Why upload forms reject your file, and how to hit their limit exactly
, 5 min read
Government portals, university applications and job sites set strict upload limits. They are not being difficult: they store millions of files and set caps to stay within their storage and bandwidth.
Reading the requirement properly
A typical instruction combines three separate rules:
- Format. Usually JPG for photos and PDF for documents. A PNG renamed to .jpg will be rejected, because servers check the contents.
- Dimensions. Given in pixels, such as 200 by 230, or in centimetres for print.
- File size. Often a range, such as 20 KB to 50 KB. Both ends matter, and files below the minimum are rejected as often as files above the maximum.
Hitting a size target
Reducing file size means throwing away detail, and the skill is in choosing what to throw away. Our target tools search for the highest JPEG quality that still fits your limit, and only reduce dimensions if quality alone cannot get there. Try Compress Image to 50 KB or Compress PDF to 100 KB, and check the reported final size before uploading.
When the form specifies pixels and KB together, Photo Resizer for Exam and Job Forms handles both in one pass.
When a file will not get small enough
A ten page colour scan will not become a 100 KB PDF and stay readable. Options, in order of preference:
- Convert the scan to greyscale. Colour scans of black text are wasteful.
- Rescan at 200 DPI instead of 600. Higher is not better for text.
- Remove pages the portal does not ask for.
- Accept the extreme setting, which rebuilds pages as images. Readable, but no longer selectable text.
Before you press upload
Open the finished file and look at it. A compressed photo where your face is blotchy will be rejected by a human reviewer even if the server accepts it. The goal is the smallest file that still looks right, not the smallest file.