Compress Image to 200 KB
Compress a photo to just under 200 KB, the cap on several exam and visa photo uploads, while keeping as much of the original detail as the limit allows.
Compress Image
or drag JPG, JPEG, JFIF … files here ·
Up to 95 MB each· 20 files at once· Removed after 30 min
Your files are removed from our servers 30 minutes after processing.
Never shrink below this width when downscaling. 0 means no minimum.
Optionally set the dimensions before compressing. Forms that specify pixels as well as KB need both.
Pixels for the side you chose above.
The search for the target size will not go below this quality; it downscales instead.
4:2:0 halves color resolution and saves a lot on photos; 4:4:4 keeps sharp edges on text, logos and screenshots.
Lossy PNG quantises colors (like TinyPNG) and is far smaller; lossless keeps every pixel.
Files are deleted 30 minutes after processingPrivacy policy
In short
- 1Several application forms cap photos at 200 KB, including recent UPSC and NEET notices.
- 2The DV lottery allows up to 240 KB, so a 200 KB target passes it with room to spare.
- 3Some passport services use 200 KB as a minimum; do not compress toward it.
- 4At this size the tool usually keeps the full pixel size and only lowers quality.
Forms that cap photos at 200 KB
Two Indian exam bodies give a 200 KB ceiling for the photograph. UPSC's 2026 CAPF examination notice says the photo must not exceed 200 KB or fall below 20 KB, and the signature must stay between 20 and 100 KB. NTA's NEET (UG) 2020 notice set the passport-size photo at 10 to 200 KB and the postcard-size photo at 50 to 300 KB.
Rules change from one cycle to the next, so open the notice for your own exam before you upload. The table below adds two government services from outside India, because they show how differently the same number can be used.
| Authority | What it asks for | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of State, Diversity Visa ProgramUnited States |
| SourceChecked |
| U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular AffairsUnited States |
| SourceChecked |
| Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship CanadaCanada |
| SourceChecked |
| Requirements as stated on each authority's page on the date shown. A minimum means the file must not be smaller. | ||
The Diversity Visa entry is the closest fit: its cap is 240 KB, so a 200 KB file is accepted with margin. The U.S. passport and Canadian services do the opposite. They want a large, detailed photo and set a floor, so for them you upload the original instead of compressing it. If a Canadian photo is under 200 KB, it has too little detail to begin with, and compression cannot add any back.
How much detail 200 KB holds
Two hundred kilobytes is generous for a portrait. At the pixel sizes most forms ask for, the tool can keep the JPG quality high and leave the dimensions exactly as they are. Compression only becomes visible with a full-resolution phone photo, which can be many times this size; in that case the tool lowers quality to the floor you allow and then reduces pixels step by step until the file fits.
You can steer that trade-off. Under Quality, raise Lowest quality allowed if you prefer a smaller but cleaner picture. Under Dimensions, set a Minimum width to make sure the photo never drops below the size a form demands.
A larger budget also forgives a weaker source. A photo taken indoors under mixed light carries noise, and noise is expensive to compress: at 50 KB it turns into blotches, at 200 KB it mostly survives as fine grain. If you have a choice, still take the picture in daylight against a plain wall, but at this size an imperfect photo is less likely to be refused for looking blocky.
Before you upload
Check three things against the notice: the file type, the pixel size and the KB window. The type is usually JPG or JPEG, and choosing JPG as the output format makes sure the file really is one, rather than a renamed HEIC or PNG. Pixel sizes, when given, belong under Resize first. The KB window is handled by this page.
If the form gives the photo size in centimeters or inches rather than pixels, convert it with Resize Image before compressing, then come back here with the resized file. Doing it in that order means the full 200 KB is spent at the size the form will actually use.
Metadata such as GPS location is removed by default, which is sensible for an official upload. The photo is deleted from our servers after processing and the compressed copy 30 minutes later. For a passport-style crop with the right head size, the Passport Photo Maker does the framing; for every other compression mode, use the main Compress Image tool.
Compress an image to 200 KB in three steps
Add the photo
Drop the image on the box above or press Choose Files. HEIC photos from an iPhone are read directly.
Check size and format
200 KB is already set. Choose JPG under Output format if the form asks for it, and set exact pixels under Resize first if it lists them.
Compress and upload
Press Compress, download the file and upload it. It ends at or slightly below 200 KB.
Compress to 200 KB questions
Can I use this for the Diversity Visa photo?
Yes, with two settings. The DV instructions ask for a 600 × 600 pixel JPEG of 240 KB or less, so set Output format to JPG and Resize first to a width of 600 on a square crop. A 200 KB target leaves a safe margin under 240 KB.
Will compressing to 200 KB change how my photo looks?
Rarely in a way you can see. For a passport-style photo of a few hundred pixels, 200 KB holds a very high quality setting. Visible change only appears when a large, detailed photo has to be reduced a long way.
My Canadian passport photo must be at least 200 KB. Should I use this?
No. When a service sets 200 KB as a minimum, compressing toward it risks ending just under the floor. Upload the original photo if it is between the minimum and maximum the service states.
Can a 200 KB photo be printed for an admit card or ID?
Yes. A clear portrait at the pixel size forms ask for prints well at passport size. Print quality depends on the pixel dimensions and the original photo far more than on the last few kilobytes.
Why does the tool stop at 196 or 198 KB?
It looks for the highest quality that does not pass the target, and file sizes jump in small steps between quality levels. Ending a few KB under the limit is the expected result.
Is 200 KB the same everywhere, or can a portal measure it differently?
Most sites count 1,000 bytes per KB, but some still use 1,024. The difference at this size is a few KB, so if a portal reports the file as too large, set the target to 190 KB and try again.
From the blog
Image Guides · 10 min read
Reduce Image Size in KB for Signatures, Photos and Scans
A signature, a face photo and a scanned certificate each fail in their own way when you shrink them. Here is the order of steps for each, and how to read the KB window a form gives.
Photo & Size Requirements · 10 min read
US Visa Photo at 600 × 600 px: Make It and the 2 × 2 Print From One Shot
One phone photo can become both the 600 × 600 px file for a US visa form and the 2 × 2 inch print an interview may need. Here is the arithmetic and the order of work.
