Quick answer
Reduce the pixels first, then the quality. A photo resized to the width you actually need usually lands near your limit with only light compression. Save it as a JPG, lower the quality until the file is just inside the limit, and check that it still looks sharp.
Why reducing pixels works better than compressing
A phone photo has about 12 million pixels and weighs 2–5 MB. A photo for a website or a form needs far fewer. If you squeeze a full-size photo down to a small file using compression alone, the app throws away so much detail that it turns blocky and smeared.
Shrink the pixels first and the problem mostly disappears: a photo resized to the width you need takes only light compression to fit, and it stays sharp at the size people will see it.
Rough sizes to aim for
Use the exact pixels a site or form gives, if it gives any. Otherwise these widths are a good starting point for a JPG at normal quality.
| Target file size | Try a width of about |
|---|---|
| Under 2 MB | 3,000 pixels |
| Under 1 MB | 2,000–2,400 pixels |
| 200 KB | 1,000–1,300 pixels |
| 100 KB | 700–900 pixels |
| 50 KB | 450–600 pixels |
| 15–20 KB | 250–350 pixels |
Make a photo smaller online, on any device
The quickest way, on a phone or a computer, is a browser tool that takes your size limit and does the resizing and compressing for you. Our image tools work in your browser and don’t upload the photo:
- Compress image to shrink a photo while keeping it looking the same
- Resize image in KB for an exact limit or a range, such as under 1,000 KB or 20–50 KB
- Bulk image resizer for many photos at once
How to make a photo smaller on iPhone
- In a browser: open a tool like the ones above in Safari, choose the photo and set the limit.
- In Mail: when you send large photos from the Mail app, iOS can offer a choice of message size, such as Small, Medium or Large, which shrinks the photos it sends.
- Avoid screenshots: a screenshot has your screen’s pixels and is usually a PNG, which is often larger, not smaller.
How to make a photo smaller on Android
- In a browser: open one of the tools above in Chrome and pick the photo from your gallery.
- In your gallery: many gallery apps, including Samsung’s, have a Resize option in the editor’s menu.
- Check the size in the photo’s Details or Info screen.
How to make a photo smaller on a Mac (Preview)
- Open the photo in Preview and choose Tools → Adjust Size. Set the width in pixels, with Scale proportionally ticked.
- Choose File → Export, pick JPEG, and move the Quality slider. Preview shows the resulting file size as you move it.
- Save once the size is just under your limit.
How to make a photo smaller on Windows
- Photos app (Windows 11): open the photo, open the See more (⋯) menu and choose Resize image, where you can pick a size and quality.
- Paint: choose Resize (Ctrl + W), select Pixels, keep Maintain aspect ratio ticked and enter a smaller width, then File → Save as → JPEG picture. Paint has no quality setting, so if the file is still too big, resize a little smaller.
- Check the size: right-click the file and choose Properties.
Making photos small enough to email
Gmail allows attachments up to 25 MB per email, and Outlook typically around 20 MB; larger files are sent as cloud links instead. A dozen full-size phone photos can pass that. Resizing them to about 2,000 pixels wide, under 1 MB each, keeps them sharp on any screen and makes them quick to send and open.
Check the result
- Size: a little inside the limit, such as 950 KB for a 1 MB maximum. If a form also has a minimum, see how to increase photo size in KB.
- Pixels and format: what the site asks for, usually a JPG. Image size in pixels, inches and DPI explains these rules.
- Sharpness: zoom in. If it looks blocky, use fewer pixels and a higher quality instead of heavier compression.
Questions people ask
How do I make a photo smaller than 1 MB?
Resize it to about 2,000 pixels wide and save it as a JPG at normal quality; most photos then land well under 1 MB.
How do I reduce photo size on iPhone?
Use a browser tool in Safari that takes a size limit, or let the Mail app send photos at a smaller size. The Photos app has no file size setting.
How do I make a photo smaller without losing quality?
Reduce the pixels to what you need before compressing. A smaller photo needs only light compression, so it stays sharp.
How do I reduce photo size to 20 KB?
Resize to about 250–350 pixels wide (or the exact pixels a form gives), save as JPG, and lower the quality until it is just under 20 KB.