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Compress an image to 1.5 MB
To get an image under 1.5 MB, PixelFit aims at 1,500,000 bytes or less, so forms counting a megabyte as 1,000,000 or 1,048,576 bytes both accept it. Estimated from our measured encodes, that is about 2,918 × 2,188 pixels for a 4:3 photo at quality 75, or 3,997 × 4,992 (extrapolated) for a portrait.
Under 1.5 MB
JPG · under 1.5 MB (at most 1,500,000 bytes) · original pixel size · white background
PixelFit aims at 1,500,000 bytes or less, so the file passes whether the form counts 1 MB as 1,000,000 or 1,048,576 bytes.
Fit, background and padding white background
Saving presets is part of Pro.
The result appears here: the exact byte count, pixel size and quality, the size before and after, a preview and a download button.
The batch kit (one ZIP for up to 500 photos, several photos merged into one PDF) is part of Pro.
What 1.5 MB means in bytes
1.5 MB is 1,572,864 bytes when a megabyte is 1024 × 1024 bytes and 1,500,000 bytes when it is 1000 × 1000. For megabyte limits PixelFit aims at 1,500,000 bytes or less (1.5 × 1,000,000), which passes both readings, and also the 1,536,000 bytes a server gets when it counts 1,536 KB of 1000 bytes. The exact byte count is printed, so you can compare it with the form.
The safety margin costs 72,864 bytes, 5 % of the binary reading. For a 4:3 photo at quality 75 that is the difference between 2,997 × 2,247 and 2,918 × 2,188 pixels, so playing safe loses little.
Largest pixel size that fits 1.5 MB
The biggest image of each kind, in its own aspect ratio, that stays at or below 1,500,000 bytes.
| Image | JPG q60 | JPG q75 | JPG q90 | WebP q75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head-and-shoulders portrait | 5,005 × 6,251* | 3,997 × 4,992* | 2,785 × 3,478* | 6,430 × 8,030* |
| Outdoor landscape (12 MP phone photo) | 3,397 × 2,547* | 2,918 × 2,188 | 2,236 × 1,677 | 3,214 × 2,410* |
| Scanned typed document page | 4,903 × 6,161* | 3,954 × 4,968* | 2,678 × 3,365* | over 7,136 × 8,967 |
| Handwritten letter with signature | 7,049 × 5,795* | 5,611 × 4,613* | 3,757 × 3,088* | over 8,823 × 7,253 |
A 12 MP phone photo at 1.5 MB
Our 12 MP landscape sample (4032 × 3024) is about 4.15 MB at quality 90 and fits 1.5 MB only at quality 37 (1.42 MB) (extrapolated from encodes up to 3,000 px). PixelFit does not go that low; it scales the photo down instead and lands near 2,918 × 2,188 at about quality 75 (6.4 MP, 52 % of the original pixels).
JPEG quality for fixed pixel sizes under 1.5 MB
When a form fixes the pixels, only quality can move. Highest quality (of 100) that keeps each size at or under 1,500,000 bytes:
| Pixel size | Measured on | JPG | WebP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080 × 1080 (square social post) | landscape photo | quality 95+ (640 KB) | quality 95+ (596 KB) |
| 1920 × 1080 (Full HD frame) | landscape photo | quality 95+ (1.09 MB) | quality 95+ (1.01 MB) |
| 2480 × 3508 (A4 page at 300 DPI) | scanned typed page | quality 90 (1.39 MB) | quality 94 (1.3 MB) |
| 3000 × 4000 (12 MP portrait frame) | portrait photo | quality 86 (1.4 MB) | quality 92 (1.4 MB) |
| 4032 × 3024 (12 MP phone photo) | landscape photo | quality 37 (1.42 MB) | quality 43 (1.42 MB) |
| 6000 × 4000 (24 MP camera photo) | landscape photo | no: fewer pixels needed | no: fewer pixels needed |
JPG, WebP or PNG at 1.5 MB
At quality 75, WebP holds 3,214 × 2,410 (extrapolated) of the landscape photo in 1.5 MB, JPG 2,918 × 2,188: 21 % more pixels. Portrait gain: 159 % (extrapolated). A moderate gain for the landscape photo at 1.5 MB, a large one for portraits: where WebP is accepted, use it for those. Many portals accept only JPG/JPEG, so this page starts in JPG.
A full-colour PNG is lossless, so its size follows the content. In 1.5 MB it holds a flat graphic of more than 9,561 × 6,692 pixels but a photo of only 1,000 × 750, against 2,918 × 2,188 as a quality-75 JPG. Reducing a PNG to a palette of up to 256 colours (PixelFit does this when a PNG must shrink) helps graphics far more than photos.
1.5 MB: pixels and quality together
With 1,500,000 bytes, a 4:3 photo at quality 90 can be 2,236 × 1,677 and a lossless PNG photo 1,000 × 750. A full 12 MP frame fits at quality 37 (extrapolated); a 24 MP camera photo (6000 × 4000) needs scaling down (extrapolated).
How to compress an image to 1.5 MB
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Open the tool above
It is preset to 1.5 MB (1,500,000 bytes or less), JPG output.
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Add your image
Drop, paste or pick it; a PNG, WebP or (where the browser opens it) HEIC file becomes a JPG under 1.5 MB.
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Pixel size: only if asked
On auto, a typical photo stops near 2,918 × 2,188 at about quality 75.
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Download and check
name-1.5mb.jpg comes with its byte count, pixels and quality.
Sources
- Measured by PixelFit with sharp 0.35.5 / libvips 8.18.7 on 31 October 2026.
- Sample images, Wikimedia Commons, checked 31 October 2026: landscape (CC0 1.0) commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=154070378; portrait commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23956389; typed page commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=194775753; handwritten letter commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90423615; flag commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=361734 (public domain).
- Binary prefixes, NIST, checked 31 October 2026: physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html
Frequently asked questions
How do I compress an image to 1.5 MB?
Drop it into the tool here, preset to 1.5 MB. It searches JPEG quality (at most 8 encodes per pixel size), then scales pixels down if needed, until the file is 1,500,000 bytes or less. A 4:3 photo typically lands near 2,918 × 2,188 at about quality 75.
How do I compress an image to less than 1.5 MB without losing quality?
Give up pixels before quality: at quality 75, 1.5 MB holds 2,918 × 2,188 of a photo and 3,997 × 4,992 (extrapolated) of a portrait; quality 90 at 2,918 × 2,188 costs 62 % more bytes.
Is 1.5 MB 1,500,000 or 1,572,864 bytes?
Both readings exist: 1,572,864 bytes (1 MB = 1024 × 1024) or 1,500,000 bytes (1 MB = 1000 × 1000). PixelFit aims at 1,500,000 bytes or less, which passes both.
Can I compress a PNG to 1.5 MB?
Yes, but a full-colour PNG photo stays big: about 1,000 × 750 pixels in 1.5 MB, versus more than 9,561 × 6,692 for a flat graphic. As a JPG the photo reaches 2,918 × 2,188.
Does a phone photo fit 1.5 MB without resizing?
Only at quality 37 by our estimate (1.42 MB, extrapolated), below the quality-40 floor PixelFit keeps before it resizes, so the tool scales the photo down instead, to about 2,918 × 2,188 at about quality 75.
Related
Nearby file sizes
- Compress to 1 MB photo ≈ 2,322 × 1,741
- Compress to 900 KB photo ≈ 2,191 × 1,643
- Compress to 800 KB photo ≈ 2,054 × 1,540
- Compress to 2 MB photo ≈ 3,432 × 2,574
- Compress to 3 MB photo ≈ 4,315 × 3,236
- Compress to 4 MB photo ≈ 5,076 × 3,807
More ways to hit 1.5 MB
- JPG to PDF under 1.5 MB One image as a PDF
- Image resizer with KB target Any size, pixels and format
Pixel sizes that fit 1.5 MB
- 3000×2000 landscape about 1.35 MB as a quality-75 JPG
- 8×8 inch print about 1.31 MB as a quality-75 JPG
- 3440×1440 (UWQHD) about 1.14 MB as a quality-75 JPG
- A5 (148×210 mm) about 1.02 MB as a quality-75 JPG