How to compress a picture
- Choose one or more pictures, or drag them onto the box.
- Pick a quality, or choose "Under a file size" and type the limit, such as 200 KB for a form that won't take anything bigger.
- Shrink the longest side if the photo is bigger than it needs to be. A photo for a website or email rarely needs more than 1,920 pixels.
- Press "Compress", check the preview, and download.
How it works
JPG and WebP save space by leaving out fine detail your eye barely notices. The quality setting decides how much is left out: lower quality means a smaller file but, eventually, blocky or smudged areas. Making the picture smaller in pixels saves even more, because a picture half as wide and half as high has only a quarter of the pixels.
With "Under a file size", we try different qualities, keeping the best one that fits under your limit. If even the lowest quality is too big, we make the picture smaller in pixels and try again. We count 1 KB as 1,024 bytes, as Windows does, so aim a little under your limit to be safe.
Worked example
How small a file gets depends on the picture: a photo of a busy scene keeps more detail, and so stays bigger, than a photo of a clear sky. Always check the preview.
Frequently asked questions
What quality should I choose?
For photos, 70–80% usually looks almost the same as the original at a much smaller size. Go lower only if you must meet a size limit, and check the preview for blocky patches around edges and text.
Why is my compressed file bigger than the original?
Some pictures are already well compressed, or are simple graphics that PNG stores very efficiently. Saving them again as JPG can make them bigger. When that happens we tell you, so you can keep the original instead.
Can I compress a PNG and keep it see-through?
Choose WebP: it keeps see-through areas and usually makes much smaller files than PNG. JPG can't be see-through, so transparent areas turn white.
Does compressing remove the photo's location and camera details?
Yes. The new picture is drawn fresh by your browser, so hidden details (EXIF data) such as the camera model, date and GPS location aren't copied over. The picture is turned the right way up first.
Are my pictures uploaded?
No. Everything happens in your own browser, and we never see your pictures.