Kilomill

Kilomill Compress to 20 KB

Compress or resize an image to 20 KB

A 20 KB limit is common for signatures and small photographs on online application forms. That is tight: the image has to be small in pixels as well as compressed. Kilomill handles both and keeps it as sharp as the budget allows.

  • No upload: runs in your browser
  • Batch + ZIP download
  • No sign-up, no watermark

Drop images to get them under 20 KB

or paste from the clipboard · JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC, GIF, BMP · no upload

Output format
File size

For JPG, WebP and AVIF. 70–80 is hard to tell from the original. PNG uses smart colour reduction instead (see Advanced).

KB
KB

Aims at or below the maximum counting 1 KB = 1,000 bytes, so the file passes whether a site counts 1,000 or 1,024 bytes per KB.

Dimensions

Leave one box empty to keep the proportions.

%
px
Advanced
PNG output
dpi

Metadata (EXIF, GPS location, camera details) is removed from every output file.

How to get an image under 20 KB

  1. Add the image. The limit is already set to 20 KB and the output to JPG, the format forms accept most often.
  2. Set the dimensions if the form specifies them (for example 600 × 600 pixels) under Dimensions. Otherwise leave them: Kilomill shrinks the image only if quality alone can’t reach the limit.
  3. Check the result. Each image shows its exact size in bytes and the quality used. Compare lets you zoom in to make sure faces and text are still clear.
  4. Download and upload it to the form.

Making 20 KB look good

  • Signatures: sign in dark ink on plain white paper, photograph it in good light, and crop tightly around the signature. A white background compresses to almost nothing, so the strokes stay crisp. If the form gives pixels (IBPS, for example, prefers 140 × 60), enter them under Dimensions.
  • Photos: crop to head and shoulders, then use the pixel size the form gives. Without one, a few hundred pixels wide is typical for this limit.
  • Avoid shadows and textured backgrounds. Noise and texture cost bytes that the face then lacks.

Official upload limits around 20 KB

A few published requirements, taken from the organisations’ own pages. Rules change and differ per application, so always check the instructions of the form you are filling in.

UploadRequirementSource
SSC CGL 2026: signatureJPG, 10–20 KB, about 6.0 × 2.0 cm (the photo is captured live, not uploaded)SSC CGL 2026 notice, read 21 Oct 2026
IBPS PO/MT-XVI: signature10–20 KB; 140 × 60 px preferred; black ink on white paperIBPS CRP PO/MT-XVI notification, read 21 Oct 2026
IBPS PO/MT-XVI: photograph20–50 KB; 200 × 230 px preferred; light backgroundIBPS CRP PO/MT-XVI notification, read 21 Oct 2026
UPSC ESE (Prelims) 2027: photo and signatureJPG, each at least 20 KB and at most 300 KBUPSC ESE 2027 notification, read 21 Oct 2026

Questions and answers

Is 1 KB 1,000 or 1,024 bytes?

It depends on who you ask: Windows counts 1,024 bytes, macOS and most standards 1,000. Kilomill aims at or below the limit counted as 1,000 bytes per KB, which also passes if the site counts 1,024. For a minimum it does the opposite, so the file passes either way.

What if it can’t reach the size?

With “Keep width and height” ticked, quality alone sometimes isn’t enough; untick it to let Kilomill also reduce the dimensions. If the result is still too large, the image shows a warning and gives you the smallest version it found.

The form also has a minimum size. Can you meet it?

Yes: enter it as the minimum. Kilomill first raises the quality; if the image is still too small at the highest quality, it adds a harmless comment block inside the JPG file to reach the minimum. The picture itself is not changed.

Why does my 20 KB image look blurry?

20 KB is very little for a large photo, so Kilomill has to reduce its size. Crop away empty space and use the dimensions the form specifies; a smaller, sharper image looks better than a large, blurry one.

What happens to EXIF data and GPS location?

Every output file is re-encoded from the pixels, so EXIF metadata such as GPS location, camera model and capture time is not copied into it. The photo is turned upright first, so removing the orientation tag does not leave it sideways.

Are my images uploaded to a server?

No. The images are read and compressed by code running in this browser tab, and the results are created in your device’s memory. Nothing is sent anywhere, which you can confirm in your browser’s developer tools (Network tab) while you work. See Privacy.

Related tools

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