Why these limits exist — and why they keep moving
Government portals serve enormous numbers of applicants in short windows. Capping each upload keeps storage predictable and keeps the form submittable on a slow connection. That is why nearly every portal specifies three things for each upload field:
- an accepted format (JPG, JPEG, or PDF)
- a file size range, usually in kilobytes
- sometimes pixel dimensions for photographs and signatures
The catch is that these values are not stable. They differ between portals, between exam cycles on the same portal, and even between fields on the same form. A figure someone quotes in a forum post or on a "photo resizer" blog may be a year out of date.
Why we do not publish a table of KB limits here. When we checked in September 2026, the authoritative specifications on UPSC's application portal sat behind a candidate login, and the third-party sites republishing those numbers disagreed with each other — some said a 20–200 KB photograph, others 20–300 KB. Submitting to the wrong figure can get an application rejected, so the only number worth trusting is the one printed on the form you are filling in.
Where to find the limit that actually applies to you
Use this as a checklist rather than a lookup table. In every case, the authoritative source is the portal itself:
| Portal | What is usually capped | Where the real number is published |
|---|---|---|
| UPSC (upsconline.nic.in) | Photograph and signature as JPG; supporting documents as PDF | The "Instructions for uploading documents" link on the portal, plus the specifications in each exam's official notification |
| DigiLocker | Size of each document you upload to your own account | The upload dialog in the DigiLocker app or web account, and the official DigiLocker FAQ |
| State PSCs (MPSC, UPPSC, BPSC and others) | Photograph, signature, and category certificates | The instructions page of that commission's own online application system |
| SSC, IBPS, railway boards | Photograph, signature, and ID proof | The "How to apply" section of the current advertisement PDF |
| University and board portals | Mark sheets and certificates as PDF | The admission or examination notice for that intake |
Two habits save a lot of grief:
- Read the field label, not the general instructions. The photo field and the certificate field on the same form often want different formats and different sizes.
- Screenshot the spec before you start. Portals time out, and re-finding the instructions page mid-application is a needless scramble.
How to hit a size target without uploading your document
Once you know the number you are aiming for, the job is mechanical: reduce the file until it fits, without making it illegible.
File Genie's Convert Image tool does this in your browser. Nothing is uploaded — the resizing runs on your own device, which matters when the "document" is a mark sheet or an ID proof carrying your personal details.
1. Open the tool. Go to Convert Image. No account, no email, no upload.
2. Add your image. Drag in the photo or scan. You can load up to five images at once if you have several fields to prepare.
3. Set the output format to match the field. If the portal says JPG, choose JPEG. Do not hand a PNG to a JPG-only field — some portals reject it outright, and others accept it and then fail validation later.
4. Bring the dimensions down first. Pixel dimensions drive file size far more than compression does. Reduce the width and height, leaving keep aspect ratio enabled so the photo does not stretch. For a document scan, roughly 1000–1500 px on the long edge usually stays readable. For a passport-style photograph, match whatever pixel dimensions the portal specifies.
5. Then adjust the compression quality. Lower the quality slider and watch the result. Somewhere around 70–80% is usually the sweet spot for photographs: a large size saving with no visible damage. Push it far lower and text on a scanned certificate starts to smear.
6. Convert and check the size. Download the file and look at its size on disk. Over the limit? Go back and reduce the dimensions a little further rather than crushing the quality — you will keep more legibility that way.
7. Convert to PDF if the field wants one. For a document field that specifies PDF, run the resized image through Image to PDF. Starting from an already-small image keeps the PDF small too.
If the text stops being readable
A limit that seems impossible to meet is usually a scanning problem, not a compression problem. Re-photograph the document in brighter, even light, filling the frame with just the document and cropping out the desk around it. A tight, well-lit crop carries far more legible detail per kilobyte than a dim photo of a document sitting in the middle of a table.
Why the privacy detail is not incidental
The files in this process are mark sheets, caste and income certificates, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards. Feeding them through a random online compressor means uploading a complete set of your identity documents to a third party during the exact weeks that application-season phishing peaks.
Because File Genie processes everything locally in your browser, there is no upload step at all. Your documents stay on your device, and the tools keep working even if your connection drops after the page has loaded.
If you want to see how that compares with the better-known server-side converters, we set it out plainly in our iLovePDF alternative comparison.
Get your files to size
→ Open the Convert Image tool to resize and compress, then Image to PDF if the field needs a PDF.
Related reading: converting an Aadhaar or PAN card photo to PDF.