Reduce Image File Size Without Losing Too Much Quality

Step 1: Resize before anything else

Pixels cost the most. A 6000×4000 photo displayed at 1200 pixels wide carries 25× more pixels than it needs — no quality setting will recover that. Scale the image to the size it will actually be shown at, and file size falls dramatically before you've touched compression.

Step 2: Pick the right format

Format choice is worth more than any slider. Photos belong in JPEG, WebP or AVIF. Screenshots, logos and anything with sharp edges or transparency belong in PNG or WebP. Putting a photo in PNG can triple its size; putting a screenshot in JPEG smears its text. The image converter handles the switch in a couple of clicks.

Step 3: Compress last, moderately

Quality-based compression at 75–85 is usually indistinguishable from the original for photos while halving the size. If you have a hard limit (an upload form, an email attachment), target-size mode searches for the best quality that fits. Re-compressing an already-compressed JPEG compounds artifacts, so work from the original when you can.

A worked example

1. Start: 6000×4000 JPEG, 8.2 MB.
2. Resize to 1800 px wide → 1800×1200, 1.1 MB.
3. Convert to WebP → same dimensions, 420 KB.
4. Compress at quality 80 → 190 KB, visually identical.