Compress Image
Shrink a photo to a size in KB, such as 50KB or 200KB
Steps last checked 4 November 2026 by the PDFWhisk team
At a glance
- Shrink a photo to a size in KB, such as 50KB or 200KB.
- Accepted input: JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC photos.
- Output: downloadable files generated in-browser for supported workflows.
- Upload Choose your file
- Process Runs locally
- Download Save result
Drop your files here
or tap to browse · accepts JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC photos
Runs in your browser. No file uploads for supported tools.
Best on desktop for 100MB+ files · mobile recommended under ~100MB.
How local processing works
- Your PDF is processed in your browser using local JavaScript libraries.
- PDFWhisk does not upload your file to a processing server for supported tools.
- Only normal page assets load from the site (HTML/CSS/JS), not your document contents.
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Security & privacy detailsHow this tool helps
Upload forms often refuse a photo because it is too large, and phone photos are usually several megabytes. Pick the most the photo may weigh (20KB, 50KB, 100KB, 200KB, 500KB, 1MB, or any number of KB you type) and PDFWhisk saves a JPG copy just under it. It keeps the highest JPEG quality that fits and makes the photo smaller in pixels only when even the lowest quality is still too big. You can also set a maximum width or height. JPG, PNG, WebP and iPhone HEIC photos are accepted, up to 20 in one go, and a batch downloads as a ZIP. The photo is redrawn and saved as a new file in your browser, so camera details and GPS location are not copied into it, and nothing is uploaded. Use it when you need to compress pdf, heic to jpg, jpg to pdf.
Best for
How it works
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1
Add your photos
Tap the upload area or drop JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC photos onto it. Free use takes up to 20 photos at a time.
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2
Pick the target size
Tap 20KB, 50KB, 100KB, 200KB, 500KB or 1MB, or tap Custom and type a size in KB. Add a Max width or Max height in pixels if the form asks for one.
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3
Compress and download
Tap Compress photo (Compress 5 photos for a batch). Check the before and after sizes, then tap Download, or Download ZIP for several photos.
More files today? Free covers 2 tasks a day and files up to 50MB. For unlimited tasks and bigger files, Pro passes start at £1.29 for 24 hours. See Pro options → One-off payment, no subscription, and your files still stay on your device.
Compressing a photo to a size in KB: practical notes
Upload forms state their limit as a number of KB or MB and reject anything over it. These notes explain how the tool reaches that number, what to set when a form also asks for pixel dimensions, and what changes in the copy.
How the tool lands just under the target
JPEG quality, not pixel size, is tried first, because it costs the least detail. The photo is saved at 92% quality; if that already fits, you get it. If not, the tool checks 50%, then halves the gap six times to find the highest quality that is still under your target. Only when 50% is too big does it shrink the photo, by roughly the amount it is over, and search again, until it fits or the short side would drop below 16 pixels. The result table shows the size, pixel dimensions and quality it used.
Choosing a target
Use the limit the upload page states. If it gives a maximum in KB, tap the matching chip or type it into Custom size. Many forms also set a minimum file size or minimum pixel dimensions; check the upload page for both, because a photo squeezed too far can be rejected for being too small. If the form gives a maximum width or height, type it into Max width or Max height and the photo is scaled to fit inside it before the size search starts.
Passport photos: check the GOV.UK rules first
For a UK passport application GOV.UK asks for a digital photo of at least 50KB and no more than 10MB, at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, in colour and unaltered by computer software. That limit is generous, so a photo from a booth, a shop's photo code or your phone usually needs no compressing at all. If a different service asks for a smaller file, its upload page will say so; set the target from that page, not from a general list.
What changes in the compressed copy
The copy is a JPG named after the original with the target added, such as photo-200kb.jpg. It is upright, transparent areas are white, and it may have fewer pixels than the original if the target was small. EXIF data is not copied, so the location, camera and date taken are gone. Colours and framing are unchanged. The original photo on your device is not touched.
If the target is not reached
With a tiny target and a very detailed photo, the result can still be over the limit at 16 pixels wide; the result says so in amber. That almost never happens above 20KB. If a photo looks too soft at the size you need, crop it to just the part the form wants first, such as the face or the document, so the pixels go where they matter.
Before you upload/share
- Zoom in on faces, text and reference numbers before you upload the copy.
- Check the upload page for a minimum size or minimum pixel dimensions as well as a maximum.
- Keep the original photo: detail removed by compression can't be restored.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compress a photo to 50KB?
Add the photo, tap 50KB and tap Compress photo. The tool tries the photo at 92% JPEG quality first; if that is over 50KB it searches down to 50% quality for the sharpest version that fits. If even 50% is too big, it reduces the width and height a step at a time until the file is under 50KB. The result shows the size and pixel dimensions before and after.
Does 50KB mean 50,000 or 51,200 bytes?
The tool counts 1KB as 1,000 bytes, the stricter of the two, so a 50KB result is at most 50,000 bytes and also fits a form that counts 1KB as 1,024 bytes. The 1MB option means 1,000,000 bytes for the same reason.
Is the location removed from my photo?
Yes. The photo is redrawn in your browser and saved as a new JPG, and a browser does not write EXIF data when it saves a canvas, so the GPS location, camera model and date taken are not copied. The photo is turned upright first, so it doesn't come out sideways once that information is gone.
What size does a UK passport photo need to be?
GOV.UK says a digital passport photo must be at least 50KB and no more than 10MB, at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, in colour, and unaltered by computer software. Most phone photos are already under 10MB, so there is usually nothing to compress. If you do use this tool, don't choose a target below 50KB or a maximum width below 600 pixels. GOV.UK also says photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than one taken on your own device.
Can I compress several photos at once?
Yes. Free use takes up to 20 photos in one go, each compressed to the same target, and the batch counts as one of your 2 free tasks a day. Each photo can be up to 50MB. Save the photos one by one or tap Download ZIP to get them all in one file.
Why is my PNG now a JPG?
The output is always JPG, because JPG files are far smaller for photos. Transparent areas of a PNG become white. For a logo or screenshot that has to stay PNG with a transparent background, this is not the right tool.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. The photos are read, redrawn and saved inside your browser tab. While it runs, the page sends only a free-task counter and anonymous usage events (the tool name, never file names or contents). In browsers other than Safari, the first HEIC photo loads a decoder file from PDFWhisk; that is program code coming to your device, not your photo going out.
Sources
Limits and steps on this page were checked against these official pages on 4 November 2026.
What to do next
Chain tools together for a complete workflow.