Which portals require a photo under 20KB?
The 20KB requirement is common across central government exam portals. Here are the most common ones and their exact ranges:
| Exam / Portal | Photo size limit | Format |
|---|---|---|
| SSC CGL / CHSL / MTS | 20KB – 50KB | JPG |
| UPSC Civil Services | 3KB – 40KB | JPG |
| RRB NTPC / Group D | 10KB – 40KB | JPG |
| IBPS PO / Clerk | 20KB – 50KB | JPG |
| Various state portals | 10KB – 20KB | JPG |
Always confirm the exact limit in the current year's official exam notification before submitting. Always verify on the official portal — these requirements can change between exam cycles.
Why is 20KB so small?
Twenty kilobytes is roughly 200×250 pixels in JPG format. Government portals enforce this limit to control storage costs — they receive millions of applications and store every photo on centralised servers. Low-bandwidth connections at document verification centres are also a factor.
The portal's upload system performs an automatic size check. If your file is 21KB, it is rejected immediately — there is no manual override or exception process. The rejection error typically just says "File size exceeded" without telling you the exact KB count it measured.
How to resize a photo to 20KB — step by step
1Check your photo's current size
On Android: long-press the image in the gallery and tap Details. On iPhone: tap the (i) icon in Photos. Note the file size. Most phone photos are 2–6 MB — around 100× too large.
2Open Photo Size Fixer
Go to pdf-vault.com/tools/photo-size-fixer/. Works on Chrome for Android, Safari for iPhone, and all desktop browsers. No app or account needed. The file stays in your browser — nothing is uploaded to any server.
3Upload your photo
Tap "Choose Photo." JPG, PNG, and HEIC (iPhone) all work. The tool converts HEIC to JPG automatically.
4Set target to 18KB (not 20KB)
Type 18 in the KB field. Some portals measure in binary KB (1KB = 1024 bytes), so a file saved at 20KB on your device can register as 20.5KB on the portal. 18KB gives you a safe margin while still satisfying the minimum requirement.
5Download and verify
The result screen confirms the new file size. Open the downloaded photo — it should be clear and recognisable at this size. Take the photo in good natural light to get the best quality at small file sizes.
Resize Your Photo to 20KB Now
Free, browser-only. Works on Android and iPhone in 30 seconds.
Open Photo Size Fixer →Photo quality tips for small file sizes
Use natural light: Photos taken near a window in daylight compress better and look clearer at 18–20KB than photos taken under artificial indoor light.
Use a plain background: A white or cream wall compresses more efficiently than a patterned background, leaving more of the KB budget for your face.
Crop tightly before compressing: Use Image Resizer to crop to a face-and-shoulders frame first, then resize to 18KB. A tighter crop means less background to compress.
Start from the original: If you apply heavy filters or run through multiple apps, each step adds JPG compression. Always start from the original camera photo.
Photo content requirements (not just size)
File size is one requirement. Most portals also specify:
- White or light plain background — no patterns, no other people
- Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open looking at camera
- No glasses (most recent exam notifications prohibit them)
- Face fully visible — no hair covering the face
- Photo taken within the last 6 months
- Format: JPG (not PNG, HEIC or WEBP)