Compress images
JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF — pick format & quality, live preview. Batch any number of files.
Drop an image to see the before/after preview here.
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Which format should I use?
JPG — the universal photo format. Compatible with every device, every email client, every Office document. Use for photos when you don't need transparency.
PNG — lossless. Pick for screenshots, logos, illustrations, anything with sharp edges and text, or when you need transparency. Bigger files than JPG.
WebP — Google's modern format. Roughly 25–35% smaller than JPG at similar quality. Supported by every modern browser. A safe pick for websites; some older software still can't open it.
AVIF — newest format. About half the size of JPG at similar quality. Supported by all recent browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari 16.4+). Best for web images where filesize matters most.
How much should I compress?
For most photos on the web, 80% quality is the sweet spot: indistinguishable from the original at normal viewing size, but about 40% smaller. Below 60% you start to see banding in skies and blurring of fine detail. PNG quality is locked at 100% because PNG is lossless.
Why Compress Your Images?
Modern cameras and phones produce beautiful photos — but at 4–12 MB each, they create real problems for websites, email, and storage. Here's why compression matters and how to do it right.
Oversized images are the #1 cause of slow websites
A DSLR or modern iPhone produces JPEGs of 3–8 MB. One hero image at full resolution can consume a visitor's entire bandwidth budget for a page load. Google's Core Web Vitals measure Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) directly, and oversized images are the most common reason pages fail that metric. Compressing a 6 MB photo to 200 KB with no visible quality change is the single highest-impact web performance optimization.
Storage adds up fast
A year of iPhone photos at ~4,000 shots each averaging 4 MB consumes 16 GB. Compressing to 400 KB each frees 14 GB with no visible difference at normal viewing sizes. The same arithmetic applies to email attachments, shared project folders, and cloud drives where everyone bumps against quotas.
Format choice affects both size and quality
JPEG is lossy and ideal for photos. PNG is lossless and best for screenshots, diagrams, and images with transparency. WebP delivers 25–35% smaller files than JPEG at the same quality. AVIF is newer and even more efficient, especially at lower quality targets. HandyCompress lets you re-encode to any of these with a live preview so you can see the trade-off before committing.
A live preview lets you find your exact threshold
Compression is destructive — at 85% JPEG quality most people see no difference vs. the original; at 60% artifacts start appearing at edges and in smooth gradients. The right setting depends on the image. HandyCompress shows a draggable divider between the original and compressed version so you set your own quality bar instead of trusting an arbitrary preset.
Frequently asked questions
Will my photos be uploaded?
No. Compression runs entirely in your browser using the standard canvas re-encoder. Photos stay on your device. Open the Network tab and watch — zero outgoing traffic while you work.
Does it strip EXIF metadata?
Yes — by default. Canvas-based re-encoding doesn't preserve EXIF, so GPS coordinates, camera serial, and timestamps are dropped. If you want to keep or edit metadata, use the dedicated EXIF tool instead.
Why does my "compressed" PNG sometimes get bigger?
PNG is lossless, so re-encoding doesn't reduce file size unless you also reduce dimensions or convert to a lossy format. If your original was already heavily optimized (e.g., processed by ImageOptim or TinyPNG), our browser-default PNG encoder may produce a slightly larger file. Switch to JPG or WebP to get meaningful size reduction.
What does "Keep original" format mean?
Each image keeps its original format on output — JPG stays JPG, PNG stays PNG, WebP stays WebP. Useful when you want to drop a mixed batch and compress them without converting formats.
What's the maximum image size?
No fixed cap. The hard limit is the browser's canvas size — roughly 16,384 × 16,384 pixels on most desktops, smaller on mobile. For photos from any modern camera (typically 20–60 megapixels) you're well within limits.