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Compress Image to 30 KB
Compress an image to 30 KB or less in your browser — free, unlimited, and 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.
The trade you are making at 30 KB
30 KB is a very common ceiling for exam registrations, job portals and government forms that want a small photograph but still need the face to be recognisable.
At this size a head-and-shoulders photo is still clearly identifiable. Fine detail such as hair texture or a busy background will soften first — which is another reason a plain background is worth having.
Forms that stop at 30 KB
- Exam and registration forms with a 30 KB photo limit
- Online job applications and portal profile photos
- ID-style photos where the face must stay recognisable
- Documents that must stay small enough to email
Why 30 KB turns up as a ceiling
Ceilings in the tens of kilobytes are usually old limits that were never raised: a system built when a 28.8k modem was normal, or a template sized for a thumbnail that is now shown larger. They are common on scholarship portals, job application forms and government paperwork. Because the limit is fixed and usually checked automatically, the sensible approach is to decide what kind of image you have before choosing a format. A scan or a signature has large areas of one colour and slips under 30 KB comfortably. A photograph does not, and needs its width and height reduced to get there.
Photographs, scans and signatures at 30 KB
A reasonable balance for portraits. Faces stay clear; fine texture softens. If the result still looks too soft, the source image is probably very large — crop closer to the subject first, then compress.
The difference between a good and a bad result at this size is nearly always the crop, not the encoder. Fill the frame with your subject and the same 30 KB buys you far more detail than it does for a wide shot with wasted background.
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 30 KB?
Drop your image into the box above, check that the target reads 30 KB, and press Compress. The finished size is shown before you download, so you can see that it fits before you save it.
Can a photograph keep its full size at 30 KB?
Normally no. Getting a full-resolution photograph under 30 KB means dropping the quality far enough to look damaged, so the tool reduces the width and height instead — a smaller picture that still looks sharp beats a big soft one.
Is 30 KB enough for a scanned document?
For a signature, a stamp or a single line of print, yes. For a full page of dense text it is tight: text is high-contrast detail, which costs bytes, so keep the scan at its full dimensions and accept slight softening of the strokes.
Will compressing to 30 KB ruin the quality?
A reasonable balance for portraits. Faces stay clear; fine texture softens. If the result still looks too soft, the source image is probably very large — crop closer to the subject first, then compress.
My form says 30 KB but shows the photo large. Will it look bad?
It will look softer than the original, but a face is a forgiving subject: skin and large shapes compress well. The detail you lose first is hair texture and background, not the shape of the person.
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 “30 KB or less” mean here?
The tool aims just below your number, never above it. If the image is already smaller than 30 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.
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