Compress an Image to 20 KB
Exam and job forms often want a photo or signature under 20 KB. Drop it in and you get a JPG that fits, at the best quality that still fits.
How to get an image under 20 KB
- 1
Choose your photo or signature
Pick the image. It stays on your device; nothing is uploaded.
- 2
Click Compress Image
The 20 KB limit and JPG format are already set. The tool finds the highest quality that fits.
- 3
Check it and download
You see the new size next to the old one. Open the preview to make sure your face or signature is still clear.
Why forms ask for 20 KB
Government exam, university and recruitment portals receive thousands of uploads a day, so they cap photos and signatures at small sizes. 20 KB is a common limit for signatures, and sometimes for photos too.
A 20 KB JPG is still plenty for a passport-style photo shown at a few centimetres wide. The tool first lowers the JPG quality step by step. If that isn't enough, it shrinks the picture's dimensions a little at a time until the file fits, so you keep as much detail as possible.
Before you upload
Many forms also give exact pixel dimensions, such as 200 × 230 for a photo or 140 × 60 for a signature. If yours does, set that size first with Resize Image, then compress here. Starting from the right dimensions gives a sharper result.
Some portals also set a minimum, for example between 10 KB and 20 KB. If your file comes out under the minimum, use the 50 KB page or set a higher limit in the editor. Always check the official notice for your exam, because the rules change from year to year.
Your files never leave your device
Your file is compressed on your own device, so it's never uploaded.
Many online PDF sites send your file to their servers, work on it there, and keep a copy for a while. PilotPDF does the work in your browser instead. The page loads the code it needs, and your file is opened and processed on your own device. The file itself is never sent to us, so there is no copy on our side to store, leak or delete.
Read more about how this works in our privacy-by-design explainer.