PaidToFree

Compress image to 20KB

Shrink a signature or photo to under 20KB for exam, recruitment and scholarship forms. Your image never leaves your device. Free, with no sign-up.

or drop it here. JPG, PNG or WebP. It stays on your device.

For forms that ask for a set size, like 200 × 230 pixels.

Where 20KB limits come up

Many exam, recruitment and scholarship forms ask for a scanned signature between 10KB and 20KB, and some want the photo in the same range. The limits change from form to form, so check the instructions for the exact size and pixel dimensions before you upload.

Tips for a clear result

  • Sign in black or dark blue ink on plain white paper.
  • Take the photo in daylight, straight on, without a shadow across the page.
  • Crop close around the signature before compressing. A tight crop stays much sharper at 20KB than a whole page shrunk down.
  • If the form gives pixel dimensions, such as 140 × 60, tick “Resize to exact pixels”.

How it works

The compressor keeps your image at full size and lowers the JPG quality only as far as it needs to fit your limit. When that isn't enough, as with a large phone photo and a 20KB limit, it also scales the image down, step by step, until it fits. The result lands just under your limit, so you get the sharpest image the size allows.

Everything happens in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, which matters for ID proofs, signatures and certificates.

Other sizes

Need a PDF?

To shrink a PDF, use Compress PDF. To combine several files into one, use Merge PDF.

Questions

My form needs a file between 10KB and 20KB. Will this work?
Yes. The compressor keeps as much quality as the limit allows, so the result usually lands just under 20KB, well above 10KB. If it ever comes out too small, raise the maximum size slightly.
How do I compress a signature to 20KB?
Photograph or scan your signature, crop it closely, then choose it here with the maximum size set to 20KB. Download the JPG and upload it to your form. A transparent PNG signature gets a white background automatically.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
No. The image is compressed inside your browser, on your own device, and never sent to our servers.
Why does the file come out as a JPG?
JPG is the format almost every form and portal accepts, and it's the best format for fitting photos into a small size. PNG and WebP images are converted, and transparent areas become white.
Is 1 KB 1,000 or 1,024 bytes?
Both are used, and forms don't always say which. To be safe, this tool aims under the smaller one: a 50KB limit means under 50,000 bytes, which also passes a 51,200-byte check.
Will my image lose quality?
A little, depending on how small the limit is. The tool first keeps the full size and lowers the JPG quality only as much as it needs to. If that isn't enough, it scales the image down too, so it never looks worse than it has to.
Can I compress an iPhone photo?
Yes. When you pick a photo on an iPhone, it's usually converted to JPG automatically. If you have a HEIC file on a computer, open it and save or share it as a JPG first.

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