Image Compressor

Make an image file smaller — by quality or to an exact size in kilobytes, with the real number shown, not an estimate.

Drop an image here or click to choose a file · or paste one (Ctrl/⌘ + V)

Nothing is uploaded. Every size shown below is a real encode, not an estimate.

Your picture never leaves this tab. There is no upload, no queue and no watermark — the image is decoded, resized and re-encoded by your own browser. Re-encoding also strips EXIF metadata, including GPS coordinates, so the file you download no longer says where the photo was taken.

🔒 Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded or stored on a server.

The Image Compressor re-encodes a picture at a lower quality so the file is smaller, and shows you the honest result: every size on this page is a real encode, not a formula. Move the quality slider and the number underneath is the actual byte count of the file you would download. The before and after sit side by side, and a 1:1 toggle lets you scroll around at full size and judge the artefacts yourself instead of trusting a percentage.

Also on Txtset: cut the dimensions when quality alone is not enough · switch to WebP for a bigger saving.

There is also a target file size mode for the case everyone actually has — an upload form that refuses anything over 200 KB. Type the limit and the page binary-searches the quality setting, encoding the image several times in a background thread until it finds the highest quality that fits. If nothing fits, even at the lowest setting, it says so and tells you to reduce the dimensions instead, rather than quietly handing you a file that is still too big.

It also refuses to lie in the other direction. Re-compressing an already-optimised JPEG at a high quality can produce a larger file; when that happens the page says so plainly and the download button gives you your original back untouched. Silently returning a bigger file is the classic compressor failure and there is no reason to repeat it.

Compression is a trade, so it helps to know where the wins are. Switching a photo to WebP usually saves more than dropping JPEG quality does, and halving the dimensions saves more than either. If quality alone is not getting you there, resize the image first — a 4000-pixel-wide photo displayed at 800 pixels is carrying five times the pixels it needs.

How to use

  1. Drop an image onto the box, click to choose one, or paste it.
  2. Choose a method: move the quality slider, or switch to “Hit a file size” and type a limit in KB.
  3. Optionally change the output format — WebP usually beats JPEG at the same quality.
  4. Tick “Compare at 1:1” and scroll around to check the detail you care about.
  5. Download the compressed image.

Examples

Quality 75
A 3.1 MB phone photo lands near 300 KB with no difference visible at normal viewing size.
Target 200 KB
Eight encodes in the background find the highest quality that fits under the limit, and report which one it used.
Already optimised
Re-compressing a small, well-made JPEG at quality 95 makes it bigger — the page says so and gives you the original back.

Frequently asked questions

Is the file size shown an estimate?
No. Each number is the byte count of a real encode performed in your browser. That is why the work happens in a background thread — the target-size mode alone runs up to nine encodes.
How does the target file size mode work?
It binary-searches the quality setting: encode, compare against your limit, move the bounds, repeat. It keeps the highest quality that fits, and tells you which quality that turned out to be.
Why can it not reach my target?
Quality can only do so much — a 12 megapixel photo has a floor below which even the worst setting cannot go. When that happens, reduce the pixel dimensions with the Image Resizer and try again; that is the lever with the real leverage.
Can it compress a PNG?
Not usefully. PNG is lossless, so there is no quality to trade away and the canvas encoder gives no control over its compression. For a big saving on a PNG, convert it to WebP, which is lossless-capable and still much smaller.
Why did the compressed file come out bigger?
Because the original was already well compressed and you asked for a high quality. The page detects it, says so, and offers the original file back rather than pretending the result was an improvement.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Nothing leaves this tab — there is no server behind this page. Re-encoding also strips the EXIF metadata, so the GPS coordinates your camera recorded are not in the file you download.