We are familiar with compressing files such as audio, video, and images, even if we don’t get the need to do so regularly. If you are unfamiliar with compressing files in Windows systems, there’s nothing to worry about. In this article, we’ll cover multiple ways to compress image files in Windows 11/10. Compressing an image file in a Windows system can serve many purposes, and we’ll take a brief look at that as well. So without any further delay, let’s begin.
Need of Compressing Images and Its Advantages
Taking a broad approach, only a few tasks require compressed images. While most may be related to transferring files and uploading photos somewhere, some unfamiliar tasks might require us to compress images. Regardless, compressing an image has its fair share of advantages, the best one being the ease of sharing them anywhere due to reduced file size. Compressed images are easier to share, export, edit, and deal with.
Multiple Ways to Compress Image Files in Windows
This section will review many different ways to compress image files in our Windows systems. We’ll first discuss the ways native Windows and then learn about some free-to-use external applications developed for compressing images. Here’s all that’s covered:
- Reducing the Dimensions Using MS Paint
- Zip or Archive Files
- Convert to JPG
- Using External Applications
Let’s have a detailed look at all of these methods.
1] Reducing the Dimensions Using MS Paint
You can use MS paint software to reduce an image’s dimensions, compressing or reducing the size to a certain extent. Follow the steps listed below to do so:
- Launch MS Paint by searching for it in the Start menu.
- Click on File and then click on Open.
- Select the image you wish to compress, and click on Open.
- Once the image is opened, head over to the Image section of the paint toolbar and click on the Resize and skew icons.
- You can now change the size parameters for the image. If you wish to change it percentage-wise, click on the percentage radio button; if you want to change it pixel-wise, click on the Pixels radio button.
- Press Ok, then save the file by going to File > Save.
2] Zip or Archive Files
You can compress any image(s) in Windows by zipping or archiving them. You can also use this method to compress more than just one image in Windows. Here are the steps you need to follow to do so:
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- Launch the Windows File Explorer by pressing Windows + E.
- Navigate to the image or the folder of images that you wish to compress.
- In case of a single image, you can highlight it, then head over to the top bar and click on the triple dot icon. From the menu, select Compress to Zip file.
- In case of multiple images, please select all of them by pressing Ctrl + A, then go to the top bar and click on the triple dot icon. From the menu, select compress to ZIP file. You can do the same by simply selecting the parent folder as well.
3] Convert to JPG
Converting images to JPG format is also one of the approaches you can take if you wish to compress image(s) in Windows. JPG format for images is widely used for websites due to its small file size. The MS Paint app can convert images with formats like PNG, TIFF, and BMP to JPG. Doing so will result in a compressed JPG file with lesser data and smaller size.
- Launch MS Paint by searching for it in the Start menu.
- Navigate to File and open it.
- Once you’ve opened the pic, go to File> Save as.
- Choose the option of JPEG picture.
- Enter a file name and click on Save.
4] Using External Applications
You can also rely on third-party external applications to compress your image files. Here are some free to use softwares that we handpicked for you that are known for being reliable entities when it comes to image compression:
- TinyPNG
TinyPNG is the most popular image compression software out there. It is easy to use, lightweight, incredibly reliable, and provides plenty of options when it comes to the task of image compression. You can check it out here.
- Optimizilla
Optimizilla is an online tool you can rely on for compressing multiple image files simultaneously. You can select up to 20 images for compression at once, and they can be of different file types. You can try out Optimizilla from here.
- Compressor.io
Compressor.io is another online image compression tool you can rely on if you’re looking for a blazingly fast, responsive, and efficient image compressor. You can try out compressor.io from here.
Conclusion
Compressing images is relatively easy, and there’s no reason to take complicated approaches. Windows provides us with a few native ways of doing so, and if that’s not sufficient for users, external tools such as TinyPNG, Compressor.io, and Optimizilla are always there to save the day.
You can rely on either of the methods mentioned in this article to aid you in compressing images, and you’ll not be disappointed. That said, we’ll now wrap this article up in hopes that it will help you.
How Do I Compress an Image Without Losing Quality?
To compress an image without losing quality, you must use a lossless compression method or software that supports it. Programs such as MS Paint, Paint app, Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.net support the lossless method when you change the format or the size of the image.
How Do I Reduce the File Size of a JPEG Photo?
If you did not know, JPEG files are compressed, and compressing them further can result in a loss of quality. However, if you still want to do it, you can think of converting them to WEBP format, one of the lightest formats for the web and can also be opened in browsers on the PC. Finding the right balance between file size and image quality is essential. Save the image as a new file so you don’t lose the original quality.
