JPG Compressor

Squeeze a JPG towards a target size by stepping the quality down.

Up to 50 MB per file. Sign up free to compress files up to 100 MB.

How to compress JPG files online

JPEG uses lossy compression, so every reduction involves a quality trade-off. Our tool finds the optimal balance automatically.

  1. 1

    Upload your JPG photos

    Drag and drop JPG or JPEG files into the upload area. Works with camera photos, screenshots, and edited images. One file at a time on the free plan, up to 20 at once on Pro.

  2. 2

    Set the quality-size balance

    Pick a target file size from the dropdown. The engine adjusts JPEG quality factor (1-100) to hit your target while minimizing visible artifacts like banding or blockiness.

  3. 3

    Download compressed JPGs

    Download individually or as a ZIP. EXIF metadata (camera model, GPS, date) is stripped during compression to further reduce size and protect your privacy.

What this compressor does well

Lossy Compression

JPEG's DCT-based lossy compression discards high-frequency detail the human eye barely notices, achieving 60-70% smaller files at quality 80-85.

Small File Size

Chroma subsampling stores color at half the resolution of brightness, cutting file size by a third with almost no visible difference in photographs.

Universal Support

JPG is the most widely used image format on the web. Every browser, device, email client, and social media platform supports it natively.

Resolution Kept Where Possible

Quality is lowered first. The image is only scaled down, in steps, when quality alone cannot reach your target, so a generous target keeps the original dimensions.

Ideal for Photographs

JPG excels at photographs, product images, social media posts, blog hero images, and any image with millions of colors and smooth tonal transitions.

Metadata Stripping

EXIF data like camera model, GPS coordinates, and timestamps are removed during compression, reducing file size and protecting your privacy.

Quality first, pixels only if it has to

Most image compressors give you a quality slider and leave you to work out what size it lands on. This one takes the target size directly. In our own testing a 3.4 MB photo came back at 47 KB, 145 KB and 968 KB for 50KB, 150KB and 1MB targets, landing close to each one in under half a second. Resolution is the last thing it gives up: the encoder searches the quality range first, and only starts scaling the image down, in steps, when quality alone cannot reach your target. Ask for a generous size and your photo comes back at its original dimensions.

Upload limits worth knowing

The caps people most often run into, and what each one really means in practice.

Where Limit In practice
Gmail 25 MB Attachments above this are converted to a Drive link instead of sending.
Outlook.com 20 MB Outlook desktop against Exchange is often capped lower, at 10 MB.
WordPress (default) 2 MB Set by PHP's upload_max_filesize; many hosts leave the default in place.

Email attachments are Base64-encoded in transit, which inflates them by roughly 33%. A 20 MB file arrives as about 27 MB, so a 25 MB cap is really closer to 18 MB of actual payload. Leave headroom rather than compressing to exactly the published limit.

How JPG compression works

JPG uses lossy DCT compression tuned by a single quality parameter (0-100). A stock 3 MB smartphone JPG typically starts at quality 92. Reaching a small size target means dropping quality, and the relationship is non-linear: the first 40% size cut is nearly invisible (quality 92 → 80); the last 40% is where visible artefacts appear, mostly ringing near sharp edges (text, faces at close crop), colour banding in blue skies, and blockiness in flat backgrounds. Our compressor iterates quality downward until the size cap is met, so photos with lots of flat area hit the target at higher quality than detail-heavy ones.

Which target size to pick for JPG

Different portals cap JPG uploads at different sizes. Pick the target that matches where you’re uploading rather than shrinking blindly, over-compressing wastes visible quality, under-compressing gets rejected.

Other targets

These have no page of their own. Pick the size in the upload box above.

150KB
Detailed photographs at web resolution. 150 KB holds fine texture, fabric weave, foliage, skin-tone gradients, that begins breaking down at 100 KB.
500KB
IRCTC ID proof uploads. The IRCTC "upload ID proof" flow for Tatkal bookings and railway concession forms caps at 500 KB, which is why this target hits a real bottleneck for travel workflows.
1MB
Full-quality photos for web and email. 1 MB keeps a full-resolution phone photo sharp on screen while staying small enough for most web forms and email.
2MB
Driving Licence renewal & GST registration. Sarathi portal driving licence renewal accepts photo uploads up to 2 MB, and GST registration on the GSTN portal enforces the same cap for the authorised signatory photo.

Frequently asked questions

How do I compress JPG files online?

Choose a target size, upload your JPG file, and click Compress. iFormat shrinks it to your chosen size while keeping quality as high as possible, free, no watermark, and no account needed.

What sizes can I compress JPG to?

Dedicated pages cover 20KB, 50KB, 100KB or 200KB. Pick the size that matches the upload limit or email cap you need to meet.

How does JPG compression work?

JPG compression works by adjusting the quality parameter (1–100) that controls how aggressively the DCT algorithm discards high-frequency color information. At quality 85, most photos lose no visible detail. At quality 60, you may notice softening in fine textures and gradients. The compressor iteratively adjusts this parameter until the file hits your target size.

Will compressing reduce JPG quality?

JPG compression is lossy, it discards color data the human eye is least sensitive to. At moderate compression (quality 70–85), the difference is invisible at normal viewing distances. Below quality 50, blocking artifacts and color banding become noticeable, especially in smooth gradients and skin tones.

Is the JPG compressor free?

Yes. Compressing JPG files is free with no watermark and no sign-up. Paid plans only raise file-size and batch limits.

Are my JPG files kept private?

Yes. Uploads use an encrypted HTTPS connection, compression runs on an isolated worker, and both your original and the compressed file are deleted automatically within 1 hour, and nothing is stored, shared, or used for training.

Does compressing JPG remove EXIF metadata?

Yes. Camera model, date and GPS coordinates are all dropped, so a photo you compress here carries no record of where it was taken. EXIF is usually 5–50 KB, so this is not what makes the file smaller, it is a side effect of re-encoding. Keep your original if you want the metadata.

What is the smallest size a JPG can be compressed to?

It depends on image dimensions. A 4000×3000 photo can rarely go below 50 KB without severe artifacts. If you need an extremely small file, reducing image dimensions (e.g., to 1024×768) before compressing dramatically lowers the floor.
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