Free Online Image Compressor

Compress Images Online

The free online image compressor shrinks a JPG, PNG or WebP with a quality slider or a target size in KB, so a page loads faster or an upload fits a limit. Because it runs in the browser, the images are never uploaded.

Image format work by OnlinePCApps since 2013

No upload Target size Batch compress Free
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Hit a target
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Free, always
Why compress images online

Three Reasons to Compress an Image

A photo straight from a phone or camera is often several megabytes, too heavy to attach, to upload or to load quickly. The free online image compressor brings the size down while the picture still looks right.

Fit an Upload or Email Limit

A form or an inbox often caps a file at a few megabytes, or a portal asks for a photo under 100 KB. Setting a target size lands the image under the limit on the first try.

A file that fits the limit.

Make a Web Page Load Faster

Heavy images are the usual reason a page feels slow and scores poorly on Core Web Vitals. On most pages the biggest image is the LCP element, so compressing it cuts the weight and the page paints sooner.

A lighter, quicker page.

Save Room in Storage

A folder of full-size photos eats disk and cloud space fast. Compressing a batch keeps the pictures usable at a fraction of the size, so far more fit in the same space.

More photos in less space.
How it works

Compress an Image Online in Three Steps

1

Add the Images

Drop the images on the panel above, or pick them from the device. A single photo or a full set can load together, in JPG, PNG or WebP.

2.4 MB Target size 150 KB quality
2

Set Quality or Target Size

Move the quality slider and watch the size update, or type a target such as 150 KB and let the quality settle to match. A preview shows the result before anything is saved.

photo · 150 KB
3

Download the Result

Save the lighter image, or take a whole batch as a ZIP. The originals stay as they were, so the source is always ready to compress again at another setting.

Smaller file Same picture
Quality control Slider or target KB
One or a batch Download or ZIP
Need it faster?

Compress Hundreds of Images at Once

A handful of pictures compress in a moment right here. For a folder of hundreds, or a whole photo library headed for the web, the desktop app reads from disk and optimises the entire set in one pass against a saved size or quality preset.

Get Desktop Version Free trial · Windows 7 to 11
What the free tool does

What the Image Compressor Does

To compress an image is to write the same picture into a smaller file. The tool does that on the device.

Shrink With Quality Control

A lossy pass on a JPG or WebP drops fine detail the eye barely registers, which is where most of the saving comes from. A quality slider sets how far to go, with a live size read-out and a preview to judge the result.

Pack a PNG Losslessly

A PNG is repacked without dropping a single pixel, trimming a graphic, logo or screenshot with no quality change at all. The saving is smaller than a lossy pass, so a photo-like PNG does better converted to JPG or WebP.

Hit a Target Size

A target size in KB or MB sets the goal, and the quality settles on its own to land under it. This is the direct answer to an upload that demands a file below 100 KB or a couple of megabytes.

Strip Metadata to Save More

EXIF details such as the camera model and GPS location are removed, which trims a little more size and keeps that data private. The pixels are untouched, so only the hidden tags go.

To compress an image, to reduce a photo's file size and to shrink an image all name the same step. A search for compress PNG, reduce image size or a photo compressor finds the same tool. The source files are kept exactly as they were.

Reference

What Shrinks Well and What to Watch

Compression trades file size against detail. These points decide how far it goes and how the result looks.

The caseResultWhat happens and why
JPG and WebP photosbig savingA lossy pass drops detail the eye hardly sees, cutting most of the size.
PNG graphicsmodest savingA lossless repack keeps every pixel, so the drop is smaller than lossy.
Photo saved as PNGconvert insteadA photo in PNG shrinks far more turned into a JPG or WebP.
Target sizequality adjustsA goal in KB is set, and the quality settles to land under it.
Over-compressionartifactsPushed too far, a JPG shows blocking, blur and banding, so a preview helps.
Resizing firstsaves moreShrinking a huge image to its display size cuts more weight than quality alone.
MetadatastrippedEXIF and GPS tags are removed for a little size and more privacy.
TransparencykeptA PNG or WebP keeps its clear background through the compression.
Where it runson the deviceEvery picture is processed in the browser, so nothing is uploaded.

A Smaller File From the Same Picture

Compression reduces the bytes an image takes up without changing what it shows, and it comes in two kinds. Lossy compression, used by JPG and WebP, throws away fine detail the human eye barely notices, which is where the large savings come from. Lossless compression, used by PNG and lossless WebP, rewrites the very same pixels in a tighter way, so nothing is lost but the saving is more modest. Three honest points guide the setting. Lossy compression cannot be undone, so the original is worth keeping, since detail once removed cannot be restored. Pushing the quality too low shows artifacts, the blocking and banding that appear when too much has been thrown away. And a picture kept oversized carries needless weight, so resizing it to the size it will actually be shown at often saves more than the quality slider alone. The references below define the formats and the page-speed goals compression serves.

Honest comparison

In the Browser vs a Hosted Compressor

Both make an image smaller. The trade is real, and a photo is often a personal one.

Point of comparison This tool Compressed in the browser On the device Hosted compressor Uploaded and compressed on a server
Where the photos go Never leave the device Uploaded to a server
Price and caps Free with no file cap Free tier often capped
Camera RAW files Common web formats here Server or desktop reads RAW
Hundreds of images A set at a time in the browser Batch on their hardware
A saved size preset Set each time in the browser Desktop saves a preset

The last three rows go to the desktop and hosted routes, since camera RAW, a run of many hundreds and a saved preset each call for more than a browser tab holds. For a set of everyday photos the first two rows are what count. The images stay on the machine, and the compression is free with no cap.

Why no upload

The Photos Never Leave the Device

Each picture is recompressed inside the browser using its own canvas, which keeps the job client-side and every photo on the machine that opened it. Nothing is sent to a server to be processed.

A photo can be a personal record, a screenshot, an ID card or a picture that was never meant for an outside server. Many hosted compressors upload each one and promise deletion hours later, while compressing on the device avoids that hand-off completely.

1. Open the browser tools at the Network tab
2. Clear the log and let it record
3. Compress a few images with the panel above
Nothing uploads. The files were compressed on the page itself.
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Alternatives

Other Ways to Compress an Image

Each of these makes a picture smaller. They differ in effort, in cost and in where the file goes.

macOS Preview

Export an image and pull the quality slider down to shrink it.
It works on the Mac with no download.
It is a Mac feature and hits no exact target size.

Upload Compressors

Many sites compress an image after uploading it to a server.
They often offer a target size and batch in one place.
The photo leaves the device and free tiers are often capped.

Squoosh

Google's open tool compresses one image in the browser with fine control.
It stays on the device with a live before-and-after.
It handles a single image at a time, not a batch.

ImageMagick

A command line tool that compresses and batches an entire folder.
It works offline with a handle on every option.
It assumes ease with a terminal and its flags.

Preview, Squoosh and ImageMagick each run on the machine, yet each is either narrow or built for the command line. The online tool here stays local in the same way while adding batch compression and a target size with nothing to set up.

Before compressing

Three Things to Know Before Compressing

A little context sets how far to push it.

Keep the Original

Lossy compression cannot be undone, and detail once removed does not come back. Compressing a copy and keeping the full-quality original means there is always a clean source to start from again.

Resize Before Compressing

A photo shown at 800 pixels but saved at 4000 carries weight nobody sees. Resizing to the size it will actually appear at often saves more than the quality slider, with no visible loss.

A Photo PNG Wants JPG

PNG shines for logos, screenshots and transparency, but a photograph saved as PNG stays large. Converting a photo-like PNG to JPG or WebP shrinks it far more than compression alone.

The desktop edition

When Hundreds of Images Need Compressing

A set of pictures runs in the browser from memory, which is right for the images at hand. A directory of hundreds, or a full library bound for a website, is a job for the desktop edition, reading from disk and optimising every file in one sweep against a saved preset.

In a browser taba set at a time
On the desktopa whole folder in one pass
Whole Folders

Set it on a folder of pictures and each file is brought down to the target in one sweep, written next to the source.

Saved Presets

A preset holds a target size, quality and format, so a repeated job runs the same way each time in one click.

RAW and TIFF

Camera RAW straight off a DSLR and multi-page TIFF are opened and optimised, file types a browser tab cannot decode by itself.

Common questions

Image Compressor Questions

It writes the same picture into a smaller file, either by dropping fine detail the eye barely sees for a big saving or by repacking the pixels losslessly for a modest one. The result loads faster, fits an upload limit or takes less room, while looking much the same.
It depends on the picture and the setting. A photo saved as JPG or WebP often drops by well over half at a quality that still looks identical, while a PNG graphic shrinks less because its compression keeps every pixel. The preview shows the exact size before saving.
Lossy compression, used by JPG and WebP, removes detail the eye hardly registers, which is where the large savings come from. Lossless compression, used by PNG and lossless WebP, rewrites the same pixels more tightly so nothing is lost, though the saving is smaller.
A lossless setting keeps the quality exactly. A lossy one lowers it a little to save space, and at a sensible level the change is invisible at normal viewing. Pushed too far, a JPG shows artifacts such as blocking, banding and mosquito noise, which the preview makes easy to catch.
Yes. Set a target size in KB or MB and the quality settles to land under it, which is the usual fix for a portal or a form with a hard file limit. The preview confirms the final size before the image is saved.
Add the JPG and lower the quality slider while watching the size, or set a target size, then download. A quality around 70 to 85 usually looks identical to the original while cutting the file substantially, since JPG removes data the eye does not miss. A progressive JPG can be picked so the image loads from blurry to sharp, which feels faster on a page. To compress JPG images in bulk, add several at once.
A PNG is compressed losslessly, so every pixel is kept and the saving is modest, ideal for logos and screenshots. A photograph saved as PNG stays large, and converting it to JPG or WebP shrinks it far more than PNG compression can.
Often, yes. A photo saved at 4000 pixels but shown at 800 carries weight nobody sees. Resizing the dimensions to the display size, or downscaling an oversized photo, removes far more than the quality slider alone with no visible loss, so the two together give the smallest sharp result.
EXIF details such as the camera model and GPS location can be stripped to trim a little more size and to keep that data private. The pixels are untouched, so only the hidden tags go, which also drops the stored orientation on some files.
Yes. Add a batch and compress them together at the same setting, then save them one at a time or together in a ZIP. Every file keeps its own name, so a whole folder of photos is done in a single pass.
Yes, when the picture stays a PNG or WebP, both of which hold transparency through the compression. Compressing to JPG has no transparency to keep, so a clear background is filled with a solid colour instead.
No. Each picture is re-encoded in the browser through its canvas and WebAssembly, the same kind of MozJPEG and OxiPNG encoders a desktop tool uses, so the files stay on the device. Many hosted compressors upload every image and delete it hours later, while the Network view in the browser tools here stays empty during compression.
No. Lossy compression discards detail for good, so the smaller file cannot be returned to full quality. This is why the full-quality original is worth keeping, with compression run on a copy for sharing or the web.
Yes, in any phone browser with nothing to install. A picture picks straight from the camera roll, shrinks to a smaller file or a set size and saves back to the phone, handy for sending or uploading away from a desk.
No. The smaller image carries only the picture. The tool prints no mark of its own, no watermark and no corner stamp, so the file stays clean to use, post or send.
Serving a plain page costs little, and because the free online compression runs in the browser no picture is ever taken in to keep. What pays the way is the desktop edition, made for hundreds of files, saved presets and camera RAW. Plenty of hosted compressors cap a free account, which this tool does not.

OnlinePCApps Media Group

Written and reviewed by Ravi Menon, who has worked on image encoding and compression here since 2013

Last reviewed August 2026
13
Years on file formats
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Images uploaded
KB
Target sizes hit
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Watermarks

Good compression is mostly about knowing what to throw away. A photograph holds far more detail than an eye picks out on a screen, so a lossy format like JPG or WebP can drop a large share of it and still look identical, which is where the real savings live. A graphic or a screenshot is a different case, better kept lossless in PNG so its sharp edges and flat colours stay clean. Two honest limits are worth repeating. Lossy compression cannot be reversed, so the original is always worth keeping. And resizing an oversized image to the size it is really shown at usually saves more than the quality slider ever will. Since a photo is often a private thing, the whole job runs in the browser and sends nothing to a server.

Standards followed

JPEG · ISO/IEC 10918 PNG · W3C WebP · Google Core Web Vitals
Built on the same shared design system as every OnlinePCApps tool. onlinepcapps.com

Compress Images Online for Free

Free and online, with no sign-up and no upload. Bring a picture's file size down in the browser, all on the device.

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