A step-by-step guide to shrinking any photo down to exactly 20KB for exam and job application forms — free, private, and right in your browser.
Why forms ask for a 20KB image
Many government and exam portals set a hard upper limit on the file size you can upload — 20KB is one of the most common. The limit keeps their servers fast and storage small, but it forces you to squeeze a modern multi-megabyte photo down to a tiny fraction of its original size. The good news: for a small photo or signature, 20KB is usually plenty to stay readable.
The fastest way to hit exactly 20KB
Instead of guessing quality settings in a photo editor, use a tool that targets the file size directly. Upload your image, and it automatically lowers the JPEG quality — and, if needed, the dimensions — until the file lands at or under 20KB.
Try it now
Compress Image to 20KB
Tips for the best quality at 20KB
- Crop tightly before compressing — fewer pixels means the tool can keep higher quality.
- Use a plain background where possible; busy backgrounds need more data to look sharp.
- If your photo still looks soft, reduce the dimensions (for example to 300px wide) and try again.
- Prefer JPEG output for photos — it compresses far smaller than PNG.