Compress Image to 1 MB
Bring big camera photos and screenshots under 1 MB, keeping the full resolution wherever it fits.
More options: pixel size, DPI, how KB is counted
Leave width and height empty to let the tool choose. Fill in one of them to keep the proportions; fill in both for an exact size.
A megabyte goes a long way
One megabyte is 8 million bits, which gives even a large photo a workable share per pixel:
| Pixel size | Pixels | Bits per pixel at 1,000,000 bytes |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 × 1080 | 2,073,600 | 3.86 |
| 3000 × 2000 | 6,000,000 | 1.33 |
| 4032 × 3024 | 12,192,768 | 0.66 |
| 6000 × 4000 | 24,000,000 | 0.33 |
So unlike the small targets on this site, 1 MB often leaves the pixel dimensions alone. For many photos the tool only has to choose a JPG quality, and the result keeps the original width and height. Very large or very detailed images (the last rows) may be scaled down a little; the result always tells you if that happened.
Decimal or binary megabytes
The gap between the two definitions grows with the unit. For a kilobyte it is 24 bytes (2.4%); for a megabyte it is 48,576 bytes (about 4.9%). A file of 1,030,000 bytes is “under 1 MB” by the binary count and over it by the decimal one. The safe default keeps you under 1,000,000 bytes. If you know your destination counts in binary, choose “1 KB = 1024 bytes” under More options to get slightly more quality.
When 1 MB isn’t the right target
If your form asks for a smaller file, see 200 KB, 100 KB or the any-size KB resizer.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compress an image to 1 MB?
Add your photos above; the limit is already set to 1 MB. The tool keeps the full pixel size whenever a good JPG quality fits, and only scales down very large images. Each result shows its exact size in bytes.
Is 1 MB 1,000,000 or 1,048,576 bytes?
Either, depending on who is counting. The decimal megabyte is 1,000,000 bytes; the binary one (officially a mebibyte, MiB) is 1,048,576 bytes. The default safe setting keeps files at or below 1,000,000 bytes, so they pass both.
Can I compress an image to under 1 MB without losing quality?
Not with zero change, since JPG compression always discards something. But 1 MB is a large budget, so the tool can often keep every pixel and use a high quality setting. Look at the reported quality and the preview to judge.
My screenshot is a 3 MB PNG. What should I do?
Try saving it as JPG (the default here) and compare the new size shown in the result. If you need to keep PNG, choose PNG under Save as; the tool will then reduce the pixel size instead, because PNG has no quality setting.
Can I compress many photos to 1 MB for email?
Yes. Add up to 30 photos at once; each is compressed separately, and you can download them one at a time or as a single ZIP.