Upload the source photo
Drop your passport or ID photo onto the tool above. JPEG, PNG, HEIC and HEIF are all accepted. The tool reads the file server-side and reports the current size in kilobytes so you know how far the compression needs to go.
Choose target size (20 KB default)
The tool defaults to 20 KB — the common signature and photo cap for SSC, IBPS and many Indian exam portals. Change the slider to 30 KB, 50 KB, 100 KB or 240 KB if your specific portal requires a different limit.
Auto-resize plus iterative JPEG quality
The tool first downscales the image to the target dimensions (200×230 pixels for 20 KB), then applies iterative JPEG quality reduction. It starts at quality 75, encodes, checks the file size, and steps down (75 → 65 → 55 → 45) until the file lands under 20 KB. This algorithm produces a smaller file than a single fixed-quality encode.
Verify the compressed output
The output panel shows the exact final file size (e.g. 19.4 KB), the dimensions (200×230 px), and a side-by-side preview against the original. If the face becomes visibly blocky, the tool warns you and suggests raising the target to 30 KB or 50 KB — over-compressed photos get rejected at the exam centre when the admit card is printed.
Download the JPEG
Save the compressed JPEG to your device. Upload directly to ssc.gov.in, ibps.in, upsconline.nic.in, the PAN NSDL portal, or any other form that caps the photo at 20 KB.
Reduce a Passport Photo to 20 KB (SSC, IBPS, PAN, India Visa)
20 KB is the file cap used by SSC, IBPS, UPSC signatures, and several Indian exam and government portals. This free tool compresses any passport or ID photo down to exactly 20 KB in JPEG format — auto-resizes to 200×230 pixels, iteratively reduces JPEG quality, and stops the moment the file lands just under 20 KB. Works for SSC CGL, IBPS PO, SBI Clerk, PAN card, Aadhaar update, and India eVisa uploads.
Reduce your photo to 20 KB now
Upload a photo of any size and format. The tool auto-resizes to 200×230 pixels (the SSC and IBPS recommended dimensions) and iteratively reduces JPEG quality until the file lands under 20 KB — without turning the face into a blocky mess.
Free 20 KB compressor
Auto-resize to 200×230 px, iterative JPEG quality reduction, sRGB output. Stops the second the file lands just under 20 KB — every kilobyte of quality retained.
Why 20 KB is the target that trips up applicants
The 20 KB file cap looks arbitrary in 2026, but it survives because millions of applications flow through Indian recruitment and government portals every year. Servers built for that scale still enforce a decade-old file-size ceiling.
The three constraints that make 20 KB hard. First, the file must be JPEG only — PNG cannot compress this small without visible artefacts. Second, the pixel dimensions have to be small enough that the compressor has fewer pixels to encode. Third, JPEG quality must be low enough to hit the size cap but high enough that the face is recognisable on the printed admit card.
What 20 KB is not for. It is not the correct target for US passport, US visa, DV Lottery, UK passport, Canada passport, or any Schengen visa. Those portals accept 240 KB up to 10 MB — use our 240 KB compression tool for those instead. 20 KB is specifically for Indian exam and government portals.
Portals that require a 20 KB or smaller photo
The 20 KB cap concentrates around Indian recruitment exam portals. Some caps apply to the signature separately; others apply to the passport-style photo.
| Portal | Photo size | Signature size | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSC (CGL, GD, MTS, CHSL) | 20–50 KB | 10–20 KB | 3.5×4.5 cm photo / 4×2 cm sig. |
| IBPS (PO, Clerk, RRB) | 20–50 KB | 10–20 KB | 200×230 photo / 140×60 sig. |
| SBI (PO, Clerk, SO) | 20–50 KB | 10–20 KB | 200×230 photo / 140×60 sig. |
| UPSC (Civil Services, ESE) | 3–40 KB | 1–30 KB | 350×350 photo |
| Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) | 15–40 KB | 10–30 KB | 3.5×4.5 cm |
| State PSC portals | 20–100 KB | 10–20 KB | Varies by state |
| PAN Card (UTI operator) | < 30 KB | < 60 KB | 213×213 photo |
| India eVisa | 10–300 KB | n/a | 350×350 min, square |
| Aadhaar update (UIDAI) | < 100 KB | n/a | 350×450 recommended |
How to read this table. If a portal shows “20–50 KB”, the file must be at least 20 KB and no more than 50 KB. Setting the slider to 20 KB gives you the smallest guaranteed-acceptance size across every listed portal. If the portal requires a floor higher than 20 KB (like SSC photos at 20–50 KB), the tool warns you and blocks the download until the file exceeds the floor.
Photo vs signature caps
Most portals impose a stricter cap on the signature (10–20 KB) than on the photo (20–50 KB). Use the 20 KB target for the signature, and use a 30–50 KB target for the passport-style photo. Both files must be uploaded separately.
How to reduce to 20 KB in under a minute
Why 200×230 pixels is the standard for 20 KB
A 20 KB JPEG cannot hold a 600×600 pixel image without falling apart. The tool downscales to 200×230 pixels first — the exact dimensions IBPS and SBI recommend for their photo boxes.
| Target size | Recommended dimensions | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 20 KB | 200×230 pixels | SSC, IBPS, SBI signatures & photos |
| 30 KB | 213×213 pixels | PAN card (UTI operator) |
| 50 KB | 350×350 pixels | India eVisa (small end) |
| 100 KB | 350×450 pixels | Aadhaar update, State PSC |
| 240 KB | 600×600 pixels | DV Lottery, US DS-160 visa |
| 300 KB | 413×531 pixels | Passport Seva (India passport online) |
What happens if you skip the resize. If you try to compress a 600×600 pixel photo to 20 KB, JPEG quality has to drop below 25 to hit the size cap. Every hair follicle and facial feature blurs into 8×8 pixel macroblocks. The result gets rejected at the exam centre.
The tool handles both steps automatically. When you pick 20 KB, the resize target is 200×230 by default. If your portal requires different pixel dimensions (like India eVisa at 350×350), enter them manually in the advanced options and the tool holds those dimensions while iterating quality.
Five compression mistakes that cause portal rejection
1. Skipping the resize step
Trying to compress a 600×600 or larger photo directly to 20 KB destroys the face. Always resize dimensions first, then compress. Our tool does both automatically.
2. Using PNG instead of JPEG
Indian portals require JPEG. PNG cannot compress to 20 KB without terrible artefacts and portal validation rejects the format outright. The tool converts PNG and HEIC inputs to JPEG output.
3. Compressing under the minimum floor
Some portals require a minimum size too, not just a maximum. SSC photos need at least 20 KB. If your file lands at 8 KB, the portal rejects it as too low quality. The tool stops just below your chosen target rather than dropping much further.
4. Uploading a scanned printed photo
Scanned prints introduce paper texture, moire patterns and non-uniform backgrounds — all of which increase JPEG file size and fail biometric checks. Use a digital photo taken directly on a phone.
5. Compressing multiple times
Every JPEG re-encode introduces generation loss. Start from the highest-quality source you have and compress once to your target — never compress an already-compressed file.
Frequently asked questions
Indian recruitment portals were built when server storage was expensive and bandwidth was limited. A 20 KB JPEG is enough to identify a candidate on a printed admit card at the exam centre, and processing millions of applications stays fast when each photo is tiny. The rules never changed even as storage got cheaper — most portals still enforce the original 20–50 KB cap.
SSC signatures (10–20 KB), IBPS signatures (10–20 KB), SBI PO/Clerk signatures (10–20 KB), UPSC signatures (up to 20 KB), and some State PSC portals cap both the photo and signature at 20 KB. PAN card portals sometimes use a 5–20 KB range. Aadhaar update accepts up to 100 KB, so 20 KB is safely under the cap.
Yes, if the source is a normal passport-style headshot. A 20 KB JPEG at 200×230 pixels (the SSC-recommended dimensions) contains enough detail for a printed admit card and for the visual identity check at the exam. The tool warns you if the specific source photo cannot compress to 20 KB without becoming blocky, and suggests raising to 30 KB or 50 KB.
The 20 KB tool is for Indian exam and government portals with very small file caps. The 240 KB tool is for US federal uploads (DV Lottery, DS-160 visa, DS-260). Both compress JPEG files, but the 20 KB target requires more aggressive quality reduction and smaller pixel dimensions.
Yes. The slider offers 20 KB, 30 KB, 50 KB, 100 KB, 200 KB and 240 KB presets. Choose the exact number your portal requires. State PSC portals typically use 20–100 KB, IBPS photos are 20–50 KB, PAN NSDL photos accept up to 300 KB, and India visa uses 10–300 KB.
For a 20 KB target the tool automatically resizes to 200×230 pixels — the SSC and IBPS recommended dimensions for the smaller file cap. If your portal requires different dimensions (like 350×350 for India eVisa), enter them manually in the advanced options.
Yes, and it must. A 600×600 pixel photo cannot compress to 20 KB without becoming visibly blocky. The tool downscales to 200–350 pixels first, then reduces JPEG quality — that combination is what fits under the 20 KB cap while keeping the face readable.
JPEG (.jpg) exclusively — every Indian exam and government portal requires JPEG upload. PNG and HEIC are automatically converted to JPEG during the compression step. The output uses baseline (not progressive) JPEG encoding for maximum portal compatibility.
Yes. PAN card portals accept photos from 5 KB to 300 KB depending on the operator (NSDL vs UTI vs Protean). For UTI PAN, the recommended output is 213×213 pixels under 30 KB. For NSDL, up to 300 KB with 200×230 pixels. Set the slider to 20 KB for the smallest guaranteed acceptance across all PAN operators.
Yes. India online visa (eVisa) accepts JPEG between 10 KB and 300 KB with square dimensions (350×350 pixels minimum). Compressing to 20 KB satisfies the minimum floor. For a fully guided India visa flow with the correct dimensions preset, use our dedicated India visa photo page.
Yes. The UIDAI Aadhaar update portal (Self Service Update Portal) accepts photos up to 100 KB, so 20 KB fits well under the cap. However, Aadhaar prefers a slightly higher resolution than SSC — 350×450 pixels at 30–50 KB gives cleaner biometric matching. Try 30 KB first for Aadhaar.
Yes. The compressor runs in any modern mobile browser — Safari on iOS, Chrome on Android. Upload directly from your camera roll and download the 20 KB JPEG back to your phone, ready to attach to any exam portal or PAN application.