Compress a photo to 1 MB

Make a photo or image smaller than 1 MB for email, a website or a form. It passes whether a site counts 1 MB as 1,000,000 or 1,048,576 bytes. Free.

Before you start

Phone cameras save photos of 3 MB, 5 MB or more, while many forms and upload boxes stop at 1 MB. Going under 1 MB removes most of the size, and the photo usually looks the same on a screen.

1 MB is counted two ways: 1,000,000 bytes or 1,048,576 bytes. The tool below opens with "Under 1 MB" chosen and keeps the file under 1,000,000 bytes, which passes both.

Tips

Start with the original photo, not one that was already compressed or sent through a chat app. Each extra round of compression lowers the quality.

Need something smaller, such as 200 KB? Choose another card, or type any number under "Another size".

Sending by email? Several 1 MB photos still fit under common attachment limits. The page on compressing a PDF for email lists the Gmail and Outlook limits.

Questions and answers

Is 1 MB the same as 1,000 KB or 1,024 KB?

Both counts are in use. Windows counts 1 MB as 1,024 KB, while phones and Macs count 1,000 KB. SafeResize keeps the file under 1,000,000 bytes, so either count accepts it.

Will my photo look worse?

At 1 MB most photos look nearly the same on a screen. The result page shows a preview, the size before and after, and the quality used.

Can I compress a PNG to 1 MB?

Yes. Choose JPG for the smallest file, or PNG under "More options" if the website asks for it. A PNG photo is hard to shrink without lowering its size in pixels, so the tool may make the picture a little smaller.