You choose a photo, click upload, and get a message like “File size exceeds the maximum limit.” It’s frustrating when the picture looks perfectly ordinary. The cause is almost always simple: modern cameras produce big files, and many upload forms set small limits.
Why your image is so big
A photo from a recent phone can be 12 megapixels or more and weigh 3 to 8 MB, sometimes more. A screenshot saved as PNG on a large monitor can reach several megabytes too. But the place you’re uploading to may only want 1 or 2 MB, or even 100 KB. The mismatch triggers the error. Our article on image dimensions vs file size explains how the two relate.
Step 1: Find out the limit
Read the message and the form text carefully. Look for the maximum size and the accepted formats. Knowing the target means you can stop when you reach it instead of compressing blindly.
Step 2: Reduce the dimensions
This gives the biggest reduction for the least visible damage. If the picture is going on a web profile or a form, 1200 to 1600 pixels on the long side is usually more than enough. Cutting a 4000-pixel photo to 1600 removes most of the weight. Keep the aspect ratio locked.
Step 3: Check the format
If it’s a photo saved as PNG, convert it to JPG. That alone can turn a 5 MB file into a few hundred kilobytes. Use our PNG to JPG guide if you need the details. If it’s an iPhone photo in HEIC format that the site won’t accept, see how to convert HEIC to JPG. And if you have a WebP the site doesn’t recognize, try converting WebP to JPG.
Step 4: Lower the quality a little
If it’s still too big, reduce JPG quality in small steps, starting around 80. The quality setting guide explains how far you can go before it starts to look rough.
Step 5: Re-upload and check
Try the new file. If the error persists, look at what the message complains about. It might be the dimensions, the file type or the file name, not the size.
Other reasons uploads fail
- Wrong format. The site only wants JPG or PNG and you sent something else.
- Exact dimensions required. Some forms demand specific pixel sizes.
- Special characters in the file name. Rename to something simple, like photo-1.jpg.
- Server limits on your own website. If you run WordPress, its upload limit is set by your hosting, and you can ask your host to raise it, but compressing your images is usually the better route.
- Flaky connection. Large files on a weak connection can time out and look like a size error.
If it’s your own website
When visitors or authors hit this error on your site, it’s a sign that images are being uploaded too large. Encouraging a resize before upload keeps your server and your pages lighter. See how to compress images for a faster website.
A fast routine
- Resize to a sensible width
- Convert to JPG if it’s a photo
- Adjust quality until the file fits
- Upload
All three steps can be done in one place with our free online image resizer, no account needed.