Image Compressor
Shrink an image's file size to slip under an upload limit, while keeping it looking as good as you can afford.
What you're actually trading
Compression works by lowering an image's quality setting, and the useful surprise is that the first cuts are almost free. Dropping a photo from maximum quality to around 80% often halves the file with no difference your eye can catch. Push further and you'll eventually see blocky patches, especially in smooth areas like skies and skin. The whole skill is stopping just before that point.
That's why this tool shows you the file size as you move the slider — you can watch it fall and ease back the moment the picture starts to look rough.
When compressing isn't the answer
If your image is a screenshot, a logo, or anything with flat colour and sharp edges, it's probably a PNG, and PNGs don't respond to a quality slider the way photos do. For those, shrinking the actual pixel dimensions usually saves more than compression does. And if a file is already small and still too big for a form, the limit may be on dimensions, not weight.
How to reduce an image's file size
- Drop in the photo you need to shrink — it appears straight away.
- Press Reduce, then drag the quality slider and watch the size fall live.
- Check it still looks right, then download the smaller file.
Where the megabytes actually go
Almost all of a photo's weight sits in fine detail your eye never consciously reads — subtle noise in a sky, texture in a shadow. Compression discards that first, which is why the opening 40-50% of savings is usually invisible. Past that point you start losing detail that matters, so the honest approach is to slide the quality down while watching the preview and stop at the moment it begins to soften.
If a picture is far bigger than it will ever be displayed, resizing beats compressing. A 6000-pixel photo used at 1200 pixels wide carries five times more data than the screen can show. Halve the dimensions and you quarter the file before any quality is sacrificed at all.
For a fuller walkthrough, see our guide to reducing image file size.
Common questions
How small can I make an image without it looking bad?
Most photos survive 60-80% quality with no visible change on screen. Watch the live preview and stop as soon as edges or flat areas start to look mushy.
Why is my PNG so much bigger than a JPG?
PNG is lossless and built for graphics and transparency, not photographs. Converting a PNG photo to JPG or WebP usually shrinks it dramatically.
Does compressing an image lose quality permanently?
The downloaded copy is compressed, but your original file is untouched — so you can always start again from it.
How small can I make an image before it looks bad?
For a photo, quality around 80% usually cuts the size a lot with no visible loss. Below that you start to notice it, first in gradients like skies.
What's the difference between compressing and resizing?
Compressing keeps the same dimensions but lowers quality to save space. Resizing changes the pixel dimensions. For a big saving you often do both.
Does compression work on PNG files?
Less dramatically than on JPGs. PNGs are lossless, so the bigger win for a PNG is usually reducing its dimensions.