Is a 250 KB or 300 KB photo accepted by UPSC?

No. The ceiling is now 200KB, and the upload instructions warn that a document will not be uploaded if any other file name, format or size is used. The 300 KB figure belongs to the CSE 2025 notice and the old OTR portal.

What pixel size should the UPSC photo be?

UPSC sets none for the photo in 2026. The 350 × 350 minimum came from the retired OTR form, and presets such as 275 × 354 on resizer sites are those sites’ own picks. Any size passes if the JPG weighs 20KB to 200KB and your face fills three quarters of the frame.

Why does the form refuse my photo when it is under 200 KB?

Check the name and format. The file must be called photo (the signature file, signature) and be a jpg or jpeg. The compressor below adds -compressed to the original name, so rename the result photo.jpg; it always returns a JPG, even from a PNG or HEIC.

Can I upload a single signature instead of three?

No. The instructions ask for exactly three signatures, arranged vertically on plain white unruled paper and scanned as one image, and say files that miss the specifications will be rejected. Blue ink and ruled paper fail for the same reason.

My signature JPG is below 20 KB. How do I raise it?

Use the compressor below with 100 as the maximum and 20 as the minimum. It raises the JPG quality first and enlarges only if needed, so read the new dimensions beside the result: past 500 pixels, photograph the sheet again closer up in daylight instead of using a scan cleaned to pure white.

Is the signature size different for UPSC EPFO or CDS?

No. Every UPSC examination draws on the same Common Application Form, so the 20 KB to 100 KB file and the 350 to 500 pixel rule apply to EPFO, CDS and Civil Services alike. The upload table adds EPFO-only files, such as a scribe’s photo of 20KB to 200KB and a scribe’s signature of 20KB to 100KB.

UPSC Photo and Signature Size in 2026

Updated 9 October 2026 · Figures taken from 9 documents listed below

On the UPSC application portal the photograph is a colour JPG between 20KB and 200KB, saved under the file name photo, with your face covering at least 75% of the picture. The signature is a separate JPG of 20 KB to 100 KB, between 350 and 500 pixels in both height and width, showing your signature three times, one below the other, in black ink on plain white paper.

Those figures come from the Commission’s own instructions on upsconline.nic.in, which the Civil Services 2026 and Engineering Services 2027 notices both point to. The 20 to 300 KB range, the 350 × 350 to 1000 × 1000 pixel box and the name-and-date line still quoted on many pages belong to the CSE 2025 notice and the retired OTR portal.

Photograph file: jpg, between 20KB and 200KB, file name photo
Photograph in pixels or cm: Not specified; the face must cover at least 75% of the area
Photograph look: Colour, plain white background, both ears visible, not signed
Live photograph: Taken during the form by webcam or by mobile via QR code, matched with the upload
Signature file: jpg, 20 KB – 100 KB, file name signature
Signature dimensions: 350 - 500 pixels, height and width
Signature layout: Signed three times, one below the other, black ink, plain white paper
Name and date on the photo: Not asked for in 2026; required by the CSE 2024 and 2025 notices

A smiling man in a dark suit jacket and white shirt, head and shoulders, against a plain white background — The UPSC photograph as the portal describes it: colour, plain white background, both ears visible, the face covering most of the frame, and nothing written on it.

Make the file now

The compressor below opens at 200 KB maximum and 20 KB minimum for the photo (change the maximum to 100 for the signature), and it prints no name or date, so any caption a notice asks for must be on the photo before you add it. Open the full compress image page.

Choose imageor drop a file here, or paste from the clipboard

Files are processed on this page and are not uploaded.

Maximum file size

My form also has a minimum size

Minimum file size (KB)

The result will land between the minimum and the maximum.

What is the UPSC photo size in KB, pixels and cm?

Only the weight is fixed. Section 1 of the instructions reads “Upload a photo named photo in jpg format with a file size between 20KB and 200KB”, and the upload box accepts jpg or jpeg. The 2026 documents give no pixel or centimetre size; the form asks for a latest passport size photograph and leaves the framing to the face rule.

That rule does the job a pixel size used to do. The face must cover at least 75% of the area, look straight at the camera and show both ear lobes, so crop from just above the hair to just below the chin. The dos and don’ts add a plain white background, a colour photo, open eyes, no dark glasses or uniform, no shadows, and one line that catches people out: “Photograph is NOT to be signed.”

The live photograph is a separate step, a webcam or mobile shot that the portal matches against your uploaded file. A mismatch stops the application, so upload a photo that looks like you do now.

Does the UPSC photo need your name and date on it?

Not under the 2026 rules. The line comes from paragraph 9 of the CSE 2024 and 2025 notices, which wanted a photo no more than 10 days old with the candidate’s name and the date it was taken clearly mentioned on it. The CSE 2026 notice dropped that paragraph, and the portal instructions it points to say nothing about a name or a date.

Leaving the caption off also helps with the 75% rule, since a strip of text under the chin takes space the face is meant to fill. If a later notice brings the line back, add the text in a photo editor first and compress afterwards.

Which UPSC photo and signature rules are current?
Rule	CSE 2024 and 2025 notices, old OTR portal	2026 instructions on upsconline.nic.in
Photo file size	20 KB to 300 KB	20KB to 200KB
Signature file size	20 KB to 300 KB	20 KB – 100 KB
Pixel limits	350 × 350 to 1000 × 1000, photo and signature	Signature only: 350 - 500 pixels
Name and date on the photo	Required	Not mentioned
Age of the photo	Not more than 10 days old	Clear and recent
Signatures on the sheet	Not specified	Three, one below the other
Live photograph	Not required	Mandatory, matched with the upload

What is the UPSC signature size in pixels and cm?

The instructions give “Image dimensions: 350 - 500 pixels”, and the upload box makes it explicit: “The height and width of signature image must be between 350 and 500 pixels.” With both sides in that window the file is near square or a little taller than wide, which suits three stacked signatures. The 350 × 150 pixel size one resizer site gives for a UPSC signature fails on height.

Centimetres matter only on a scanner, as the table shows; a phone photo has no fixed DPI, so crop it and set the pixels directly. A block of 400 × 500 pixels, for example, passes on both sides. The order that works:

Sign three times down plain white paper in black ink, leaving gaps
Photograph or scan the sheet straight on, in good light
Crop to the three signatures, roughly square or taller than wide
Resize to 500 pixels high, width left empty; check the width is 350 or more
Compress between 20 and 100 KB, then rename the file signature.jpg

350 and 500 pixels in centimetres (pixels ÷ DPI × 2.54)
Scan setting	350 pixels	500 pixels
100 DPI	8.89 cm	12.70 cm
150 DPI	5.93 cm	8.47 cm
200 DPI	4.45 cm	6.35 cm
300 DPI	2.96 cm	4.23 cm

Where is the UPSC OTR photo uploaded now?

The old One Time Registration site at upsconline.gov.in now only previews forms filed on or before 25/03/2025. Registration moved to upsconline.nic.in, whose Account creation, Universal Registration and Common Application Form modules the CSE 2026 notice calls common to all examination applications. The photo, live photograph and triple signature go into the Photo & Signature section of that form, so one set of files serves every UPSC exam, and OTR-era numbers describe a form that no longer takes new applications.

Frequently asked questions

Is a 250 KB or 300 KB photo accepted by UPSC?: No. The ceiling is now 200KB, and the upload instructions warn that a document will not be uploaded if any other file name, format or size is used. The 300 KB figure belongs to the CSE 2025 notice and the old OTR portal.
What pixel size should the UPSC photo be?: UPSC sets none for the photo in 2026. The 350 × 350 minimum came from the retired OTR form, and presets such as 275 × 354 on resizer sites are those sites’ own picks. Any size passes if the JPG weighs 20KB to 200KB and your face fills three quarters of the frame.
Why does the form refuse my photo when it is under 200 KB?: Check the name and format. The file must be called photo (the signature file, signature) and be a jpg or jpeg. The compressor below adds -compressed to the original name, so rename the result photo.jpg; it always returns a JPG, even from a PNG or HEIC.
Can I upload a single signature instead of three?: No. The instructions ask for exactly three signatures, arranged vertically on plain white unruled paper and scanned as one image, and say files that miss the specifications will be rejected. Blue ink and ruled paper fail for the same reason.
My signature JPG is below 20 KB. How do I raise it?: Use the compressor below with 100 as the maximum and 20 as the minimum. It raises the JPG quality first and enlarges only if needed, so read the new dimensions beside the result: past 500 pixels, photograph the sheet again closer up in daylight instead of using a scan cleaned to pure white.
Is the signature size different for UPSC EPFO or CDS?: No. Every UPSC examination draws on the same Common Application Form, so the 20 KB to 100 KB file and the 350 to 500 pixel rule apply to EPFO, CDS and Civil Services alike. The upload table adds EPFO-only files, such as a scribe’s photo of 20KB to 200KB and a scribe’s signature of 20KB to 100KB.

Sources

Union Public Service Commission: Instructions for uploading the Photo & Signature (Common Application Form, February 2026), section 1“Upload a photo named photo in jpg format with a file size between 20KB and 200KB.”
Union Public Service Commission: Instructions for uploading the Photo & Signature, section 3 (triple signature)“Ensure the file meets the following specifications: i. File size: 20 KB – 100 KB ii. Image dimensions: 350 - 500 pixels”
Union Public Service Commission: Common Application Form, Photo & Signature upload box“The height and width of signature image must be between 350 and 500 pixels”
Union Public Service Commission: Instructions for uploading documents (file name, format and size table)“Document will not be uploaded if any other file name, format or size is used.”
Union Public Service Commission: Civil Services Examination, 2026, Examination Notice No. 05/2026-CSE dated 04.02.2026 (Notes 2 and 3)“Applicants are required to sign three times (one below the other) on a plain white paper using a black ink and upload the same while filling up the Common Application Form (CAF).”
Union Public Service Commission: Engineering Services Examination, 2027, Examination Notice No. 02/2027-ENGG. dated 16.09.2026 (Note 4)“Please follow the Instructions in respect of uploading of Photograph as elaborated in the Instructions to upload documents in the home page of the online application portal.”
Union Public Service Commission: Civil Services Examination, 2025, Examination Notice No. 05/2025-CSP dated 22.01.2025 (para 9)“Ensure that the name of candidate and the date on which the photograph was taken are clearly mentioned on the photograph.”
Union Public Service Commission: old One Time Registration portal, FAQ 44 (pre-2025 rule)“The resolution of Photograph and Signature are 350 pixel (Width) * 350 pixel (Height) minimum and 1000 pixel (Width) *1000 pixel (Height) maximum.”
Union Public Service Commission: old One Time Registration portal, home page“This portal is only to preview application forms filled/submitted on or before 25/03/2025.”