Exam & application forms
Compress Photo to 20 KB
Preset and ready: drop a file and the output lands under 20 KB as JPEG — processed entirely in your browser.
Drop your image here or browse
JPEG, PNG, WebP — iPhone HEIC tips inside — processed entirely in your browser
Why this exact limit matters
Application portals for exams and admissions are strict about file size: upload a photo that is even slightly over the limit and the form refuses to submit, usually without telling you by how much. Candidates end up in a loop of guessing quality sliders and re-uploading, sometimes minutes before the deadline closes.
These portals enforce their limit at the byte level, so the only reliable approach is to work backwards from the number itself and let the encoder find the best quality that fits underneath it. 20 KB is one of the tightest limits you will meet online, and this page is preset to exactly that ceiling.
How to compress to 20 KB
- Drop your image into the box above — it stays on your device.
- Confirm the target: under 20 KB as JPEG.
- The MozJPEG encoder searches its quality range so the JPEG output lands just under your limit. Dimensions are left at their original size unless the target demands otherwise.
- Preview the result, compare it with the original if you want, and download — the filename carries its actual size.
Tip: Before you upload, check whether your form also specifies pixel dimensions — if it does, fill in the max width and height here so both constraints are satisfied in one pass.
Frequently asked questions
Will a heavily compressed photo be rejected for being low quality?
Portals validate the file size and dimensions, not subjective quality. This tool keeps the best possible quality under your limit, and the comparison view lets you confirm the photo is still clearly recognizable before you download it.
How does the tool hit the exact JPEG size?
It encodes your image with the MozJPEG encoder several times, binary-searching the quality setting until the output lands just under your limit — then keeps that best result.
Is my image uploaded to a server?
No. All decoding and encoding runs locally in your browser via WebAssembly. There is no server-side pipeline, no storage, and no way for us to see your file.