PDF Medic OnlineCompress image to 2MB
Make a photo smaller than 2MB for a form or an upload — the box below is already set.
Files never leave your device
How to Compress image to 2MB
- Press Choose pictures, or drop one or more photos on the box above. Add more lets you add others. Nothing is uploaded.
- Keep Fit a size, with 1950 in Must be under (KB).
- Press Compress and wait while each photo is fitted.
- Check the new sizes in the list, then press Download, or Download all (ZIP) for several.
At 2 MB, a 12-megapixel photo keeps every pixel
Twice the room of a 1 MB limit makes a real difference. In our tests, every 12-megapixel picture we tried kept all 4032 × 3024 pixels; only the JPEG quality went down:
- A picture full of fine detail, 3.5 MB: quality about 70%, 1.9 MB.
- An even grainier version, 6 MB: quality about 67%, 1.8 MB.
- A photo of a page of printed text, 3.9 MB: quality about 66%, 1.9 MB.
Why the result can be far under 2 MB
The tool never saves above a JPEG quality of 92%. If a photo fits under 1950 KB at that quality, that is the version you get, even if it is much smaller than the limit. In our test, a 2.8 MB picture that had been saved at a very high quality came out at 1.4 MB with all its pixels.
A photo that is already under the limit may still get a little smaller, for the same reason. If saving it again would not make it smaller, it is returned exactly as it was, with a note. If you want a photo left completely untouched, simply don’t include it.
Photos over 16 megapixels
Some phones can take 24- or 48-megapixel photos. Browsers can only draw about 16 megapixels at a time, so such a photo is first scaled down to that, for example to about 4619 × 3464 pixels for the usual 4:3 shape, and then fitted under 2 MB. A note under the result says it was made smaller. The shape is never changed and nothing is cropped off.
1 MB or 2 MB, and why 1950
Use the largest size the form or site allows: with 2 MB a detailed photo usually keeps its full pixels, while at 1 MB our detailed test picture had to drop to about 2495 × 1871. If the limit is 1 MB, the Compress image to 1MB page is set for that.
This tool counts 1 KB as 1,024 bytes, so 1950 in the box is 1,996,800 bytes. That is under 2 MB whether a site counts 2,000,000 bytes or 2,097,152.
Everything happens in your browser: your file is never uploaded to any server. You can check: once your file is open, turn on airplane mode — the tool still works.
Questions
How do I reduce a photo to 2 MB?
Choose the photo on this page, keep Fit a size with 1950 in the box, and press Compress. Then press Download. Your original photo stays as it was.
Will compressing to 2 MB make my photo smaller on screen?
Usually not. In our tests all the 12-megapixel pictures kept their full width and height at 2 MB. Photos over about 16 megapixels are always made smaller in pixels, because of the browser’s limit, and an unusually detailed photo could be too.
Why is my 1.5 MB photo smaller after compressing?
The tool saves every photo again at up to 92% quality. If that version is smaller than your file, you get it. If you need the original as it is, upload the original.
How many photos can I compress at once?
Choose as many as you need. Each is fitted under 1950 KB on its own. Very many large photos are handled more comfortably on a computer than on a phone.
Is my file uploaded?
No. Compress image to 2MB runs in your browser on your own device. The file is never sent to our server or anyone else. Once your file is open you can even turn on airplane mode.
Is it free?
Yes. No sign-up, no limits on how many files, and no watermark is added to your file.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, in any modern browser on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows or Linux. Very large files work best on a computer, because a phone browser has less memory.