UPSC Photo Size for the Online Application: Resize and Compress

Oct 24, 2026 · 3 min read · Exams

The UPSC online application (One Time Registration and the exam forms) has its own photo rules. They are more relaxed on file size than SSC or banking forms, but stricter about the photo itself. This guide covers both.

The usual UPSC photo size

• Format: JPG.
• File size: between 20 KB and 300 KB.
• Pixels: at least 350×350 and at most 1000×1000, so the photo is square.
• Age of the photo: taken recently, usually within the last ten days for some exams, with your name and the date it was taken printed at the bottom. Check the exact wording in your notice.

Make the photo in one step

1. Open the UPSC photo preset.
2. Add your photo. It is cropped from the centre to a 550×550 pixel square, which sits safely inside the allowed range.
3. The tool saves it as a JPG with the best quality that stays under 300 KB, and above 20 KB.
4. Download it and upload it to the form.

Name and date on the photo

If your notice asks for your name and the date the photo was taken to appear on the photo, add them before you resize. The simplest way is to ask the photo studio to print them. If you do it yourself, write them neatly in the bottom strip of the photo with your phone's photo editor, then crop so the face and the text are both inside a square. A square crop made after you add the text keeps both in the frame.

What makes a UPSC photo get rejected

• Face too small. Your face should fill about three quarters of the photo. A full-body photo cropped to a square leaves the face tiny.
• Glasses, cap or shadows. Remove a cap or dark glasses. Glare on spectacles is a common reason for rejection.
• Busy background. Use a plain white or light background.
• Old or edited photo. Do not use filters or beauty modes. The photo must look like you on the exam day.
• Different photo on different forms. Use the same photo for the application, the admit card and any later forms, and keep spare prints.

Signature and ID documents

UPSC also asks for a signature, and for some forms a photo ID document. For the signature, use the same tool: sign on white paper, crop it close, set Target size (KB) to a value inside the range in your notice, and download. For an ID document that must be a PDF, take a clear photo of the card, compress it, and turn it into a PDF with JPG to PDF.

Frequently asked questions