How to make image files smaller
Oversized images bounce off email limits, slow down websites and fail upload forms. Here are the six methods that actually shrink files — ordered from biggest to smallest savings — with the exact settings to use in each of our free tools.
1. Resize the pixel dimensions (biggest win)
Phone photos are 4000+ pixels wide, but most destinations need far less: 1600–1920 px covers a full-width blog image, 800–1200 px suits in-content photos, and 600 px is plenty for thumbnails. Halving an image's width and height removes 75% of its pixels in one move.
Use the image resizer: switch to “By dimensions”, type a width (the height follows automatically), and save as JPEG for photos.
2. Compress with the right quality level
JPEG quality is not linear — dropping from 100% to 80% typically halves the file size with no visible difference. For web photos, 80–85% is the sweet spot; use 60–70% for thumbnails and chat attachments.
Use the image compressor: either slide to ~80% or pick a target like “under 100 KB” and let it find the best quality that fits — handy for strict upload forms.
3. Switch the format: PNG → JPG
If a photo is sitting in PNG format (common when screenshots or downloads pile up as .png), converting it to JPG usually saves 70–90% immediately. Keep PNG for graphics, logos and screenshots with text; convert photos to JPG.
Use the PNG to JPG converter — it handles whole batches at once.
4. Go modern with WebP
WebP compresses photos about 20–30% better than JPG at the same visual quality, and every modern browser supports it. For images that will live on a website, WebP is the smallest practical choice.
Use the compressor and choose WebP as the output format. Got WebP files that other apps won't open? The WebP converter brings them back to universal formats.
5. Crop away what nobody needs
Empty sky, boring edges, dead space around the subject — every cropped pixel is bytes saved. If an image's story is in the middle two-thirds, cropping is free savings.
Use the image cropper: drag a selection (or snap to 1:1 for profile pictures) and download at full resolution.
6. Combine them (the pro move)
The biggest savings come from stacking methods. A typical recipe for a website photo: resize to 1600 px → convert to JPG or WebP → compress at 80%. That routinely turns a 5 MB phone photo into a 100–250 KB web asset — 95%+ smaller — with no visible quality change.
Every tool above runs entirely in your browser, so nothing is uploaded and the whole chain takes under a minute.
Cheat sheet: what settings to use where
| Destination | Dimensions | Format | Quality / target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email attachment | 1200–1600 px wide | JPG | 80%, or under 1 MB total |
| Blog / website photo | 1600 px wide | WebP or JPG | 80–85% |
| Upload form (100 KB limit) | 1000–1200 px wide | JPG | “Under 100 KB” target |
| Profile picture | 400–800 px square | JPG or PNG | 85% |
| Thumbnail | 400–600 px wide | JPG | 60–70% |
FAQ
How small can an image get without looking bad?
Photos tolerate a lot: at 80% JPEG quality and a sensible width, most people cannot tell the difference from the original. Problems start when you stack heavy compression (below ~50%) on top of tiny dimensions — that's when blocky artefacts appear.
Why is my PNG barely shrinking when I compress it?
PNG is lossless and ignores quality settings. To shrink a PNG photo meaningfully, convert it to JPG (see method 3) or resize it. Keep PNG for screenshots and graphics — for those, resizing is usually the better lever.
Do I need to install anything for this?
No. Every tool linked in this guide runs in your browser — on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone or Android. Files are processed on your own device and never uploaded anywhere.