Free tool
Compress PNG Files: Palette Reduction, Lossless or a KB Target
Shrink screenshots, logos and graphics for a web page without sending them anywhere. See the original and the result together, then save one picture or a ZIP.
Settings
A changed setting does every picture again. Settings are kept in this browser for next time.
Palette reduction and packing both run in this page, so your graphics never go to a server. Your settings stay on your device only.
Why a simple graphic can weigh so much
A PNG stores every pixel exactly, which is wonderful for crisp logos and text and costly for anything large. A full-width screenshot or an illustration with soft shadows can be several times heavier than it needs to be on a web page. This tool offers three different ways to lighten one.
Drop PNG files on the page, click to choose them, or paste a picture with Command V or Ctrl V. Each file shows its original and its compressed version together. The See at full size button lets you inspect edges and text before you download.
Three routes to a smaller file
| Aim for | What happens | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer colours, smallest file | The picture is redrawn with a limited palette of 256, 128, 64, 32 or 16 colours | Logos, flat graphics and screenshots |
| A file size | Each file is brought under 50 KB, 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB or 1 MB | An upload limit or a page weight budget |
| Every colour kept (lossless) | The same pixels are packed more tightly | The picture must stay exact, such as a design file or a pixel-art asset |
A reduced palette is where the big savings come from. A flat logo with a few colours loses nothing you can see at 64 colours. A photo or a soft gradient shows banding sooner, so use more colours for those.
Size, format and the rest
- Largest side keeps the size, or limits the longest side to 2560, 1920, 1280, 1080 or 800 px.
- Save as keeps PNG, or switches to WebP for a smaller file when the place you upload to accepts it.
- Quality sets how carefully the reduced palette is matched to the original.
Changing a setting redoes every picture in the list. Add more pictures at any time, or press Start over to clear them.
Judging the result by eye
Zoom into the parts most likely to break. Look at smooth gradients for bands, at thin text for fuzzy edges and at shadows for stepped rings. If something looks wrong, go up one palette size rather than abandoning the whole approach.
- For a screenshot with text, begin at 128 or 256 colours.
- For a simple logo, try 16 or 32 first.
- For a graphic that must not change at all, use lossless.
Shrinking the pixel size is often the bigger win. Our guide to speeding up small websites explains how image weight and display size work together.
Mistakes with PNG files
- Using PNG for a photograph. A JPG or WebP will usually be far smaller.
- Compressing a PNG over and over. Keep the original and compress from it.
- Setting a file size target on a huge picture. Reduce the largest side first.
- Picking a tiny palette for a picture with a soft gradient, which shows visible bands.
Where each kind of PNG sits best
- Screenshots in a help article tolerate a reduced palette well when the interface uses flat colour.
- Logos on a transparent background should be checked on light and dark pages after compressing.
- Illustrations with soft shadows need a larger palette, or lossless, to avoid bands.
- Photographs saved as PNG are better converted to a photo format first.
Setting a file size budget
A budget makes the work repeatable. Decide a size for each type of image on your site, for example one for icons, one for article pictures and a larger one for full-width banners. Then use the file size option with the nearest value and check each result by eye. A team that follows the same limit ends up with pages that weigh about the same from one article to the next.
Frequently asked questions
How do I reduce the size of a PNG?
Drop it on the page and pick Fewer colours, smallest file, or set a size in KB. Check the result at full size, then download.
Is PNG compression lossless?
It can be. The Every colour kept option packs the same pixels more tightly. The palette option removes some colours to save more.
How many colours should I keep?
A simple logo is often fine at 16 or 32. Screenshots and graphics with gradients look better at 128 or 256.
Can I compress to under 100 KB?
Yes. Set Aim for to A file size and choose 100 KB. If the picture is very large, also lower the Largest side.
Can I save the result as WebP?
Yes, with the Save as menu. WebP files are usually smaller, but check that your destination accepts them.
Do my graphics go to a server?
No. Compression runs inside your browser.
More free tools
- Compress JPEG: Shrink JPG photos by quality or to a size in KB, with resizing and photo detail removal.
- PNG to WebP: Convert PNG files to WebP in bulk, with lossless or quality and size options.
- image compressor: Compress pictures to a quality level or a target size in KB, with a before and after view.
- image resizer: Resize pictures by pixels or percent with fit, crop or stretch, presets and file type choices.
- SVG to PNG converter: Export SVG files as PNG at a width from 16 to 8000 pixels, one or many at a time.