When you need an image under 1 MB
A 1 MB limit usually comes from email attachments, upload portals with a 1 MB limit, and sending several photos without hitting a mailbox limit. At 1 MB, a JPG typically keeps a 4K-wide photo (3,840 pixels), close to the full resolution of a phone camera, usually with little visible difference from the original.
How the compressor hits 1 MB
It starts at 3,840 pixels wide (smaller images keep their size), lowers the JPG quality until the file fits, and only if that is not enough does it reduce the width further. You get the largest, sharpest image that still comes in under the limit, rather than one squashed further than needed. If a file cannot reach the target, the result says so instead of handing you something over the limit. Forms count 1 KB as 1,024 bytes, and so does this tool.
Why JPG
Almost every upload form accepts JPG, while many reject WebP, AVIF and iPhone HEIC files. HEIC photos are converted as part of the compression. Transparent PNGs get a white background, since JPG has no transparency. For a website, where WebP is smaller at the same quality, switch the format above. Need another size? Use the main image compressor and type any number, or see the guide to compressing images to 20, 50 and 100 KB.
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