How to get an image under 200 KB

What happened at 200 KB in our tests

We tested two JPG photos in two browser engines, Chromium and WebKit, on a computer: a 12-megapixel photo we generated for testing (4000 × 3000 pixels, 3,422,855 bytes), and a real street photo (3840 × 2880 pixels, 1,446,573 bytes).

With the default settings, both fitted, at 65% quality:

• The 12-megapixel photo came out between 1960 × 1470 and 2314 × 1736 pixels. That is about half to three-fifths of its original width, or roughly 3 to 4 megapixels instead of 12.
• The street photo came out between 1680 × 1260 and 1770 × 1328 pixels, a little under half its original width.

With “Keep original dimensions” turned on, neither photo fitted. The tool lowered the quality as far as it goes, to 45%, and the smallest copies were still more than twice the limit: 446,401 bytes for the 12-megapixel photo and 535,915 bytes for the street photo. The tool showed each as “Closest we could get”, not as a fit.

Note: That is what happened with these two photos. Other images can come out differently, larger or smaller in pixels.

Why resizing is needed at 200 KB

The Make My File Fit Image tool lowers the quality of a JPG or WebP first, down to about 65%. If the copy is still too big, it makes the picture smaller in pixels. Only at its smallest size, 640 px on the longest side, does it lower the quality further, down to 45%.

“Keep original dimensions” skips the resizing step. Then the quality is the only thing that can go down, and it stops at 45%. In our tests, that wasn’t enough for either photo at 200 KB. So at this size, leave “Resize only if needed” chosen (in More options, under Image dimensions) unless the form insists on your photo’s exact width and height.

When resizing is on, the tool keeps the same proportions and looks for the largest pixel size that fits. You don’t choose the pixel size yourself; the result screen tells you what it is.

Check fine text and small details

Fewer pixels means less room for small things. Before you upload, open the copy and look at:

• any writing in the picture, such as a name on a badge or the text of a document;
• faces, if the form needs to recognise someone;
• thin lines, edges and anything the person reading the form needs to see.

Use Compare closely on the result screen to view your original and the copy at the same spot, up to 200%. If the image is a screenshot or a scan of a document, take extra care: MDN notes that with lossy formats such as JPG, blurring and coloured fringes around text and sharp edges are very visible.

If it won’t fit

• “Keep original dimensions” is on. Choose the “Allow resizing, keep JPG” change on the result screen (the card names your file’s type).
• It’s a PNG. The tool has no quality setting for PNG, so a PNG only gets smaller in pixels. If the form accepts JPG, Convert to JPG gives the tool a quality setting to lower as well. A transparent background becomes white in a JPG, and the tool only does that when you choose it.
• WebP is allowed. If the form takes WebP, Convert to WebP is offered, but only when your browser can save WebP files.
• The form allows more. Check the form again. If it actually says 500 KB or more, pick that limit instead, and see how to get an image under 500 KB.

For more on choosing a file type, see JPG, PNG or WebP: which to upload. If the form still refuses your copy, see “File too large” when uploading.