Compress JPG, PNG and WebP Images Online
Compress JPG, PNG or WebP images online by picking a compression mode or an approximate target file size, then compare the measured file size before and after before you download. The goal is to reduce image file size with minimal, ideally unnoticeable, visible quality loss — but the actual result depends on your source image, chosen format, and settings, and isn't guaranteed.
Maintained and tested by Ivan Daniel · Methodology
Server-processed — Files up to 10MB · Output: Compressed image, same format unless you choose otherwise
Your file is uploaded to our server and processed automatically only to perform this operation — no human review, no use for AI training, and it becomes eligible for cleanup within about an hour.
How Image Compression Works
Digital images contain far more data than most screens can display. A photo taken on a modern smartphone at 12 megapixels generates a raw file of 36MB — but the same photo saved as a JPEG at 75% quality is typically 3–5MB with no perceptible quality difference on a screen.
How much a given image shrinks depends on its content, not just the setting you pick: flat colors and simple graphics compress far more than busy, detailed photos or fine textures, because there's simply less visual detail to discard. That's also why re-compressing an already-optimized image sometimes produces a result that's about the same size, or occasionally slightly larger — the tool tells you when that happens rather than reporting a false saving.
Our tool uses Pillow, Python's most widely-used image processing library, to re-encode images. For JPEG and WebP, three modes map to different quality levels. For PNG, compression is lossless by default; the Smaller File and Maximum Reduction modes additionally try reduced-color-palette variants and keep whichever result is genuinely smaller — never a variant that made the file bigger.
Re-encoding also drops the original file's EXIF metadata (like camera settings or GPS location) from the compressed output — a side effect that's a privacy plus for most people, but worth knowing if you rely on that metadata elsewhere.
Compression Modes
| Mode | JPG / WebP quality | PNG behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Balanced | 75 | Lossless optimization only |
| Smaller file | 55 | Lossless, plus a 128-color palette attempt if it's smaller |
| Maximum reduction | 35 | Lossless, plus 96/64/32-color palette attempts, smallest wins |
Target File Size
Instead of picking a mode, you can ask for an approximate target size — 100KB, 200KB, 500KB, 1MB, or a custom value. The tool searches for the highest quality that fits your target (for JPG/WebP), or tries lossless and palette-reduced PNG variants. If even the lowest safe quality can't reach your target, the tool reduces dimensions as a last resort and tells you exactly what happened — it never silently destroys an image trying to hit a number.
JPG vs PNG vs WebP — Which Compresses Better?
JPG: Best for photographs and complex images with gradients. Lossy compression means quality degrades with each re-save, but files are very small.
PNG: Best for images with text, sharp lines, transparency, or flat colors. Lossless by default — compression reduces file overhead without quality loss unless you explicitly choose a mode that allows palette reduction.
WebP: Modern format that typically produces smaller files than JPG at equivalent visual quality. Not all older applications support WebP.
Need to change format only, without compressing further? Use our Image Convert tool.
Related Guides
Need practical quality settings? Read our guide on how to compress images without losing quality, including JPG, PNG and WebP examples.
Need to hit an exact size limit instead? Read how to compress an image to a target file size, including how the target search works and when it can't be reached.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I compress an image without losing quality?
For JPG and WebP, compression is lossy — some image data is discarded, so "without losing quality" really means without visible quality loss, not byte-for-byte identical output. At Balanced mode (quality 75) and above, that loss is typically not noticeable on screen. PNG is the exception: it stays truly lossless by default and only reduces color depth if you deliberately choose a mode that allows it.
Will compressed images look blurry?
At the Balanced mode (quality 75) and above, compression artifacts are typically invisible on screen. Smaller File and Maximum Reduction trade more visible quality for a smaller file — check the before/after preview after compressing.
Can I compress multiple images at once?
Yes — upload up to 10 images (30MB combined) and they're compressed together with the same settings, with a ZIP download plus individual downloads for each result.
Does compression work on transparent PNGs?
Yes. Transparency is preserved when the output stays PNG or WebP. Converting to JPG removes transparency — you choose the fill color for the now-opaque areas.
Is "target file size" guaranteed?
No — it's a best-effort search across quality and, if necessary, dimensions. The result tells you whether the target was actually reached.
Compress Before Uploading — Why It Matters
Most content management systems, e-commerce platforms, and social media sites recompress images on upload. Uploading a pre-compressed image at your desired quality level gives you control over the final output rather than leaving it to the platform's own algorithm.
Related Tools
Resize Image
Reduce pixel dimensions too, for an even smaller file.
Convert Image
Switch to WebP or AVIF for smaller files at the same quality.
Background Remover
Remove the background before compressing product or portrait photos.
Compress PDF
Shrink a PDF the same way, if that's what you're actually working with.