Why Is My PNG So Large? (And How to Fix It)
If a single PNG is several megabytes, you're not doing anything wrong — it's how the format works. But there's almost always a smaller option.
Why PNGs get huge
PNG is lossless, meaning it stores every pixel exactly with no detail discarded. That's perfect for crisp graphics, but for photographs — with their millions of subtly varying colours — it produces enormous files. A photo saved as PNG is routinely five to ten times larger than the same photo as JPG.
The fixes, in order
- Is it a photo? Convert it to JPG or WebP. This is the single biggest win — often a 70–90% size cut with no visible difference.
- Is it oversized? Resize it down to the dimensions you actually display.
- Does it need transparency? If yes, convert to WebP instead of JPG — you keep transparency and still shrink the file substantially.
Rule of thumb: keep PNG only for graphics, logos, and screenshots with sharp edges. For anything photographic, PNG is the wrong tool — and the source of your oversized file.
Shrink it now
Drop the PNG into the tool above. If it's a photo, use PNG to JPG; if it needs transparency, use Compress with the WebP export option. The size readout shows your saving instantly.