500 kb limit — usually a document ceiling, not a photo one
If you've been given a 500 KB limit, it's almost always for a document or PDF, not a photo — and the approach for that is different.
JPG, PNG, WebP · up to 50 files at once · nothing is uploaded
500 KB files specification
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| IBPS supporting documents | PDF format, A4 page size, file size not exceeding 500 KB |
| Indian missions (Kampala) | Maximum size for a document file is 500 kb, PDF, one file per document category |
| Rajasthan Sanstha Aadhaar tool | Signature images accepted up to 500 KB, ID proof up to 1 MB |
| A4 scan benchmark | An A4 page colour-scanned at 100 dpi produces a file of about 200-250 kb |
| Scanner setting for IBPS | At least 200 dpi, True Colour |
| Photographs | No official Indian photo upload spec in our source set uses a 500 KB ceiling — GATE's 600 KB is the closest |
Source: Specification guidelines for uploading of documents (High Commission of India, Kampala) (live mission page, read September 2026). checked on 2026-09-08.
Check what kind of file the limit applies to
People arrive at this size looking for a photo compressor and usually need a PDF compressor. Neither of the two official 500 KB rules we could verify is about photographs. IBPS requires supporting documents in PDF, A4 page size, not exceeding 500 KB. The High Commission of India in Kampala sets the maximum document file at 500 kb, PDF only, one file per document category.
A useful benchmark from an official page
The same mission page states that an A4 document colour-scanned at 100 dots per inch produces a file of about 200-250 kb. That single sentence tells you how much room you have: two or three pages at that setting fit inside 500 KB, while the 300 dpi colour default on most scanner apps will not.
When 500 KB really is an image
The Government of Rajasthan's own image resize page accepts signature images up to 500 KB and ID proof images up to 1 MB before compressing them — a reminder that some state portals are much more relaxed than the exam world. If your form is one of those, resist the urge to squeeze the file to 20 KB out of habit.
How it works
- Confirm whether the 500 KB limit applies to a PDF or an image on your form.
- For a PDF, scan at 200 dpi, use greyscale for text pages, and set page size to A4.
- Merge every page of one document into a single PDF file.
- Compress the PDF to land under 500 KB with headroom.
- Open the result and read the smallest text to confirm it survived.
- For an image at this limit, you have plenty of room — do not compress below 300 KB unnecessarily.