Compress an image to 500KB

Drop a photo in and it comes out at or under 500 KB — in your browser, so it is never uploaded anywhere.

Compress your photo now ↓

What 500 KB is usually for

500 KB is the typical ceiling for a portfolio image, a press kit photo, or an image being uploaded to a CMS that rejects anything heavier.

What you'll actually get at this size

For a single photograph, 500 KB is effectively lossless — you would need to pixel-peep at 100% to find the difference. If you can't reach 500 KB, you're dealing with something unusually large: a multi-megapixel RAW-ish export, or a PNG that should have been a JPEG all along.

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.

Frequently asked questions

Will I see any quality loss at 500 KB?

For a single photograph, no — 500 KB is effectively lossless, and you would need to compare at 100% zoom to find a difference. This target is about meeting a rule, not sacrificing quality.

Why can't I get my image under 500 KB?

Something unusual is inflating it: either the pixel dimensions are enormous (a multi-megapixel export) or the format is wrong for the content — a photograph saved as PNG can be many megabytes for no visible benefit. Fix the dimensions or the format and 500 KB is easy.

Is 500 KB right for portfolio and CMS uploads?

It is the ceiling many CMSs and portfolio sites enforce, and a sensible self-imposed one: at 500 KB a web-resolution image looks perfect and the page carrying it stays fast. Pair it with a sane pixel width — 2000 pixels is plenty for full-width web display.