How do I shrink an image without losing quality?

Two things make an image file big: its pixel dimensions and how lightly it is compressed. To shrink it with no visible loss, reduce the dimensions to what you need, then save with moderate compression. Always work on a copy and keep the original.

For your website, you do not need to do this. Send us the original and we prepare it. This article is for when you need a smaller file for an email, a form upload or a social post.

What you need

• The image file and a computer or browser.
• About five minutes.

Steps

Official guide (Mac Preview): https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/resize-rotate-or-flip-an-image-prvw2015/mac

1. Make a copy of the image so the original stays untouched.
2. Decide the largest width you need. A photo in an email rarely needs more than 1,200 to 1,600 pixels wide.
3. On a Mac, open the copy in Preview and choose Tools, then Adjust Size.
4. Turn on Scale proportionally so the photo does not stretch, then enter the new width.
5. Save the file. Preview shows the new file size before you save.
6. For more control on any computer, open squoosh.app in a browser. It is a free tool from Google's Chrome team that works on your device without uploading the image.
7. In Squoosh, drop in the image, set the width, choose WebP or JPG, and use the quality slider while comparing before and after.
8. Download the smaller version.

Tips

• Shrink once from the original. Saving a JPG over and over adds blur each time.
• Never enlarge a small image to make it "high resolution". Stretching cannot add detail.
• For graphics with text or sharp edges, PNG or lossless WebP keeps edges clean.

Common problems

• If the image looks blocky or smeared, raise the quality setting and save again from the original.
• If the file is still too big, lower the width a little more before lowering quality.
• If text in the image looks fuzzy, save it as PNG or lossless WebP instead of JPG.

Related articles

• What size and format should my website photos be?
• What is WebP, and why do websites use it?
• How do I send you large files?