How to compress images without guessing the settings
How to use this tool
- Add your images
- Choose your settings
- Compress and download
When you need a smaller image file
Large photos slow down pages and exceed attachment limits. Adjust quality for a smaller file, set a precise size budget, or resize a photo for its destination. Always check the result before replacing your original.
Free and unlimited image tools
Every compressor, resizer, converter, editor, and PDF tool on this site is free to use with no signup and no daily usage caps. Batch up to 20 files of up to 30MB each, then download what you need.
Start with the requirement, not the quality slider
An image may need to become smaller for several different reasons. A form might enforce a maximum number of kilobytes. A website might need fewer pixels for a thumbnail. An email recipient might only need a quick preview. These uses do not all call for the same settings, even when the source photograph is identical.
If you know the allowed file size, enter it in Target size. If you know the largest dimension the image needs, enter that in Maximum edge. If neither is fixed, begin with the default quality and compare the output against your original. The result includes its actual byte size and pixel dimensions so you can make that comparison.
This compressor accepts JPEG, PNG, and WebP images. Use a dedicated converter first for HEIC, AVIF, TIFF, BMP, or GIF. Keeping those formats in separate tools makes their limitations clearer—for example, a GIF becomes a still image and a multi-page TIFF produces only its first page.
Tools for this step: HEIC to JPG · TIFF to JPG · GIF to JPG
What each compression setting does
Quality controls how JPEG or WebP is encoded. A higher value generally preserves more detail and often produces a larger file, but there is no fixed relationship between the number on the slider and the resulting bytes. PNG uses lossless encoding here, so its quality slider is disabled.
Target size is a ceiling expressed in decimal kilobytes: 100KB means 100,000 bytes. The tool tries progressively smaller encodings and may reduce dimensions when quality adjustment alone is insufficient. It does not add padding to make a file land on an exact byte count.
| What you need | Setting to use | What to inspect |
|---|---|---|
| A file below an upload cap | Target size in KB | Actual bytes and target status |
| A smaller image with the same proportions | Maximum edge in pixels | Width and height in the result |
| A transparent background | PNG or WebP output | Edges against light and dark backgrounds |
| A JPEG for a form that only accepts JPG | JPEG output | White background and readable detail |
| Exact width and height | Use the dedicated image resizer | Fit mode and final dimensions |
Compression and resizing solve different problems
File size is the amount of storage an image uses. Dimensions are the number of pixels across and down. A 2,000 × 1,500 image can have many possible file sizes because its encoding, quality, and contents can change without changing those dimensions.
Resizing that image to 1,000 × 750 leaves one quarter as many pixels. It does not necessarily make the file exactly one quarter of the original bytes. A photograph of leaves, a flat-color logo, and a screenshot with text all give an encoder different kinds of information to describe.
For a fixed image box, use the resizer to choose contain, cover, or stretch. Contain preserves the whole picture, cover fills the box by cropping edges, and stretch changes its proportions. Then use a file-size target if the exported image must also fit an upload allowance.
Tools for this step: Resize image dimensions · Resize first and reduce file size
Choosing between JPEG, PNG, and WebP
JPEG is a practical choice for ordinary photographs and for services that accept only JPG uploads. It does not support transparency. Transparent areas become white in this tool, and lossy compression can introduce visible artifacts around fine lettering or strong edges.
PNG preserves lossless pixels and transparency. It can be efficient for simple graphics, but detailed photographs often produce larger PNG files. WebP gives another option for photographic content and transparent artwork, with lossy encoding available. Check that the receiving software supports it before replacing a JPEG or PNG.
Changing a filename from .png to .jpg is not format conversion. The converter must decode the source and write a new file. Compare the actual outputs rather than assuming a particular extension always guarantees a smaller result.
Compressing and downloading several images
Choose up to 20 images of up to 30MB each. The tool processes them one at a time and displays a result for each successful file. Very large images can take longer and may need more available memory.
A target applies to each image separately, not to the combined batch. If an email or submission has a total attachment allowance, add the resulting sizes before sending. The ZIP option packages your outputs together; it should not be treated as a promise of extra compression for already-encoded images.
If one file cannot be decoded, its error appears without hiding successful results from the rest of the batch. Check the source format, try the dedicated converter when appropriate, or process a smaller batch. Reset clears the selected files and generated results from the workbench.
How to judge the result before you use it
Open the output preview and inspect the part that matters most. For a portrait, look at the face and hair. For a screenshot, look at small characters and thin lines. For a product photo, check identifying details. A tiny preview is useful for composition but can conceal damage that appears at normal reading size.
Keep the source file. Repeatedly compressing an already-compressed copy can accumulate artifacts, and increasing quality later does not restore lost detail. When comparing settings, make each attempt from the original rather than downloading and re-uploading each intermediate version.
No lossy compressor can honestly promise identical quality at every smaller size. PNG can preserve lossless pixels when dimensions remain unchanged, but reaching a tight target may still require resizing. The useful question is whether the final file remains suitable for its purpose.
Frequently asked questions
Is this tool free and unlimited?
Yes. It is free to use with no signup and no daily usage caps. You can process up to 20 files of up to 30MB each in one batch, then download your results.
Do I need an account?
No. Start compressing right away—no registration and no paid plan required.
Will compression reduce image quality?
Lossy JPEG and WebP compression can remove detail. Start around 80% quality, compare the preview, and keep the original. Very small targets may also require fewer pixels.
Can I compress several images at once?
Yes. Add up to 20 images of up to 30MB each. Download individual images or all results as a ZIP.
Why did my image not become smaller?
The source may already be efficiently compressed. Re-encoding it at a high quality or changing to PNG can make it larger. For basic same-format compression without a resize, the tool keeps the original if the attempted output is larger.
Is an 80% quality setting an 80% reduction in file size?
No. It is an encoder quality setting, not a byte percentage. Use the actual sizes shown in the result to measure the reduction, or enter a target in KB when a specific ceiling matters.
Which tool should I use for an image required to be both square and under 50KB?
First crop or resize it to the required square dimensions. Then compress that image against the 50KB ceiling and inspect its final dimensions. A strict byte target can cause further downscaling, so both requirements need to be checked.