How to check a photo’s file size in KB on a phone or computer

A form tells you its limit in KB. Before you upload, you need to know the size of your own file in the same unit. Every phone and computer can show it, but the place where it is shown is different on each.

On a Windows computer

1. Open the folder that contains the photo.
2. Right-click the file and choose Properties.
3. Read the “Size” line. It shows the size in KB or MB and the exact number of bytes in brackets.

The Properties window also shows “Size on disk”, which is usually a little larger. Ignore it. Forms measure the “Size” figure. The Details tab in the same window shows the width and height of the picture in pixels.

On an Android phone

Open the photo in your gallery or in Google Photos and open its details. Depending on the phone, this is done by swiping up on the photo or by tapping the three dots and choosing Details or Info. The details show the file size, the pixel size and the file name. The wording differs a little between phone makers, but the information is the same.

On an iPhone

Open the photo in the Photos app and tap the info button, the letter i in a circle, or swipe up on the photo. The panel shows the format, the pixel size and the file size. If the photo is saved in the Files app, press and hold it and choose Get Info.

Reading the number

File sizes are written in KB, kilobytes, or MB, megabytes. One MB is about 1,000 KB. A phone photo of 3.2 MB is therefore about 3,200 KB, far above a 30 KB limit even though “3.2” looks like a small number. Check the unit before you compare.

• A file of 28 KB is under a 30 KB limit.
• A file of 0.3 MB is 300 KB, ten times over a 30 KB limit.
• A file of 4 MB is about 4,000 KB, and is still under the 5 MB limit that NTS and the passport portal state.

Why two devices show slightly different sizes

Some software counts 1,000 bytes as a KB and some counts 1,024. The same file can therefore be shown as 30.0 KB in one place and 29.3 KB in another. For a file that is well under the limit this makes no difference. For a file that is exactly on the line it can decide whether the form accepts it.

The resizer on this site avoids the problem by stopping a little below each limit, so that the file is under it by either way of counting. It also shows the final size on the screen as soon as the file is ready, so you do not need to look it up.

Checking the pixel size as well

Most of the Pakistani forms listed on this site state only a file size. If a form you are filling also gives a width and height in pixels, compare those with the pixel size shown in the same details panel. Both have to match: a picture can be small enough in KB and still be the wrong shape.

After you download a resized file

A file you download in a phone browser goes to the Downloads folder, not always to the gallery. When the form asks you to choose a file, look in Downloads, or use the Files app to find it. It is easy to pick the original large photo again by mistake, because both show the same picture. The file names from this site start with the name of the form, such as “fpsc-photo”, which helps you pick the right one.

If the form still reports that the file is too large, check the size of the file you actually selected. In most cases it turns out to be the original.