Compress an image to 250 KB
Reduce a photo, scan or screenshot to under 250KB. Exact size, JPG output, free, and nothing is uploaded.
Last updated
250 KB is a comfortable size for one photograph: enough for an upload form, a listing, a document scan or an image on a web page, at a size people view on screen. A phone photo needs to come down in pixel size a little to fit, and this page finds the largest it can keep at good quality.
What fits in 250 KB
A photograph up to about 1160 × 773 pixels at high quality, or 1658 × 1105 at the lower quality most forms accept. That is measured on a detailed outdoor photo; a portrait against a plain wall fits larger.
A signature on white paper up to about 3848 × 1443 pixels, more than any form asks for.
Is 250 KB enough?
A photo on an application form, shown at about 200 × 230 pixels: yes, at high quality.
A profile picture at 400 × 400: yes, at high quality.
A passport photo printed at 35 × 45 mm (413 × 531 pixels at 300 dpi): yes, at high quality.
A photo shown across a phone screen, about 1080 × 720: yes, at high quality.
A photo filling a Full HD screen, 1920 × 1080: not at full size; at 250 KB it comes out smaller.
250 KB against the sizes either side
The same photograph reaches about 1160 pixels wide at 250 KB, against about 1035 pixels wide at 200 KB and about 1297 pixels wide at 300 KB. If the form allows more than 250 KB, the next size up is a visibly sharper picture.
For a web page, consider WEBP
If the image is going on your own site, WEBP looks the same at roughly a quarter less, and every current browser shows it. Compress Image writes WEBP directly. Forms, though, nearly always want JPG, which is what this page produces.
If the website still says the file is too big
This page counts 250 KB as 256,000 bytes. Some sites count it as 250,000, which is a little less. If yours is strict, aim for the next size down.
Questions
How do I compress an image to 250KB?
Add it to this page and press the button. The JPG quality is lowered step by step and, if that is not enough, the pixel size, and the best version under 250 KB is kept. For a typical photo that ends up about 1160 pixels wide.
How many pixels is a 250KB photo?
About 1160 × 773 at high quality, or 1658 × 1105 at a lower one, for a detailed photograph. A simpler picture fits more pixels in the same size.
Can I compress a PNG or an iPhone photo to 250KB?
Yes. PNG, HEIC and WEBP are all read and saved as JPG. To fit 250 KB, a detailed photo comes down to about 1658 pixels wide at the quality forms accept; a scanned signature keeps up to 3848.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. It is compressed in your browser, on your own device.