In-browser image optimizer
Compress an image for WhatsApp
WhatsApp re-encodes photos before sending, at a quality you do not choose, then shrinks them again for the recipient. Sending a file that is already sensible — around 1600 pixels and a few hundred kilobytes — gives you a predictable result instead of whatever the app decides.
Send a photo that survives WhatsApp
- Drop the photo here firstThe original is usually 3–8 MB straight off a phone. Nothing is uploaded; the encoder runs in this tab while you watch the size fall.
- Resize to 1600 px and pick quality 801600 pixels on the long edge still fills a phone screen. Quality 80 in JPEG is the point where the compression WhatsApp adds on top becomes hard to see.
- Attach it as a document if it mattersIn WhatsApp, attach as “Document” instead of “Photo” to skip the app’s own recompression entirely. That is the only way to get an untouched file through.
What actually happens to a photo in WhatsApp
Sending as a photo means WhatsApp downsizes to roughly 1600 pixels, re-encodes as JPEG at a quality it picks, and strips most metadata. The recipient’s app may shrink it again for display. For holiday snaps this is fine; for a portfolio image, a document scan or anything with text in it, the result is visibly softer than what you started with.
Profile pictures and status are different
A profile photo is cropped to a square and shown at a few hundred pixels, so anything above 640 pixels is wasted — and a heavy file just makes the upload slower. A status image is vertical and gets compressed harder than a normal photo, so start from a clean 1080×1920 source rather than a screenshot of one.
What to expect
| Use case | Size | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Photo in a chat | 1600 px long edge | JPEG 80 |
| Photo as a document | keep the original | anything |
| Profile picture | 640 × 640 px | JPEG 85 |
| Status image | 1080 × 1920 px | JPEG 80 |
| Screenshot with text | keep width | PNG |
Questions
Does WhatsApp compress images?
Yes, unless you send them as documents. Photos are resized to about 1600 pixels and re-encoded as JPEG, and metadata such as GPS location is stripped.
How do I send a photo at full quality?
Attach it as a document (paperclip → Document). WhatsApp forwards the original bytes, with the trade-off that the recipient sees a file rather than a photo preview.
Why does my photo look worse after sending?
Your file was compressed at least twice: once by WhatsApp and possibly again by the app that receives it. Pre-compressing at a sensible size means the second pass has less to destroy.