SSC · UPSC · Railways
Compress an image to 20 KB.
20 KB is where Indian exam portals start refusing files. This page pre-sets the compressor to 20 KB and searches JPEG quality until your photo fits — without changing the pixel dimensions your notification demands.
- 100% client-side
- Nothing is uploaded
- No account
- Canvas / WebAssembly on your device
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What actually asks for 20 KB
| Portal / exam | Dimensions | File size | Format & extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSC CGL / GD photo | 3.5 × 4.5 cm (≈ 200 × 230 px) | 20–50 KB | JPG, plain white background |
| SSC CHSL photo | 200 × 230 px | 20–50 KB | JPG, name + photo date printed at bottom |
| SSC signature | 4 × 2 cm (≈ 140 × 60 px) | 10–20 KB | JPG, black ink on white |
| IBPS / RBI / SBI signature | 140 × 60 px / 160 × 60 px | ≤ 30 KB | JPG |
| NEET / JEE signature | 3.5 × 1.5 cm | ≤ 30 KB | JPG |
| RRB (Railways) signature | 3.5 × 1.5 cm | ≤ 100 KB | JPG |
Specs change with every notification cycle. This page targets the strictest common case — a hard 20 KB ceiling — and the Minimum KB field lets you hit a range instead: set Maximum 50 and Minimum 20 for the SSC photo band.
Why a 20 KB photo still gets rejected
Size is only one of four checks. The other three cause most rejections:
- Range enforcement, both ways. SSC rejects files below 20 KB as well as above 50 KB. If your output lands at 17 KB, raise the floor with Minimum KB instead of re-compressing blindly.
- Wrong pixel box. 20 KB says nothing about 200 × 230 px. Fix centimetres and pixels first with the portal photo tool, then compress the corrected image here.
- Wrong format in disguise. A PNG renamed to
.jpgfails server-side MIME checks. Choose JPEG output in the compressor so the bytes match the extension. - Background and recency. Cream or grey walls, shadows and old photos are auto-rejected on several portals. Shoot against a plain white wall in daylight before compressing.
Three moves that keep faces sharp at 20 KB
- Crop before you compress. Head and shoulders, eyes in the top third. Every pixel you delete is budget the face keeps.
- Let quality search run. The tool binary-searches JPEG quality until the cap is met; shrinking pixels happens only as a last resort.
- Check the number twice. The size shown is the real file size on disk. If your portal counts 1 KB as 1024 bytes and you sit at exactly 20.0 KB, drop the target to 19 KB for margin.
Frequently asked questions
What is the exact SSC photo size in KB and pixels?
SSC CGL and SSC GD ask for a 3.5 × 4.5 cm photo, about 200 × 230 pixels, between 20 KB and 50 KB, JPG only, plain white background. SSC CHSL uses 200 × 230 px with the candidate name and photo date printed at the bottom. The signature for the SSC family is 4 × 2 cm, 10–20 KB.
My 20 KB JPG was still rejected. Why?
Four usual causes: the portal enforces a range and your file fell under 20 KB (set Minimum KB to 20), the pixel dimensions are wrong, the background is not plain white, or the file is a PNG renamed to .jpg. Fix dimensions and background with the portal photo tool first, then compress here.
Can I compress a signature to 20 KB here too?
Yes, this compressor will get any image under 20 KB. But most upload fields want signatures as transparent PNGs, so use the dedicated signature tool: it converts ink on paper to a transparent PNG under 20 KB.
Does compressing to 20 KB change my photo's dimensions?
Only if encoder quality alone cannot reach the cap. The tool binary-searches JPEG quality first and reduces pixel dimensions last. Cropping tightly to head and shoulders before compressing keeps the face sharp at 20 KB.
Which exams and forms use a 20 KB cap?
The SSC family (CGL, CHSL, GD, MTS) starts its photo range at 20 KB; many state PSC and university upload fields cap photos at 20 KB; signatures across IBPS, SBI, RBI, NEET and JEE sit between 10 KB and 30 KB. Always confirm against the current notification of your exam.