Compress images to 20KB

The 20KB limit sits at the intersection of signature-sized files and small photographs. It is the most common ceiling for passport photos and candidate photographs on Indian government exam portals. If you have ever tried to upload a photo to an SSC CGL, UPSC Civil Services, or IBPS PO application form and been rejected for exceeding the size limit, this tool solves that problem in seconds.

At 20KB you have enough room to preserve a recognisable face in a small passport-style crop, but not enough for a high-resolution portrait. The key is to start with a properly framed photo — tight crop, plain background, good lighting — and let the compressor handle the rest.

Common scenarios

• SSC CGL and SSC CHSL applications — The Staff Selection Commission typically requires a photograph between 4KB and 20KB in JPG format with dimensions around 200 × 230 pixels.
• UPSC Civil Services and IES forms — UPSC online application portals often cap the photo upload at 20KB, alongside a separate signature upload under 10KB.
• IBPS PO, Clerk, and SO exams — Banking recruitment forms from IBPS follow a similar pattern: photo under 20KB, signature under 10KB, both in JPG.
• Visa application photos — Some embassy e-visa portals enforce strict file-size limits on uploaded passport photos, often in the 20–30KB range.
• Small profile pictures — Internal company directories, forum avatars, and legacy CMS platforms sometimes cap uploads at 20KB to save storage.

How to compress a photo to 20KB

1. Set the target to 20KB — The compressor above is already configured to 20KB. You can adjust the slider if your form specifies a slightly different limit.
2. Drop your photo — Drag your passport photo or candidate image into the drop zone. Compression begins automatically.
3. Download the result — Check the output size displayed next to the file, then download. The image is ready to upload to your application form.

Tips for maintaining quality at 20KB

Crop the photo to passport dimensions before compressing. Most exam portals expect a head-and-shoulders crop against a white or light background — removing extra background gives the encoder more bits for your face. Resize the image to the portal's recommended pixel dimensions (commonly 200 × 230 or 150 × 200) before dropping it here; smaller pixel counts compress more efficiently.

Avoid photos taken in low light or with busy backgrounds. Noise and complex textures are expensive to encode and will force the compressor to reduce quality more aggressively to hit the 20KB target. A well-lit photo against a plain wall will look noticeably sharper at the same file size.

Need a different size?

For signature files that need to be even smaller, use compress to 10KB. For forms with more generous limits, try compress to 30KB or compress to 50KB.