Image Compressor — reduce JPG, PNG & WebP size online
Reduce JPG, PNG and WebP file size to a target you set, without visible quality loss. Compression happens in your browser — files are never uploaded.
About the Compress image tool
Most image compressors ask you to guess a quality percentage and then hope the result is small enough. This one works the other way round: you state the file size you need — 2 MB for a job application, 500 KB for a forum that rejects anything larger, 1 MB to keep a page fast — and it searches for the encoder settings that land under that number while giving away as little quality as it can.
Two things drive the final size, and the tool exposes both. Quality controls how aggressively the encoder discards detail the eye is unlikely to notice. Dimensions matter more than people expect: a 12-megapixel phone photo displayed in a 1000-pixel-wide column is carrying about four times the pixels it can ever show, so capping the longest edge often halves the file before quality settings do anything at all. Everything runs on a canvas in your browser, so the photo is never uploaded.
How far an image can compress depends almost entirely on what is in it. A photograph of foliage, gravel or a crowd is dense with fine random detail, and there is no way to describe that in fewer bytes without visibly smoothing it. A studio shot on a plain backdrop, a screenshot, or a graphic with flat areas of colour compresses enormously, because large regions are predictable. So if one image reaches your target easily and the next refuses to, the difference is usually the subject rather than anything you did wrong.
It is also worth knowing that JPEG compression is generational. Every time an image is decoded and re-encoded it loses a little more, and those losses accumulate even if you pick a high quality setting each time. Compressing an already-compressed export, then compressing that again, is how photos end up with mushy edges and blotchy skies. Always start from the largest original you have rather than from the last file you happened to save.
How it works
Choose a photo
Drop in a JPG, PNG or WebP. The current file size is shown so you know what you are starting from.
Set your target
Enter the size you need in MB, and optionally cap the longest edge in pixels — that alone often does most of the work.
Compare, then download
Check the result against the original before you save it. If it went too far, raise the target and run it again.
Frequently asked questions
- Will compressing visibly damage my photo?
- At moderate targets, no — JPEG compression is built to discard detail your eye is poor at seeing, and a 50 to 70 percent size reduction is usually indistinguishable at normal viewing size. Push toward a very small target on a large photo and you will start to see blocking around edges and mottling in smooth areas like skies. Always compare before saving.
- Why did my file not reach the exact size I asked for?
- The target is a ceiling the tool works towards, not a guarantee. Some images simply cannot compress that far without falling apart — a detailed, noisy photo has far more information to store than a flat graphic. If it stops short, cap the maximum width or height as well; reducing dimensions frees up far more room than quality alone.
- Should I compress a PNG or convert it first?
- It depends on the picture. PNG is lossless and excellent for screenshots, logos and anything with flat colour or transparency. For an actual photograph, PNG is the wrong container entirely and converting it to JPG or WebP will cut the size dramatically — use the Convert image tool for that, then compress if you still need to.
- Does compressing strip GPS and camera metadata?
- Re-encoding usually drops most EXIF, but treat that as a side effect rather than a privacy feature. If your goal is to remove location data before sharing a photo, use the Remove EXIF tool, which reports exactly which tags and GPS coordinates were present and confirms they are gone.
- Are my images uploaded anywhere?
- No. The file is decoded onto a canvas element and re-encoded entirely within your browser tab, so it never leaves your device and there is no queue, no account and no retention policy to read. You can verify this by disconnecting from the network and compressing an image anyway — it still works.
- What size should I aim for?
- For an image on a web page, 200 to 500 KB is a reasonable ceiling for something full-width, and under 150 KB for anything smaller. Email attachments are comfortable under 2 MB in total. Job application portals and government forms usually state their own limit, and it is often as low as 1 MB — in that case set the target slightly below it, since some systems count the encoded upload rather than the raw file.
- Is WebP better than JPG for this?
- Usually yes. WebP typically reaches the same perceived quality in 25 to 35 percent fewer bytes, and every current browser supports it. The reason not to use it is compatibility outside the browser: some older desktop software, printing services and upload forms still reject it. If the file is going onto a website, choose WebP; if you are handing it to a person or a form, stay with JPG.