Exam & application forms
Compress Photo and Signature to 20 KB Each
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 — everything stays on your device
And your signature — under 20 KB
Drop your image here or browse
JPEG, PNG, WebP — everything stays on your device
Drop your photo in the first box and your signature scan here — each keeps its own limit.
Why this exact limit matters
One ceiling, two files, and they behave nothing alike. Ask a photo and a signature to each weigh under 20 KB and the photo gasps while the signature does not break stride — faces are the most expensive content JPEG encodes, ink strokes among the cheapest. This page runs both uploads at the same number so you can see exactly where the budget bites and where it does not.
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.
Measured: identical ceilings, opposite outcomes
Two real files, one budget each: a 914 KB portrait photograph and a 22.4 KB signature-style scan, both capped at 20 KB.
Photo result
16.4 KB · q3
quality floor reached
Signature result
19.8 KB · q91
nearly untouched
Quality gap
3 vs 91
same 20 KB, same encoder
Fix for the photo
enter its pixel spec
frame beats budget
If your photo slot lands at quality 3, the ceiling is not the villain — the missing frame is. On the IBPS 200×230 preset the same portrait holds quality 89 inside the same twenty kilobytes. The signature needs no such rescue: for black ink on white paper, this budget is generous.
Where the number 20 sits in each rule
| Form | Photo size rule | Dimensions | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPSC — photograph | 20 KB is the floor: 20–300 KB band | 350×350–1000×1000 px, square | JPG |
| UPSC — signature | 20 KB is the floor again: 20–100 KB band | 350–500 px wide | JPG |
| IBPS — photograph → | 20 KB is the entry point: 20–50 KB band | 200×230 px | JPG |
| IBPS — signature | 20 KB is the ceiling: 10–20 KB band | 140×60 px | JPG |
From the 2025–26 cycles, arranged by what 20 KB means in each context rather than by form — the same figure is a floor, an entry point, and a ceiling depending on where you look.
Frequently asked questions
Both files must be under 20 KB — which do I work on first?
Check the signature off in one pass — line art clears 20 KB near maximum quality on its own — then spend your time on the photo: crop it to the form’s stated pixel size before touching quality at all.
My form is UPSC and both files must be over 20 KB, not under. Now what?
Flip the direction: this page aims just below its target, so for UPSC set higher targets — 100 KB for the photo, 50 for the signature — and you sit mid-band in both of its ranges, safely above the floors.
Can one JPEG legally contain photo and signature together?
Some forms accept a combined image, but every major Indian exam asks for two separate files with independent validation. Upload them into their own fields; a stitched file fails both checks at once.
My form rejected the file even though it shows the right size — what do I check?
Re-check the exact limit and the required format. Some portals quietly expect JPEG even when they say "image", and a few measure in 1,000-byte units rather than 1,024. Try the next lower round number here if the rejection persists.
Why JPEG and not another format for my upload?
JPEG is the most universally accepted image format on upload forms and gives the smallest files for photographs. If your destination accepts only "images", JPEG is the safe choice.
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.