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Compress an image to 250 KB
To get an image under 250 KB, PixelFit aims at 250,000 bytes or less, so forms counting 1 KB as 1000 or 1024 bytes both accept it. Estimated from our measured encodes, that is about 1,128 × 846 pixels for a 4:3 photo at quality 75, or 1,534 × 1,915 for a portrait.
Under 250 KB
JPG · under 250 KB (at most 250,000 bytes) · original pixel size · white background
PixelFit aims at 250,000 bytes or less, so the file passes whether the form counts 1 KB as 1,000 or 1,024 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 250 KB means in bytes
250 KB is 256,000 bytes when 1 KB = 1024 bytes (250 × 1024) and 250,000 bytes when a server counts 1 KB = 1000 bytes. The 6,000-byte gap matters only near the limit. PixelFit aims at 250,000 bytes or less and prints the exact byte count, so you can compare it with the form.
250 KB is 0.24 MB; 40 such files fit in 10 MB. Uncompressed, the 1,128 × 846 photo that fits here would need 2.73 MB of raw pixels, so JPEG at quality 75 packs it about 11 to 1.
Largest pixel size that fits 250 KB
The biggest image of each kind, in its own aspect ratio, that stays at or below 250,000 bytes.
| Image | JPG q60 | JPG q75 | JPG q90 | WebP q75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head-and-shoulders portrait | 1,867 × 2,331 | 1,534 × 1,915 | 1,079 × 1,347 | 2,356 × 2,942 |
| Outdoor landscape (12 MP phone photo) | 1,298 × 973 | 1,128 × 846 | 893 × 669 | 1,198 × 898 |
| Scanned typed document page | 1,572 × 1,975 | 1,290 × 1,621 | 914 × 1,148 | 1,942 × 2,440 |
| Handwritten letter with signature | 2,727 × 2,241 | 2,188 × 1,798 | 1,493 × 1,227 | 3,481 × 2,861* |
| Flat-colour graphic (flag) | 5,910 × 4,137* | 5,371 × 3,759* | 4,264 × 2,984* | over 9,561 × 6,692 |
A 12 MP phone photo at 250 KB
Our 12 MP landscape sample (4032 × 3024) is about 4.15 MB at quality 90, 17 times the 250 KB budget; even quality 30 leaves 1.26 MB (extrapolated from encodes up to 3,000 px). So the pixels must go down too.
At about quality 75 it fits 250 KB near 1,128 × 846 (0.95 MP, 8 % of the original pixels). Quality 60 allows 1,298 × 973; quality 90 needs 893 × 669.
JPEG quality for fixed pixel sizes under 250 KB
When a form fixes the pixels, only quality can move. Highest quality (of 100) that keeps each size at or under 250,000 bytes:
| Pixel size | Measured on | JPG | WebP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 × 600 (4:3 web photo) | landscape photo | quality 93 (234 KB) | quality 95+ (242 KB) |
| 1080 × 1080 (square social post) | landscape photo | quality 64 (243 KB) | quality 66 (242 KB) |
| 1200 × 1600 (3:4 portrait upload) | portrait photo | quality 85 (240 KB) | quality 91 (231 KB) |
| 1920 × 1080 (Full HD frame) | landscape photo | quality 30 (243 KB) | no: fewer pixels needed |
| 1240 × 1754 (A4 page at 150 DPI) | scanned typed page | quality 73 (241 KB) | quality 87 (235 KB) |
| 2480 × 3508 (A4 page at 300 DPI) | scanned typed page | no: fewer pixels needed | quality 44 (243 KB) |
Measured JPEG files either side of 250 KB
Real encodes from our test set at quality 75: the largest file that stays under 250,000 bytes and the smallest that goes over.
| Image | Largest under 250 KB | Smallest over 250 KB |
|---|---|---|
| Head-and-shoulders portrait | 1281 × 1600: 183,340 B | 1601 × 2000: 268,967 B |
| Outdoor landscape (12 MP phone photo) | 1000 × 750: 193,683 B | 1200 × 900: 284,926 B |
| Scanned typed document page | 1273 × 1600: 244,883 B | 1592 × 2000: 346,869 B |
| Handwritten letter with signature | 2000 × 1644: 210,628 B | 2400 × 1973: 298,321 B |
| Flat-colour graphic (flag) | 3000 × 2100: 115,604 B | none: every measured size fits |
JPG, WebP or PNG at 250 KB
At quality 75, WebP holds 1,198 × 898 of the landscape photo in 250 KB, JPG 1,128 × 846: 13 % more pixels. Portrait gain: 136 %. Typed page gain: 127 %. A moderate gain for the landscape photo at 250 KB, a large one for portraits and typed pages: 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 250 KB it holds a flat graphic of 4,422 × 3,095 (extrapolated) pixels but a photo of only 410 × 307, against 1,128 × 846 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.
Which uploads fit comfortably in 250 KB
2 of the 6 sizes above keep quality 75 or better under 250 KB (800 × 600, 1200 × 1600); 1 misses even at quality 30 (2480 × 3508). At 1,128 × 846, quality 90 costs 61 % more bytes than quality 75.
A typed page reaches 1,572 × 1,975 at quality 60 in 250 KB, about 169 DPI if it is an A4 sheet.
How to compress an image to 250 KB
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Open the tool above
It is preset to 250 KB (250,000 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 250 KB.
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Pixel size: only if asked
On auto, a typical photo stops near 1,128 × 846 at about quality 75.
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Download and check
name-250kb.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 250 KB?
Drop it into the tool here, preset to 250 KB. It searches JPEG quality (at most 8 encodes per pixel size), then scales pixels down if needed, until the file is 250,000 bytes or less. A 4:3 photo typically lands near 1,128 × 846 at about quality 75.
How do I compress an image to less than 250 KB without losing quality?
Give up pixels before quality: at quality 75, 250 KB holds 1,128 × 846 of a photo and 1,534 × 1,915 of a portrait; quality 90 at 1,128 × 846 costs 61 % more bytes.
Is 250 KB 250,000 or 256,000 bytes?
Both readings exist: 256,000 bytes (1 KB = 1024) or 250,000 bytes (1 KB = 1000). 250,000 bytes or less passes both.
Can I compress a PNG to 250 KB?
Yes, but a full-colour PNG photo stays big: about 410 × 307 pixels in 250 KB, versus 4,422 × 3,095 (extrapolated) for a flat graphic. As a JPG the photo reaches 1,128 × 846.
What pixel size fits 250 KB?
At quality 75: a photo 1,128 × 846, a portrait 1,534 × 1,915, a typed page 1,290 × 1,621.
Related
Nearby file sizes
- Compress to 240 KB photo ≈ 1,106 × 829
- Compress to 200 KB photo ≈ 1,015 × 761
- Compress to 150 KB photo ≈ 879 × 659
- Compress to 300 KB photo ≈ 1,232 × 924
- Compress to 350 KB photo ≈ 1,334 × 1,000
- Compress to 400 KB photo ≈ 1,429 × 1,071
More ways to hit 250 KB
- JPG to PDF under 250 KB One image as a PDF
- Image resizer with KB target Any size, pixels and format
Pixel sizes that fit 250 KB
- 1280×720 (HD) about 235 KB as a quality-75 JPG
- 720×1280 vertical HD about 235 KB as a quality-75 JPG
- 900×900 square about 205 KB as a quality-75 JPG
- 1200×675 landscape about 205 KB as a quality-75 JPG