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Image Compressor

Your images never leave your device

Reduce image file sizes for faster websites, smaller email attachments, and quicker uploads. Adjust quality and output format — all processing stays in your browser.

How Image Compression Works

This tool re-encodes your image through the browser's Canvas API — the same technology used by image editors and design apps. Your image is drawn onto an off-screen canvas and exported at the quality level you choose.

Lossy compression (JPEG and WebP) works by discarding fine details that are least perceptible to the human eye — high-frequency texture, subtle color gradients, and fine grain. At 80–90% quality, the visual difference is negligible, but the file size can drop by 30–60%.

Lossless compression (PNG) reorganizes the raw pixel data using smarter encoding, without discarding anything. Every pixel in the output is identical to the original. File size reductions are smaller, but quality is preserved perfectly.

As a side effect of canvas re-encoding, all EXIF metadata (camera settings, GPS location, timestamps) is stripped from the output. If you need to preserve metadata, use the image as-is or re-embed it after compression.

When to Compress Images

Uncompressed or minimally compressed images are one of the biggest causes of slow web pages and oversized email attachments. Compressing images before use is a simple habit that makes a meaningful difference.

  • Web publishing. Large images dramatically slow page load times. Google's Core Web Vitals penalize slow LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) — often caused by oversized hero images. A 4MB JPEG from a DSLR should be compressed to under 200KB for web use.
  • Email attachments. Most email providers have attachment limits (Gmail caps at 25MB). Compressing a batch of photos before attaching them prevents rejected sends and keeps inboxes manageable.
  • Social media uploads. Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn re-compress images on their servers, often introducing artifacts. Pre-compressing at a controlled quality gives you more predictable results.
  • Cloud storage and backups. Compressing large photo libraries before backup reduces storage costs and speeds up sync times, especially on slow connections.

JPEG vs PNG vs WebP

Choosing the right format is as important as choosing the right quality level. Each format has a distinct purpose:

Format Type Best for Transparency
JPEG Lossy Photos, gradients, complex scenes No
PNG Lossless Screenshots, logos, text, sharp edges Yes
WebP Lossy / Lossless Web images — smaller than JPEG/PNG Yes

For most web use cases, WebP at 80–85% quality delivers the best balance of file size and visual quality, with browser support covering 95%+ of users as of 2025. JPEG remains the safest choice for maximum compatibility.

Use Cases

Web Developers

Compress hero images, blog photos, and product shots before deploying. Smaller images mean faster page loads, better Lighthouse scores, and lower bandwidth costs.

Email & Messaging

Reduce attachment sizes before sending. Most providers cap attachments at 10–25MB. Compressing photos means you can include more images per email without hitting limits.

Social Media

Platforms re-compress uploads on their servers. Pre-compressing at a controlled quality level gives you predictable results instead of letting the platform decide.

Storage & Backup

Compress large photo libraries before backing up to cloud storage. Save on storage costs and reduce sync times, especially on slow home connections.

Frequently Asked Questions

What quality setting should I use?
For most purposes, 80–90% quality is the sweet spot. At this range, the compressed image is nearly indistinguishable from the original, while the file size is significantly reduced. Use 90–95% for professional photos where detail is critical, and 70–80% for web thumbnails and social media previews.
Does compression affect image quality?
JPEG and WebP compression is lossy, meaning some image data is permanently discarded to reduce file size. At high quality settings (80–95%), the loss is imperceptible to the human eye. PNG compression is lossless — the file size reduction is smaller, but no image data is lost.
Does this tool upload my images?
No. All processing happens entirely in your browser using the Canvas API. Your images never leave your device, are never sent to any server, and no data is stored. This tool is completely private by design.
What formats are supported?
You can upload JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, and AVIF images. The output format can be JPEG, PNG, or WebP — select whichever suits your use case. Note that PNG output is lossless and usually results in larger files than JPEG or WebP at equivalent visual quality.
What is the difference between lossy and lossless compression?
Lossy compression (JPEG, WebP) permanently removes some image data to achieve smaller file sizes. The removed data is chosen to minimize visible impact, but some quality is sacrificed. Lossless compression (PNG) reorganizes image data more efficiently without discarding anything — the output is bit-for-bit identical to the original when decoded.
Can I compress PNG images?
Yes. You can upload a PNG and export it as JPEG or WebP to achieve significant file size reductions, especially for photographic content. If you want to keep the PNG format, the compression is lossless — the tool re-encodes the PNG data efficiently, but the size reduction will be smaller than converting to a lossy format.
How much can I reduce the file size?
Results vary depending on the original image and chosen quality. Typical reductions are 20–60% for JPEG-to-JPEG re-encoding at 80–90% quality, and 40–80% when converting from PNG to JPEG or WebP. Images that are already heavily compressed may see little or no further reduction.
Does compression remove EXIF metadata from my image?
Yes. Re-encoding through the Canvas API strips all EXIF, IPTC, and XMP metadata as a side effect. If you want to inspect or selectively remove metadata before compressing, use the EXIF Viewer & Stripper first.
I also need to resize or crop my image. Can I do both?
This tool focuses on quality-based compression only. To change dimensions, use the Image Resizer. To crop a specific region, use the Image Cropper. For best results, resize or crop first, then compress the final image.

More Image Tools

EXIF Viewer & Stripper

View and remove photo metadata

 Content Credentials Viewer

Inspect C2PA provenance data

 Invisible Watermark

Embed and extract hidden watermarks

 Format Converter

Convert between JPEG, PNG, WebP

 Image Resizer

Resize by dimensions or presets

 Image Cropper

Crop with aspect ratio presets