How to Compress a JPG Without Losing Quality

Guide · about 5 minutes to read

Photos from phones and cameras are often several megabytes each. That's a problem when you're emailing pictures, uploading to a website with a size limit, or trying to fit images into a document. This guide explains how to make a JPG smaller while keeping it looking sharp.

Start by checking the size you actually need

Most of a photo's file size comes from its number of pixels. A 4000 × 3000 pixel photo is far bigger than most screens need. If the picture will appear on a website or in an email, a width of 1600 to 2000 pixels is usually plenty. Resizing first often saves more space than any quality setting.

Use a quality setting between 75 and 90

JPG is a lossy format. Each time it's saved, it throws away some detail to make the file smaller. The quality setting controls how much detail is kept:

90 to 95: almost no visible change. Good for photos you might edit again.
75 to 85: a clear saving with little visible loss. Good for most web and email use.
Below 70: you'll start to see blocky patches, especially in smooth areas such as skies.

Try a few settings and compare the file size and the result at 100% zoom, not just the thumbnail.

Don't re-save the same JPG many times

Every time you save a JPG, the loss adds up. If you need to edit a photo more than once, keep a PNG or a high-quality copy and only make the final JPG at the end.

Remove extra data too

Photos can carry hidden information such as the camera model, the date, and sometimes the location. Re-saving the picture in the metadata remover removes it, which can also shave off a little size.

A simple workflow

Resize the photo to the largest width it will be shown at.
Save it as a JPG at a quality of about 80.
Open it at 100% and check the sky, skin tones and text.
If it looks fine, use it. If not, raise the quality by 5 and save again.

Try it now

Use the Convert & Compress tool to set the quality and a maximum width for one photo or a whole batch. It shows the size before and after each file, so you can see the saving straight away.