How to Compress an Image Without Losing Too Much Quality

Compression reduces how many bytes an image uses. Some methods discard detail (lossy). Others keep pixels exact (lossless) but may not shrink photos as much. The goal is usually “small enough” while still looking good for the place you will use the file.

Quality versus file size

Quality sliders (often 1–100) trade detail for size. Higher values keep more information and usually produce larger files. There is no single perfect number. Start around 75–85 for web photos, then adjust after you inspect the preview.

Resize before you squeeze

A 4000-pixel-wide camera photo displayed at 800 pixels wastes bytes. Resize to the display size (or a modest retina multiple) first, then compress. See how to resize without distortion.

Open Image Resizer

Pick a format that fits the job

• Photos for the web → WebP or AVIF often beat JPG at similar quality.
• Universal sharing → JPG remains the safe default.
• Graphics with transparency → WebP/AVIF/PNG; avoid JPG.

Target-size compression

When a platform requires “under 100 KB” or “under 200 KB,” quality alone may not be enough. Target-size mode searches for the highest quality that fits under the limit, and can optionally resize if you allow it.

Compress to 100 KB

Open Image CompressorUse Balanced, Smaller File, Custom quality, or Target Size.

Practical workflow

1. Start with a 3 MB phone JPG (example).
2. Resize if the pixel dimensions are larger than you need.
3. Convert to WebP or AVIF if the destination supports them.
4. Pick a compression preset such as Balanced, or switch to a target size such as 100 KB.
5. Check the preview and the final byte size, then download.