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Compress Image to 300 KB
Compress an image to 300 KB or less, free and unlimited, in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
No account · No daily limit · No card · Nothing to cancel
Full pixel size keptRe-encodes only if the file gets smaller Nothing is ever made bigger
The encoder works at a quality that does not show, and stops there. You do not pick a number.Your images are processed by your own browser. Nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and there is no daily limit.
Compress to another size
Every limit is different. These run on the same engine, so switching is instant.
What 300 KB leaves alone
300 KB is the size at which scanned documents still work. Text is much harder to compress than a face: the sharp black edges of letters are exactly what a JPEG encoder wants to blur, so a page of print needs more bytes than a portrait to stay readable.
If you are compressing a scan, keep the pixel dimensions and let the quality drop instead — reducing the width of a scanned page is what turns letters to mush, not the file size by itself.
When a form allows 300 KB
- A form with a 300 KB limit for a scanned document
- Mark sheets, certificates and receipts that must stay legible
- Passport or visa applications that cap a scan at a few hundred kilobytes
- Photo fields on systems that ask for more than a thumbnail
Caps in the hundreds of kilobytes
Once a limit reaches the hundreds of kilobytes it has stopped being about saving space and started being about keeping uploads sane. Advertising portals, print shops and listing sites use this range because it comfortably holds a detailed photograph while still being small enough to move around a network without thought. In practice you will often not need the tool at all here — plenty of camera photos arrive under 350 KB on their own. When you do need it, the change is one careful re-encode rather than a squeeze.
How a file at 300 KB looks
Print on a scan stays readable as long as you keep the dimensions. On a photograph 300 KB is generous — expect the result to look like the original at normal viewing size.
A file that lands here usually keeps its original pixel dimensions and looks like the original at any normal viewing size. If your source is already under the target, the honest answer is that there is nothing to gain and the tool will say so instead of re-encoding for the sake of it.
How it works
- Add your imageDrop it above, or choose a file from your device.
- Choose howSmallest file keeps the best quality and takes no number, or set the exact size your form asks for. Nothing is compressed until you press Compress.
- Compress and downloadPress Compress, and the finished size is shown before you save, so there are no surprises.
Questions
How do I compress an image to 300 KB?
Drop your image into the box above, check that the target reads 300 KB, and press Compress. The finished size is shown before you download, so you can see that it fits before you save it.
Will 300 KB change how my photo looks?
Barely. At this size the encoder can usually keep the full pixel dimensions and still fit inside the limit, so what changes is the file, not the picture.
Is 300 KB enough for a photo I might print?
For a small print, yes; for a large one, be careful. Printing magnifies the fine detail that compression removes first, so if you plan to print, a target in megabytes is the safer choice.
Will compressing to 300 KB ruin the quality?
Print on a scan stays readable as long as you keep the dimensions. On a photograph 300 KB is generous — expect the result to look like the original at normal viewing size.
Is 300 KB enough to keep a scanned document readable?
For a page of text, yes, if you keep the dimensions. Text is sharp black edges, which is the hardest thing in the image to compress — so never reduce the width of a scan to hit a size; reduce the quality instead.
Which format should I choose — JPG, PNG or WebP?
Photos: JPG or WebP, because they are built for photographs. Logos, signatures, screenshots and anything with flat colour: PNG, so the sharp edges stay sharp. If you are not sure, leave it on “keep original format”.
What does “300 KB or less” mean here?
The tool aims just below your number, never above it. If the image is already smaller than 300 KB it is left untouched rather than re-encoded and degraded.
Is this free? What is the catch?
There isn’t one. The compression runs inside your browser using technology already built in, so there is no server doing the work and nothing to charge for. This page shows ads, and that is the whole business model.
More free tools
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