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Upload the source photo
Drop your photo onto the tool above. Any format works — JPEG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF. Source files up to 15 MB are accepted; the tool downsizes automatically.
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Pick the target document
DV Lottery is preselected. If you're compressing for a DS-160, DS-260, India eVisa or a different portal, switch the preset — the tool applies the correct pixel range and file-size ceiling for each.
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Let the tool crop and compress
The tool detects your face, crops to a 1:1 aspect ratio, resizes to 600×600 pixels, converts to sRGB JPEG, and re-encodes at quality 85. No AI face editing, no filters, no background replacement — all forbidden under the 2026 rules.
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Verify file size and compliance
The output panel displays the final file size in KB alongside a compliance-check summary. All green + under 240 KB = ready to upload.
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Download and upload
Save the compressed JPEG to your device. Upload it directly to dvprogram.state.gov or the target portal. Do not re-open and re-save it — that adds another round of compression.
Compress a Passport Photo to Under 240 KB
The DV Lottery portal, some US visa applications, and India eVisa uploads all cap the digital passport photo at 240 KB. This free tool compresses your photo to a compliant JPEG under 240 KB while preserving the 600×600 pixel minimum, sRGB colour, and biometric composition. No signup, no watermark, no AI editing.
Compress your photo now
Upload a photo (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF). The tool auto-crops to 600×600 pixels, converts to sRGB JPEG, and re-encodes at quality 85 — output is typically 130–180 KB, well under the 240 KB cap.
Free 240 KB compressor
Crop, resize, and JPEG re-encoding only — the operations the US State Department explicitly permits. Zero face or background editing.
Why 240 KB, and which documents need it
240 KB is not a universal passport photo limit — it is specific to a handful of high-volume digital submission portals. Getting this cap wrong is the single most common cause of first-attempt upload failures for DV Lottery entries.
| Document | File size cap | Pixel range | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| DV Lottery entry | < 240 KB | 600×600 – 1200×1200 | JPEG only |
| DS-160 US visa | < 240 KB | 600×600 – 1200×1200 | JPEG only |
| DS-260 immigrant visa | < 240 KB | 600×600 – 1200×1200 | JPEG only |
| US online passport renewal | 54 KB – 10 MB | 600×600 – 1200×1200 | JPEG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF |
| India eVisa | 10 KB – 1 MB | 350×350 – 1000×1000 | JPEG only |
If your application is not in the list above, you probably do not need to compress to 240 KB. See our digital passport photo requirements guide for the full country-by-country file-size specification.
How JPEG compression produces file sizes under 240 KB
JPEG compression trades a small amount of visual quality for a large reduction in file size. At the quality levels used for passport photos, the trade-off is invisible to the human eye and imperceptible to biometric algorithms.
A JPEG file's size depends on three variables: pixel dimensions, image complexity, and quality level. For a passport photo — a face on a plain white background — the image complexity is low, so quality drives file size. The table below shows typical output sizes at different quality levels.
Quality 95
~250 KB
Over the cap
Quality 85
~150 KB
Recommended
Quality 75
~100 KB
Safe under cap
Quality 50
~55 KB
Near minimum
Values above are for a 600×600 pixel photo. At 900×900 pixels the file sizes roughly double, and at 1200×1200 they roughly quadruple. Our tool uses 600×600 pixels and quality 85 by default — the combination that reliably lands between 100 and 180 KB with no visible loss.
Why quality 85, not 95?
At quality 95 a 900×900 face photo often exceeds 300 KB — over the 240 KB DV Lottery cap. Quality 85 produces indistinguishable output at half the file size. Automated biometric checks and human reviewers cannot tell the difference between a quality-85 and a quality-95 face crop.
How to compress your photo — five steps
The whole process takes under two minutes. Every step happens inside your browser — your photo is never sent to third-party servers.
Six compression mistakes that cause upload rejections
Even after successful compression, six specific mistakes still cause upload failures. Every one is preventable if you know what to look for.
1. Re-compressing an already-compressed JPEG
Every JPEG re-encode adds compression artefacts around edges. Always start from the original camera file — never from a previously-saved JPEG. If you must re-open a saved file, use the original camera roll or DSLR export.
2. Compressing after applying filters or beautification
Portrait mode, Snapchat filters, Facetune, or any AI touch-up counts as digital alteration under the 2026 rules — rejected regardless of file size. Compress from an untouched photo taken in standard camera mode.
3. Compressing below 54 KB
The US State Department rejects files under 54 KB as low quality. Aggressive compression (quality 40 or lower) crushes files below the floor. Our tool targets 100–180 KB deliberately.
4. Wrong pixel dimensions after compression
Some online compressors reduce file size by downscaling below 600×600 pixels — under the minimum resolution. Verify pixel dimensions after compression, not just file size. Our tool locks 600×600 as the floor.
5. Wrong colour profile
The State Department requires the sRGB colour profile. Files exported from Adobe Photoshop with Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB profiles are rejected. Our tool converts to sRGB before final export.
6. Non-square aspect ratio
DV Lottery requires exactly 1:1 (width equals height). A 601×600 file fails the aspect-ratio check even though it's under 240 KB. The tool enforces exact-square dimensions.
Pre-upload verification checklist
Before you click the DV Lottery submit button, verify these six values on the compressed file. If all six pass, first-time upload success is near-certain.
All six passing?
Upload immediately. Do not open the file in another editor between compression and upload — every re-save adds another JPEG round-trip that degrades quality. For the complete requirement set beyond just file size, see our digital passport photo requirements guide.
Frequently asked questions
The Diversity Visa Lottery portal caps digital photo uploads at 240 KB to control the total storage cost of processing millions of annual entries. Files over 240 KB are rejected immediately at the upload step. The pixel range is the same 600×600 to 1200×1200 as US visa applications, but the file-size ceiling is tighter.
A 600×600 pixel JPEG saved at quality level 85 typically produces a file between 100 and 180 KB, well under the 240 KB cap. A 900×900 pixel JPEG at quality 75 lands in a similar range. Our tool uses these settings by default.
At quality 85 or higher there is no visible loss. JPEG compression works by removing information the eye does not notice. The DV Lottery accepts photos at these compression levels — hundreds of thousands of applicants submit successfully every year.
The US State Department rejects files under 54 KB as low quality. Our tool targets 100–180 KB deliberately — well above the floor and well below the DV cap. If your source photo is extremely small, the tool will not upscale; reshoot with a higher-resolution camera.
For DV Lottery submission, no. The DV portal accepts JPEG only. For US online passport renewal, PNG, HEIC and HEIF are also accepted, but JPEG is universally supported and is the safest default. Our tool converts PNG and HEIC inputs to JPEG automatically, or use the standalone HEIC to JPEG converter for a dedicated conversion flow that preserves EXIF metadata.
The US online passport renewal accepts 54 KB to 10 MB — far more permissive than DV. India eVisa uses 10 KB to 1 MB. UK passport photos allow 50 KB to 10 MB. The 240 KB cap is specific to DV Lottery and some visa systems. Our tool applies the correct target per document type.
No. Biometric checks measure head size, eye position, background uniformity and expression. These are preserved through JPEG compression at quality 75 or higher. The file-size compression happens after the biometric requirements are already satisfied.
No. Repeated JPEG re-encoding introduces cumulative artefacts that degrade sharpness and can trigger quality rejections. Always compress from the original source photo, never from a previously compressed JPEG.
Yes. KB stands for kilobyte. 240 KB equals 240,000 bytes (or 245,760 bytes in the binary interpretation). Both file-size definitions produce a similar cap on the portal — the practical target is under 240,000 bytes to be safe on either measurement.
No. Under the 2026 US State Department rules, face and background editing count as digital alteration and are rejected. Our tool only performs permitted operations: cropping to spec, JPEG re-encoding, and colour profile conversion to sRGB. Zero AI editing.
Roughly 2 to 5 seconds. Files are processed in your browser using the same pipeline as the main ClonyPDF Passport Photo Maker. Your photo is never sent to third-party servers.
Yes. Zero signup, zero watermark, zero paid tier. The compression tool is part of the wider ClonyPDF Passport Photo Maker and is available at no cost for personal use.