Compress an image to 20KB

Drop a photo in and it comes out at or under 20 KB — in your browser, so it is never uploaded anywhere.

What 20 KB is usually for

20 KB is the tightest limit in common use — signature images on application forms, and the smaller photo slots on government portals.

What you'll actually get at this size

Be realistic: 20 KB is aggressive. On a full-size photo you WILL see compression artefacts — softness around edges, blockiness in smooth areas like a plain background. The way to survive it is to shrink the pixel dimensions first: at 200×230 a 20 KB JPEG still looks fine, while a 2000-pixel-wide photo squeezed to 20 KB looks like it was faxed. If the form gives you a pixel size, use it.

If your form gives a range, use both numbers. Portals often say "between 20 KB and 50 KB". Most compressors honour only the ceiling, hand you a file far under the floor, and the form rejects it for being too small. And if you also resize to the exact pixel size the form wants, the photo often lands under the minimum naturally — at which point compressing harder cannot help, because shrinking is the wrong direction. The tool below takes both ends of the range, and will raise the file back up to clear the floor.