Quick answer: open the Image Compressor, add your picture, switch to Target size and choose 20 KB, 50 KB, 100 KB or 200 KB. The tool finds the highest quality that fits under that size, and shows the result before you download it. It runs in your browser, so the image is never uploaded.

Photos from a phone are often 3 to 8 MB, while many online forms accept only a few hundred kilobytes, or even 20 KB for a small photo or signature. Getting under the limit without ruining the picture comes down to understanding what makes an image file large.

What decides an image's file size

  • Pixel dimensions. A 4000×3000 photo holds sixteen times as many pixels as a 1000×750 one, so it needs far more data.
  • Quality (compression). JPG and WebP throw away detail the eye barely notices. Lower quality means a smaller file, with visible blockiness at the extreme.
  • Format. Photos are smaller as JPG or WebP than as PNG. WebP is usually smaller than JPG at the same quality.
  • Picture content. A plain background compresses far better than a leafy tree or a patterned shirt.

How to compress an image to a target size

  1. Open the Image Compressor and drop in your image.
  2. Choose Target size, then tap a size: 20 KB, 50 KB, 100 KB, 200 KB or 2 MB. You can also type any number in KB or MB.
  3. Pick JPG or WebP. Use JPG unless you know the site accepts WebP.
  4. Compare the before and after previews and the new size, then download the file.

The result is under your target, not exactly equal to it. The tool uses the highest quality that fits, so it normally lands close to the number you chose.

What to expect at each size

These are rough guides for an ordinary photo. The exact numbers depend on the picture.

  • 20 KB or 30 KB: a small portrait, a signature or a thumbnail. A big phone photo cannot get this small by quality alone, so the tool also reduces its width and height and tells you the new size.
  • 50 KB: a profile or ID-style photo of a few hundred pixels across often fits with little visible change.
  • 100 KB, 150 KB or 200 KB: comfortable for most form uploads and web images. Many photos get there by lowering the quality alone; a very large photo may also need fewer pixels.
  • 2 MB: a large photo under a typical upload cap. A gentle drop in quality is usually enough.

If the picture looks too soft or blocky

  • Crop first. Cut away empty background in your phone's editor so that the pixels you keep are the ones that matter.
  • Resize first. A smaller picture compresses to a small file with less damage than a large one squeezed hard. Use the Image Resizer to set the pixel size, and it can keep the file under a limit while holding your exact dimensions.
  • Try WebP if the site allows it.
  • Accept a larger target if the form allows it. 100 KB looks far better than 20 KB.

Common mistakes

  • Renaming the file. Changing photo.png to photo.jpg does not compress anything; the data has to be re-encoded.
  • Compressing a compressed copy again and again. Each save at lower quality loses detail. Always start from the original.
  • Forgetting the white background. Transparent areas in a PNG become white in JPG. Choose WebP if you need to keep transparency.

For the theory behind all this, see How Image Compression Works and How to Compress an Image Without Losing Quality.