UPSC Photo & Signature Size
Direct answer: Per UPSC's current official upload instructions: the photo is a JPG between 20 KB and 200 KB, named 'photo', with your face covering at least three-quarters of the frame — no pixel dimensions are published, whatever other websites claim. The signature is a JPG between 20 KB and 100 KB, 350–500 pixels, containing your signature written three times, one below the other, in black ink — named 'signature'.
🔒 Your file is processed entirely in your browser. It is never uploaded to a server — there is no server.
The specification
| Document | Size window | Dimensions | Format | Official source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPSC — Photograph | 20–200 KB | No pixel dimensions are published in the official instructions. Your face must cover at least 3/4 (75%) of the photo. The uploaded file must be named "photo". | JPG | UPSC — Instructions for Uploading the Photo & Signature (upsconline.nic.in) · Common Application Form portal instructions, §1a | 2026-11-08 |
| UPSC — Signature | 20–100 KB | Image dimensions 350–500 pixels (published as a range). One image containing your signature three times, one below the other, in black ink on plain white paper. The file must be named "signature". | JPG | UPSC — Instructions for Uploading the Photo & Signature (upsconline.nic.in) · Portal instructions, §3 | 2026-11-08 |
Ignore the pixel dimensions quoted for UPSC photos on aggregator and rival tool sites (350×350 up to 1000×1000, and "20–300 KB"). Those describe the superseded pre-Common-Application-Form specification. The current instructions on upsconline.nic.in — UPSC's own application portal, the document current exam notices point you to — give a size window only: 20 KB to 200 KB for the photo. We publish what the official document says, and say plainly where it is silent.
Two details in the official instructions that decide real applications: your face must cover at least 3/4th (75%) of the photograph, and the uploaded files must carry the exact names "photo" and "signature". Rename the files after downloading them from the tool below.
The signature is unusual: one single image containing your own signature three times, written vertically one below the other on plain white paper with a black pen. Sign a clean sheet three times, photograph or scan it straight-on, then fit that one image to 20–100 KB and 350–500 pixels with the tool below.
UPSC also captures a live photograph inside the application form in the current process — the uploaded photo is still required by the instructions, so prepare both: a compliant uploaded file, and yourself, in front of the camera, in decent light.
Resize to this spec
Questions
What is the UPSC photo size in KB and pixels?
20 KB to 200 KB, JPG, named "photo". The current official instructions publish no pixel dimensions for the photo — sites quoting 350×350 or 1000×1000 px are using the superseded specification.
What is the UPSC signature size?
20 KB to 100 KB, JPG, 350–500 pixels, named "signature" — and the image must contain your signature three times, one below the other, in black ink on plain white paper.
How much of the photo should my face cover?
At least 3/4th (75%) of the photograph, per the official instructions.
Where did you get these values?
From "Instructions for Uploading the Photo & Signature" on upsconline.nic.in, UPSC's official application portal, read directly and checked on 2026-11-08.
Rejected anyway? Work through why portals reject files — the cause is usually the 1,000-vs-1,024 KB counting trap or dimensions, not the file size alone. See also all portal presets and how KBExact works.