Compress an image to 500 KB
Runs on your device · Your file never leaves your device.
This page opens with the limit already set to 500 KB. Check the limit printed next to your form’s upload field, then drop a photo and download a copy that fits.
The tool searches for the highest quality that still stays under 500 KB, and lets you reduce the pixel dimensions as well, which is what makes a small file look sharp instead of blurry. The worked example below shows, measured, what 500 KB did to a 12-megapixel photo.
The encoders are MozJPEG, oxipng with a palette quantiser, and libwebp, and every result shows a measured quality score against the original. Works with JPG, PNG, WebP and iPhone HEIC photos, one at a time or as a batch, entirely on your device.
Worked example: a measured run of this tool
We ran a 12-megapixel JPEG photograph (1.89 MB) through this page in a browser, the way a visitor would, and checked what came out. The figures below were measured on the result, not estimated.
- Settings
- The page’s preset: 500 KB, JPEG output. The tool chose the quality and the pixel size by itself.
- File size
- 1.89 MB → 485.5 KB (≤ 500.0 KB)
- Pixel size
- 4032 × 2688 → 4032 × 2688
- Similarity to the original (SSIM; 1 means identical)
- 0.948
- Time taken in the test browser, button to result
- 8.5 s
What this example does not show: The smaller the limit, the fewer pixels the photo keeps (see Pixel size): judge whether that is enough for your form, not for a print. Similarity is measured at the result’s own size; 1 would mean no difference at all. A photo with more fine detail than this one needs a smaller pixel size to fit the same limit.
Measured on 2026-09-25 with the site’s own code (build 8672737). Files: x59-hangar-12mp.jpg result
Photo: NASA/Christopher LC Clark (AFRC2025-0173-02), public domain. NASA does not endorse this site.
How to compress an image to 500 KB
- Add one photo or a batch.
- Leave the target at 500 KB, or type the limit your form asks for.
- Press Convert; the tool finds the highest quality that stays under the limit.
- Compare before and after, then download.
Supported formats and limits
- Input
- JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC
- Output
- JPG under 500 KB
- Target
- 500 KB by default; any value
- Batch
- Yes — many photos at once
- Where it runs
- In your browser; the photo is never uploaded
Not for: Adding detail — compression can only remove data, never restore what a low-quality original never had.
Frequently asked questions
- Are my files uploaded to a server?
- No. The compression runs entirely inside your browser using your own device’s processing power. The file never leaves your computer or phone, which is why it also works when your connection drops.
- Why does my file come out just under 500 KB?
- The limit is a ceiling. The tool returns the highest-quality version that stays under your number, which normally lands a little below it.
- The photo still will not reach 500 KB — what can I do?
- Reduce the pixel dimensions as well. A large photo scaled down looks far better at a small size than the same photo kept full-size and heavily compressed.
- Does it work on a phone?
- Yes. Pick the photo from your gallery, and the compression runs on the phone itself. iPhone HEIC photos are converted to JPG on the way.
Other sizes and destinations
Related tools
This page in other languages: العربية