Compress an image to 500 KB
Half a megabyte is enough for a good-looking web photo. This page targets 500 KB with JPEG output and tries the highest quality that fits before touching the pixel dimensions. Camera photos of several megabytes often fit by quality reduction alone, and the page tells you exactly what you got.
Runs in your browser
Free, no sign-up. Decoding, resizing and re-encoding happen in your browser on a canvas. The images are not uploaded; the tool only records anonymous actions such as 'compress' or 'download', never file names or sizes.
Drop images or click to upload
JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP • Max 50 MB per file • Up to 20 files
Every file is scanned for security threats before processing
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Upload images above to start compressing
Target file size
The tool picks the highest quality that fits, and only shrinks the pixel size if the lowest quality is still too big. The Quality slider is not used.
Security Layers
How to use the Image Compressor
- Drop your image onto the upload area (JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF or BMP).
- The Target file size box already shows 500 KB and the output is JPEG, which can be tuned by quality. Change the number if your upload field asks for a different limit.
- Press Compress. The tool tries lower qualities first, then shrinks the pixel dimensions if quality alone is not enough.
- Read the line under the file: it states the exact byte size and whether the target was met.
- Download the result and check it still looks acceptable before you upload it.
Worked example
Sample data
A generated 3000 x 2000 test photo (JPEG, 2,386,343 bytes), target 500 KB.
494,409 bytes (under the 500 KB target), 3000 x 2000 px JPEG.
Measured in this tool on a generated, deliberately noisy test photo, which is harder to compress than most real pictures. Your final size and dimensions will differ.
Good to know
Here 1 KB is counted as 1,000 bytes. Your computer may show sizes in 1,024-byte units, which reads about 2% smaller, so leave a little room if a form is strict.
How it works
How the compression works
The browser decodes each image onto a canvas at the target size and encodes it again in the format you chose. Smaller pixel dimensions and a lower quality value both reduce the file size; resizing usually saves far more than quality alone.
Quality applies to JPEG and WebP output. PNG is lossless, so the quality slider does not change a PNG: to shrink a PNG, reduce its dimensions or switch the output to WebP or JPEG.
saved % = (original size - compressed size) / original size x 100
Choosing a format
JPEG suits photographs. WebP is usually smaller than JPEG at similar quality and supports transparency, but very old software may not open it. PNG suits screenshots, logos and anything that needs exact pixels or transparency.
Because the image is redrawn on a canvas, transparent areas become black if you save as JPEG, which has no transparency. Pick PNG or WebP to keep transparency.
What gets removed
Re-encoding keeps only pixel data. Camera EXIF data such as GPS location, device model and timestamps is not carried over, which is useful before publishing a photo but means you cannot recover it from the compressed copy.
Animated GIFs lose their animation: only the first frame is processed. SVG files are rejected on purpose because they can contain scripts.
When the result is bigger
The tool does not keep the original when the new file is larger. An already well-optimised JPEG saved at 100% quality, or a WebP converted to PNG, can grow. If Saved shows no gain, lower the quality, reduce the dimensions or keep your original.
Inputs, outputs and limits
Inputs
- JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF or BMP images (TIFF is accepted but depends on your browser being able to open it)
- Quality 1-100% (default 80%)
- Output format: JPEG, PNG or WebP
- Optional maximum width and height in pixels, with Maintain aspect ratio on or off
Outputs
- One compressed image per input, in the chosen format
- Original size, compressed size and percentage saved for each file
- Download for a single file or all files at once
Limits
- Up to 20 files per batch and 50 MB per file.
- Images larger than 16,384 x 16,384 pixels are rejected.
- Quality has no effect on PNG output.
- Animated GIFs become a single still image; SVG is not accepted.
- Very large batches depend on your device's memory, since every image is decoded in the browser.
Processing
- Decoding, resizing and re-encoding happen in your browser on a canvas. The images are not uploaded; the tool only records anonymous actions such as 'compress' or 'download', never file names or sizes.
Frequently asked questions
Will I notice the quality loss?
Often not at normal viewing size, though zooming in can reveal softness or blocky areas in smooth gradients.
What if my image is already under 500 KB?
The tool does not enlarge files. If re-encoding would not make it smaller it says so, and you can keep your original.
Can I get a PNG at 500 KB?
PNG ignores quality, so only reducing dimensions helps. Switching the output to WebP or JPEG is usually easier.
Does it work offline?
Once the page has loaded, compression itself needs no network, because everything runs in your browser.
More ways to use the Image Compressor
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