How to reduce an image below 1 MB
Upload forms with a 1 MB cap are everywhere: job applications, government portals, forums, ticketing systems. Here is a method that works nearly every time.
Last reviewed 2026-01-15
The method
Set the longest edge to 1600 px. Export as JPG at quality 0.8. Check the measured output size. If it is still over, step quality down to 0.7; if it is still over after that, reduce the longest edge to 1200 px and try 0.8 again.
Working in that order keeps perceived quality as high as possible, because reducing dimensions costs less visible detail than crushing the encoder.
When the limit is much tighter
For 200 KB or 100 KB caps — common for ID photos and avatars — go straight to a small canvas. A 600 × 800 JPG at quality 0.75 is usually well under 200 KB.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- Does the file size limit refer to the original or the compressed file?
- The uploaded file — which is whatever you export here.
- Why is my scanned document so large?
- Scans contain a lot of paper texture and noise. Converting to greyscale in your scanner settings, or reducing resolution to 200 dpi, helps a great deal.
Related tools
- Reduce image file sizeReduce image file size to meet an upload limit. Adjust dimensions, quality and format with a live size estimate.
- Compress an imageShrink JPG, PNG and WebP files in your browser. Adjust quality, see the estimated size before you download.
- Resize an image to exact dimensionsResize any JPG, PNG or WebP to exact pixel dimensions in your browser. No signup, no upload, no watermark.
Related guides
Sources
- MDN Web Docs — HTMLCanvasElement.toBlob()