools people use alongside this one.
- FREEPopular
Compress Image
Shrink JPG, PNG and WebP files without visible quality loss.
- Runs in
- Browser
- Max upload
- 50 MB
Optimize≈1s - FREEIn browser
Compress PNG
Smaller PNGs that keep their transparency.
- Runs in
- Browser
- Max upload
- 50 MB
Optimize≈1s - FREEPopular
Resize Image
Set exact pixel sizes or scale by percentage.
- Runs in
- Browser
- Max upload
- 50 MB
Optimize≈1s