Android
How to Reduce Image Size on Android
Learn how to reduce image size on Android in Chrome. Compress a JPG, PNG, or WebP photo, then find the saved file in Downloads on your phone.
4 min read
A picture from your phone can be too big for Gmail or for a form that only allows a small upload. Here is how to reduce image size on Android without pretending every phone uses the same photo app. Open Chrome, compress a JPG, PNG, or WebP, and save the new file.
Samsung, Google, Motorola, and other phones do not share one gallery menu. The steps below stay in Chrome and on this website. When a phone’s own screen is different, use the labels you see.
Compress the picture in Chrome
- Open Chrome and go to the image compressor.
- Tap Choose Images. The list may say Photos, Gallery, Images, or Files. Open whichever one holds the picture. Those names depend on the phone.
- Pick a JPG, PNG, or WebP under 20 MB.
- Leave Keep original format on unless you need another type. Open Advanced Settings to change it.
- Balanced starts at 75% quality. Low is 90%. High is 50%.
- Leave resizing off if you want the same width and height with a smaller file.
- Tap Compress Image and read the new size.
- Tap Download.
The download name adds “-compressed”. The photo you selected is not deleted.
Find the downloaded picture
Chrome usually shows a download notice. You can also open Chrome’s menu and tap Downloads. The file is stored in a Downloads folder. The app that browses that folder might be called Files, My Files, or a name picked by the phone maker. Search for the name that ends with -compressed.
If Chrome asks where to save, choose a folder you can open again, such as Downloads. Attach that file to the email or the form. Going back to the camera picture uploads the large original again.
Which types of files work
The site accepts JPG, PNG, and WebP only. Anything else gets an error that names those three types.
JPG is the usual pick for a camera photo when you need less file size. PNG fits a logo or a screenshot, and it may shrink very little. WebP can be either a photo or a graphic, and it can keep a clear background. You choose the output in Advanced Settings. The tool leaves the format alone until you change it.
Some Android phones can store HEIC photos. This site does not open HEIC. If the upload is rejected, share or export a JPG from the phone when that choice exists. The menu text is different across brands, so follow the option that says JPG or JPEG.
Email and online forms
For email, try Balanced and attach the download. If the mail app still refuses it, switch to High or set a smaller width.
For a form, read the maximum it prints. If it says about 100 KB or 200 KB, start on compress an image toward 100KB or compress an image toward 200KB. Trust the status after compression. Target Achieved means the file fits that goal. Target Not Achieved means it does not, even when the picture looks small on your screen.
Match the job
| The problem | A useful first try |
|---|---|
| The photo is simply too large to send | Balanced, then download |
| The form says about 200 KB | The 200 KB page, then the status |
| The form says about 100 KB | The 100 KB page, plus a smaller width if needed |
| A logo with a clear background | PNG or WebP, so the clear area can remain |
A 50 KB goal has its own page, compress an image toward 50KB. Plenty of phone photos miss 50 KB until the width is smaller or the photo is a JPG. The page shows the real size either way.
When something goes wrong
The file is still too large. Lower the quality one step, or turn on Enable Image Resizing and type a smaller width. Leave Maintain Aspect Ratio on so the picture is not stretched. Compress again. Changing a setting clears the previous result.
You cannot find the file. Open Chrome’s Downloads list instead of the camera gallery. The gallery often still shows only the original.
The picture looks blocky or blotchy. The quality went further than the photo can stand. Return to the original, use Balanced or Low, and keep a larger file if the detail matters.
The phone slows down or the site refuses the picture. A huge photo uses a lot of memory. The site can turn away an image that is extremely wide or has too many pixels, even under the 20 MB file limit. A smaller copy from the phone is the next thing to try, if your phone can make one.
Questions
Will this work the same on every Android phone?
The Chrome steps will. The photo app will not. Use the picker you see, and collect the file from Chrome’s Downloads list.
Can I compress a screenshot?
Yes, when it is a JPG, PNG, or WebP. Many screenshots are PNG files and do not get much smaller.
Does the new photo land in my gallery by itself?
Often it stays in Downloads until you move it. Upload the download, not a fresh camera shot.
What does the quality percent mean?
It tells the tool how much fine detail to keep. A lower number can soften a JPG or WebP. It is not a promise of an exact KB size.
Can I shrink more than one photo?
Yes. Add them together. Each photo is compressed on its own, one after another. A ZIP packs those files. It does not compress them a second time. Batch details are in compress multiple images.
Upload the file you just made
Read the size on the card, open the download whose name ends with -compressed, and send that file. If the form says no, change one setting and run it again from the original photo.