How to compress a photo to 100 KB (or 50 KB, 20 KB) for an online form

Updated 16 October 2026

Application forms, exam registrations and government portals often accept a photo or a scanned signature only if it is smaller than a certain size: 100 KB, 50 KB, sometimes 20 KB. A phone photo is usually 2 to 5 MB, so it has to shrink by a factor of 20 or more. Done well, it still looks good at the size the form shows it.

Shrink a photo to a size in three steps

Open Compress image to 100 KB and add your photo. You can add several at once.
Type the largest size the form allows, or pick 20, 50, 100, 200 or 500 KB.
Select Compress and download the result. Next to each file you can see its new size and “under 100 KB” once it fits.

The tool looks for the highest quality that still fits. If even the lowest sensible quality is too big, it also makes the photo smaller in pixels, step by step, until it fits. You can switch that off with Make the image smaller in pixels if needed.

Tips for the best result

Check what else the form asks for. Many forms also want a size in pixels (for example 600 × 600 for a passport-style photo) or a format (usually JPG). Set the pixel size first with Resize images, then compress to the file size.
Use JPG for photos. It is accepted everywhere and makes the smallest files for photos. PNG and other formats are saved as JPG automatically when you compress to a size. (iPhone HEIC photos cannot be opened here: share them as JPG.)
Transparent backgrounds become white in JPG. If you need transparency, choose WebP, which keeps it, but check that the form accepts WebP.
Signatures and documents compress very well. A scanned signature on white paper easily fits into 20 KB.

“Could not get under 20 KB”

If you see this message, the photo cannot reach the size at its current pixel size. Turn on Make the image smaller in pixels if needed, or choose a larger target if the form allows it. A very small limit with a large pixel size required is sometimes impossible for a detailed photo; a plain background helps a lot.

Is 100 KB 100,000 or 102,400 bytes?

It depends on the form. Some count 1 KB as 1,000 bytes, others as 1,024. The tool aims for 100,000 bytes, so the file passes either way.

Your photo stays on your device

The photo is compressed in your browser and never uploaded. Location data (GPS) and camera details stored in the photo are removed by default, which is a good idea for anything you send to a website.