Guides

How to compress images without losing quality

Updated 21 October 2026

Tool for this guide: Compress image

Short answer: open the image compressor, add your images and keep the Recommended level. It usually cuts the file size by half or more while the photo looks the same on screen. If a website or form has a size limit, choose Target size and type it, for example 100 KB.

Real results

We compressed a 4000 × 2250 JPG photo of 1.8 MB with each setting:

Step by step

1. Open the image compressor and select, drop or paste up to 50 images (JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, GIF or BMP).
2. Pick Light, Recommended or Strong, or choose Target size and enter a size in KB.
3. Optionally change the format. WebP is usually the smallest at the same quality.
4. Download each image, or all of them as a ZIP.

Everything runs in your browser, so the images are never uploaded.

Which level should I use?

• Light: product photos, portfolios and anything you might print.
• Recommended: blogs, websites, email and messages. This is the right choice for most people.
• Strong: thumbnails and previews where small size matters more than detail.
• Target size: application forms and upload limits such as "under 200 KB". The tool finds the best quality that fits and only reduces the dimensions if quality alone isn't enough.

Tips for smaller files

• Resize first. A 4000-pixel photo shown 1200 pixels wide wastes most of its pixels. Resize it, then compress.
• Use the right format. Photos belong in JPG or WebP. PNG suits logos and screenshots; a photo saved as PNG stays big. See WebP vs JPG vs PNG.
• Metadata is removed. Compressed copies are saved without EXIF data such as camera model and GPS location.

Questions

Why did my PNG barely get smaller?

PNG is lossless, so it's compressed by reducing the number of colours. Photos saved as PNG stay large. Save them as JPG or WebP instead.

What does "Already optimised" mean?

The image was already well compressed, so a new copy would have been bigger. The original file is kept.

How do I get an image under a specific size?

Use Target size. For common limits there are ready-made pages, such as compress to 100 KB, 50 KB and 20 KB. More detail in how to compress an image to a specific size.