Who uses 2 MB limits?
2 MB is a common limit on job portals, learning platforms, council and utility forms, and insurance claim uploads. It is generous for a photo and tight for a large scan.
Photos
Most phone photos fit under 2 MB at their full resolution with JPEG quality around 80–88, so the tool usually keeps every pixel and adjusts only quality. HEIC photos from iPhones are converted to JPEG on the way, which most portals need anyway.
Scanned documents and certificates
Certificates and transcripts often need to show fine print and seals clearly. At 2 MB you can keep a full A4 page at around 2,000 px wide, which keeps small print legible. Scan in colour only if the document has meaningful colour (seals, stamps); otherwise greyscale halves the size.
Several files
If a portal limits each file to 2 MB but allows several, compress each page separately. If it wants one file for a multi-page document, make a PDF and compress that with a 2 MB target.
Keep originals
Keep the uncompressed originals. Portals sometimes ask for a clearer copy later, and re-compressing an already compressed image makes artefacts worse.
Step by step
- Add the photo or scan, ideally the original from your camera or scanner rather than a copy sent through a messaging app.
- If the form gives pixel dimensions, type them as the maximum width and height above the button.
- Leave the format on JPG unless the form accepts WebP; JPG is what job, claim and general upload portals almost always want.
- Click Compress to 2 MB. The result shows the final size, dimensions and quality.
- Open the downloaded file and check it at 100% before uploading: faces clear, text legible.
What to expect at 2 MB
As a rough guide, 2 MB is enough for a full-resolution photo or a detailed scan at about the full phone resolution px. The exact numbers depend on the content: plain backgrounds and soft light compress far better than busy, high-contrast scenes. Because the tool measures every attempt, you get the highest quality that genuinely fits rather than a guess that might be over the limit or needlessly blurry.
Troubleshooting
- The form says the file is still too big. Some forms count 1 KB as 1,000 bytes, not 1,024. Lower the target by about 3% and run it again.
- The form says the image is too small. It has a minimum pixel size or minimum file size as well. Set the maximum width and height to its stated dimensions, and use a higher quality.
- The photo looks blocky. Crop away background so the same bytes are spent on the subject, or start from a sharper original.
- The upload is refused as the wrong type. Check the file ends in .jpg; some forms reject .jpeg or WebP. Rename it if needed; the content is the same.
When 2 MB is not enough
A large scanned poster or a high-resolution certificate may still not fit at full size. The tool then reduces the dimensions in steps until it does, while keeping quality high. If the reduced image loses legibility in fine print, scan or photograph only the part that matters, or split a multi-page document into separate files.
Private by design
The image never leaves your device. It is decoded in your browser, processed in a background worker by open-source codecs compiled to WebAssembly (MozJPEG, libwebp, libavif and OxiPNG, via the jsquash project, plus pica for resizing) and handed back as a download. There is no upload, no account and no server copy to delete. You can confirm it in your browser's developer tools: the Network tab shows the page's own files and the codec files loading, and nothing carrying your image. After the first visit the tools work offline.