Compress an image to 500 KB
School and university platforms, marketplace listings and many email systems cap each image at around 500 KB. That is still plenty for a sharp photo on any screen, so a 4 MB phone photo can shrink here without anyone noticing.
How to use it
- Tap “Choose photos” and select the photos; a whole batch is fine.
- Leave 500 in “Max file size (KB)”.
- Download each photo, or tap “Download all”.
What 500 KB looks like
A 12-megapixel phone photo saved at 500 KB usually keeps its full width and only loses compression headroom you would need a magnifier to notice. Faces, text in a screenshot and product details stay clean, which makes this a good limit for listings, assignments and anything viewed on a screen rather than printed. Dimensions are reduced only for very large images full of fine detail.
Email and listings
Ten photos of 4 MB each make a 40 MB email that many mail servers bounce; at 500 KB the same ten fit in 5 MB. Marketplace and classified sites also load faster and show the photo in full, since most of them downscale anything larger anyway. Each file comes out as a JPG named after the original with “-500kb” added.
Questions and answers
Will the photo lose resolution?
Usually not. Compression is tried first; the dimensions are reduced only when a photo cannot reach 500 KB otherwise, and the result line says so when it happens.
Can I choose a size between 200 and 500 KB?
Yes, type any number in “Max file size (KB)”. There are also ready pages for 200 KB and 1 MB, and the general compress image tool if you prefer a quality slider.
Does it work with PNG screenshots?
Yes. The result is a JPG, so a screenshot with a transparent background gets a white background.
Are my photos uploaded to a server?
No. Everything is processed inside your browser, on your own phone or computer. Your photos never leave your device and nobody else can see them.
More tools
- 08Compress imageShrink your photos without a visible difference.
- 09Compress to 100 KBFor forms that want photos of 100 KB or less.
- 10Compress to 50 KBLight photos for job portals and online forms.
- 11Compress to 20 KBFor signatures and ID photos of 20 KB or less.
- 12Compress to 200 KBFit a photo under 200 KB for visa, job and government portals.
- 14Compress to 1 MBGet photos under 1 MB for upload forms, email and WhatsApp documents.