Compress Image to 20 KB
Get a photo under 20 KB for a form, portal or e-mail — the tool finds the best quality that fits, and reduces dimensions only if it must. Processed on your device.
Compression
Quality is searched first; if the lowest quality is still too big, the dimensions are reduced.
What this tool does
It makes your image come out under 20 KB — not "about", under — by searching for the highest JPEG or WebP quality that fits, and only if the lowest acceptable quality is still too big, reducing the dimensions until it fits. You see the achieved size, the quality it landed on and any resizing it had to do, and can switch to a manual quality slider at any time. Everything runs in your browser; the image is not uploaded.
Where a 20 KB limit comes from
Typical places that ask for "under 20 KB": forum avatars, e-mail signatures, some government and exam portals (India's SSC/UPSC photo uploads famously want 20–50 KB), and embedded thumbnails. Most of them measure the file exactly, so 1 KB over is a rejection — which is why this tool targets the byte count rather than a quality number.
How it decides
- The output format follows the input: JPEG stays JPEG, PNG and everything else becomes WebP (keeps transparency, far smaller). Pick JPEG explicitly if the form only takes .jpg.
- Quality is binary-searched between 5% and 95% in seven steps — about a second per image.
- If 5% quality is still over 20 KB, the image is scaled down by the amount needed and the search repeats. A phone photo at 4000 px that must fit in 20 KB will end up around 600–900 px wide — still plenty for a screen.
- PNG has no quality setting; if you force PNG the tool scales dimensions only, which for photos rarely gets small enough.
Getting a better result
- Crop first. Empty margins cost bytes; the resizer can crop to a preset or exact size.
- If the photo must stay at its original pixel size, lower your expectations: a 12-megapixel photo under 20 KB will show JPEG artefacts. Resize to what the destination actually displays (usually 1000–2000 px) and the quality can stay high.
- Screenshots and graphics compress better as WebP or PNG than as JPEG; photos the other way round.
Frequently asked questions
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The page is static and has no upload endpoint; your browser does the work on your own device and the result is saved straight back to your disk. The site's Content-Security-Policy only allows it to talk to its own origin, so it cannot send your file anywhere even by accident. Load the page, disconnect from the internet, and it still works.
Will it really be under 20 KB?
Yes — the tool checks the real encoded byte count on every attempt and only shows a result that is at or under 20 KB. It reports the quality it used and whether it had to reduce the dimensions.
How much quality will I lose?
It depends entirely on how many pixels you are trying to squeeze in. Under 20 KB, a 1200 px-wide photo looks fine as JPEG; a 4000 px one will be visibly compressed or will be scaled down. The tool prefers lowering quality to 5% before shrinking; if you'd rather keep sharpness and lose pixels, resize first.
Can I set a different size?
Yes — the target is a number field; type any value in KB, or use the presets for 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 KB and 1 MB. "Set quality" switches back to a plain quality slider.
Why did it change my PNG to WebP?
PNG is lossless and has no quality dial, so the only way to shrink it is to throw away pixels. WebP keeps transparency and compresses photos and screenshots many times smaller. If the destination refuses WebP, pick JPEG (no transparency) or PNG (dimension-only).
Is it free? Any limits or watermark?
Free, no account, no watermark, no daily quota. Because nothing runs on our servers there is nothing to meter. The only limits are your device's memory — anything up to roughly 50 megapixels is fine on a modern phone or laptop.