How to reduce a photo to under 100 KB
Get a photo ready for an application form by checking its format, dimensions and file size. Follow a worked example for a 100 KB limit.
Read all the upload requirements
A form that asks for JPG, 600 × 800 pixels and a maximum of 100 KB sets three separate conditions. A 90 KB PNG or a JPG with the wrong dimensions can still be rejected. If the form requires exact dimensions, crop to the right aspect ratio first. Stretching a landscape photo into a portrait frame can distort faces.
Create a smaller copy
- Keep the original and start from it on each attempt.
- Choose the requested format in the image compressor. If the form requires JPG, a smaller WebP will not help.
- Set the required dimensions or reduce the longest edge if the form allows it.
- For JPG, start around quality 80. If the result is 140 KB, try around 70 and compare. The same setting will produce different file sizes for different photos.
- Open the result at full size. Check the face or text before uploading.
Should you lower quality or reduce dimensions?
If the pixel dimensions are fixed, adjust quality first. Fine text can become illegible sooner than the details in a portrait. If dimensions are flexible, reducing a 3,000-pixel photo may give a better result than dropping quality to the minimum. PNG may work well for a screenshot with large flat areas, provided the form accepts it. Check the background when exporting a transparent image as JPG.
What if a smaller file is still rejected?
Check the actual format, dimensions and file size in the file properties. Leave a little room below 100 KB if possible to account for rounding. Renaming the file extension does not convert it. For an iPhone photo, export a real JPG copy. Read the upload error before compressing it again.
Image compressor
Open the original photo, choose the required format and compare the output size and quality.
Open the tool