Compressing images is an effective way to save storage space and reduce website loading times. We’ll show you how to reduce the size of your images in Windows and Mac without losing quality, and which other tools can help you do this.
Compressing images in Windows: Use Paint
If you want to compress and reduce the size of images without installing additional software, Paint, which is included in Windows, offers a simple solution:
- Find the image you want and right-click on it.
- Under the item Open with , now select Paint .
- In the menu bar, click on the button Resize and Skew in the “Image” area. You can also press [Ctrl] + [W].
- Now enter a new percentage under Resize. With 50, you halve the size of the image and thus reduce it. Make sure that the button between “Horizontal” and “Vertical” is activated to maintain the aspect ratio.
- You can also select the Pixels option and then specify a new image size in pixels.
- Click File > Save and select a format for the new file. It is best not to overwrite the original file in case you need the image in higher resolution again.
Compressing images on a Mac: How it works
If you use a Mac or MacBook, you can compress your images quickly and easily with the built-in Preview app—no additional software required. The following steps will guide you through the process and include all the important tips:
- Open the image: Open the desired image in Finder, right-click on it, and select Open With > Preview.
- Edit multiple images: Select multiple images to open them together and edit them at the same time, for example to change their size.
- Resize: Click Tools in the menu bar and select Resize (or Adjust Size, depending on your macOS version). In the dialog box, you can change the dimensions of the image.
- Maintain proportions: Make sure the Maintain proportions checkbox is selected to preserve the aspect ratio of the image. Enter a new width or height in pixels, or reduce the size by a percentage.
- Set quality and format: Go to File > Export to select the desired format (e.g., JPEG, PNG, HEIC). For JPEG, you can use the slider to adjust the quality and thus the file size. Note that reducing the quality too much can affect the sharpness of the image.
- Save: Save the compressed image via File > Save As or Save. Give the file a new name or save it in a different folder so as not to overwrite the original. If Save As is not immediately visible, hold down the Option key while clicking on File.
- Check compression: After saving, check the new file size by right-clicking on the image in Finder and selecting Get Info.
Other ways to reduce image size
When reducing image size, you always have to compromise between file size and image quality. The difference may not always be visible, but you should still examine the result carefully and try other alternatives:
- Image editing programs: Image editing programs are much more convenient than Paint for reducing the size of photos. Tools such as XNView MP, IrfanView, or Gimp are free to use and offer many additional features for managing and enhancing your images.
- Special programs: If you want to reduce the size of images more often, it may be worth using software developed specifically for this purpose. Programs such as Riot, TinyPic, or Image Resizer are extremely lean and reduce the size of your images in a matter of seconds.
- Compression programs: Although it may sound logical at first, compressing images with WinRAR and similar compression programs is usually not particularly effective. At least the quality does not decrease during compression and you can easily share larger image collections.
- Online: Alternatively, you can reduce the size of your images online. On websites such as TinyPNG, Squoosh.app, ILoveIMG, and CompressJPEG, you can upload your images and then reduce their size according to various criteria. However, please note the privacy policies of these services and, if in doubt, do not upload any private photos.
- Android: On your Android smartphone or tablet, you can use the editing function in the gallery app.
