FAQ

No. Images are read with the File API, decoded, drawn to a canvas, and encoded in this browser tab. There is no image-upload endpoint. You can confirm it by compressing offline after the page has loaded (HEIC conversion uses a bundled WASM decoder, not a network API).

The output is at or under the target, and as high-quality as that budget allows. JPEG sizes are discrete, so we do not pad bytes to fake 102,400 on the nose. Forms reject files over the cap; they do not require a magic exact count.

ExactKB defaults to 1024 bytes, matching Windows, macOS, and most phone file browsers. Some Indian portals still treat 1 KB as 1000 bytes. Use the checkbox in the tool if you need the SI definition.

JPEG, PNG, WebP, and HEIC/HEIF. Output defaults to JPG because that is what forms accept. You can emit WebP or PNG instead from the output menu.

Browsers do not all decode HEIC natively. ExactKB converts HEIC to a bitmap with heic2any (libheif WASM) inside the page, then compresses. The HEIC never goes to a conversion server.

Yes. Redrawing on a canvas drops metadata. That is the right default for ID, exam, and passport photos. There is no “keep EXIF” path in the MVP because canvas cannot preserve it.

Only if quality alone cannot fit the target, or if you (or a form preset) set a longest-side cap. The result card always shows original vs final pixels.

Yes. Up to 30 files per session. Each file is processed locally; JSZip builds the archive in memory. Nothing is stored after you close the tab.

No. ExactKB is a static site. There is no login, no watermark, and no daily cap besides what your device can encode.

Canvas PNG is lossless. To hit a kilobyte target we reduce dimensions. For almost every government form, switch output to JPG instead.

JPEG has no alpha. The canvas is filled with white before drawing, so transparent areas become white. That matches paper-form expectations.

Yes — those are the presets. Limits change by year and by portal. Treat our chips as starting points and read the official notice before you submit. ExactKB does not crop to 3.5 × 4.5 cm or 2 × 2 inches.

Yes. The layout is mobile-first. On iPhone, pick HEIC files from Photos; conversion and compression happen on the device. Very large panoramas may be downsampled to 24 megapixels to protect memory.

A few burst or ProRAW-adjacent files confuse the WASM decoder. Export a JPEG from the Photos app and drop that in, or try another browser. Safari, Chrome, and Firefox current versions are supported.

The tool is free. Advertisement slots sit below the compressor so they cannot be mistaken for the download button. AdSense scripts are not enabled until a publisher ID is added.

No. Object URLs are revoked when you remove a file. Closing the tab drops everything in memory. We do not have user accounts or object storage.

No. PDF is a different product. ExactKB is images only.

Squoosh is excellent and private but one file at a time with a manual quality slider. TinyPNG is high quality but uploads your file and does not aim at a kilobyte number. ExactKB is the kilobyte number, in-browser, with form presets and batch ZIP.

No tool can certify a visa or passport photo. We only change file size, format, and optional max dimensions. Composition, background, and crop remain your responsibility.

It is a static Astro site. Build with npm run build and deploy the dist folder to Cloudflare Pages. See the README for wrangler steps.