Compress Photo for GATE Application — Free, Fast & Private
The GATE 2027 official photo and signature spec
| Format | JPG / JPEG |
|---|---|
| File size | 5–600 KB |
| Pixels | 200 × 260 to 530 × 690 pixels (width × height) |
| Shape | width ÷ height between 0.66 and 0.89 |
| Print size | 3.5 cm × 4.5 cm (width × height) |
| DPI | not stated |
| Other rules |
|
The official wording
The maximum pixel resolution is 530 x 690 pixels and the minimum resolution is 200 x 260 pixels. The file size must be minimum of 5 kB and a maximum of 600 kB.
Source: GATE 2027 — Photograph and Signature (IIT Madras), web page (GATE 2027 (undated page)) — checked 5 October 2026
Only need the photo under 600 KB, with no pixel rules? Compress image to 600 KB aims at that size alone; the tool on this page does not check the pixel box or the shape either, so compare your file with the table before you upload it.
| Format | JPG / JPEG |
|---|---|
| File size | 3–300 KB |
| Pixels | 250 × 80 to 580 × 180 pixels (width × height) |
| Shape | width ÷ height between 2.75 and 3.75 |
| Print size | not stated |
| DPI | not stated |
| Other rules |
|
The official wording
The file size must be a minimum of 3 kB and maximum of 300 kB. The maximum pixel resolution is 580 × 180 pixels and the minimum resolution is 250 × 80 pixels.
Source: GATE 2027 — Photograph and Signature (IIT Madras), web page (GATE 2027 (undated page)) — checked 5 October 2026
Only need the signature under 300 KB, with no pixel rules? Compress image to 300 KB aims at that size alone; the tool on this page does not check the pixel box or the shape either, so compare your file with the table before you upload it.
Your file size is almost certainly fine. GATE’s photograph band runs from 5 KB all the way to 600 KB, which is wide enough that a phone photo scaled to the right dimensions lands inside it without any effort. The opposite problem, a form that wants a file squeezed right down, is what the 5 KB compressor is for. Uploads get rejected for other reasons — and because a rejected GATE application does not get its fee refunded, they are worth understanding before you upload.
The organising institute publishes the rules on the GATE site each cycle (IIT Madras (organising institute, GATE 2027)). Both files are JPEG/JPG:
- Photograph — 5–600 KB, minimum 200 × 260 px, maximum 530 × 690 px, aspect ratio between 0.66 and 0.89, and the face must cover 60–70% of the frame after cropping.
- Signature — 3–300 KB, minimum 250 × 80 px, maximum 580 × 180 px, height : width ratio of 1 : R where R is between 2.75 and 3.75, with the signature covering 70–80% of the image.
The aspect ratio window, in plain numbers
Aspect ratio here means width divided by height. GATE accepts 0.66 to 0.89. Worth seeing what that rules out:
- A standard 3.5 × 4.5 cm passport crop is 0.78 — comfortably inside.
- Both of GATE’s own bounds, 200 × 260 and 530 × 690, work out to 0.77. They are the same shape at two sizes.
- A square crop is 1.00 — rejected.
- A landscape phone photo is 1.33 or wider — rejected, and no amount of compression changes that.
So crop before you compress. Compression changes bytes; it never changes shape. Aim for a portrait crop close to 0.77 and both the ratio rule and the pixel bounds fall into place together.
The signature ratio is stricter than it looks
1 : R with R between 2.75 and 3.75 means the signature image must be between 2.75 and 3.75 times wider than it is tall, signed in black or dark blue ink. A signature cropped tight to the ink is often wider than that; leave a little paper above and below so the crop gets taller without distorting the handwriting.
Then check the pixel bounds: at least 250 × 80, at most 580 × 180. A full-resolution scan or phone photo is far wider than 580 px, so it needs scaling down, not just compressing. The GATE signature page shapes and checks that file on its own.
Why your GATE photo was rejected
Glare on your spectacles. Called out explicitly: if you wear glasses and the flash reflects off them, the photo is unacceptable, and if the glare cannot be avoided you are told to remove the spectacles entirely.
Background that is not plain white, or has another person or object in it.
Face too small in the frame. The coverage rule is measured after cropping. A full-length shot scaled down does not satisfy it.
Shadow across the face, or a head covering that hides the chin, forehead, or the edges of the face. Coverings are allowed for religious reasons, but those features must still be visible.
None of these are compression problems, which is exactly why they catch people who assumed hitting the file size meant they were done. The same photograph appears on your admit card and score card, so it is worth getting right once.
MiniPx runs entirely in your browser — your photograph and signature are never uploaded to a server, and the exact output size is shown before you download.
Aspect ratio trips people up well beyond exam portals; the ratios worth memorising lists where each one is enforced.