Windows includes Paint and Paint 3D for basic image editing along with the Photos app for viewing, but none of these tools offer meaningful image compression controls with file size targets or quality sliders that show you what you are getting.
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Windows 11 includes three built-in image tools: Paint, Paint 3D, and the Photos app, which Microsoft now simply calls Photos. None of them provide meaningful JPEG compression control with size targets. Paint can save a JPEG file via File then Save As then JPEG, but it applies a fixed quality setting of approximately 75 to 80 percent with no user control, no quality slider, and no file size preview. If you open a JPEG in Paint and save it as JPEG without editing, Paint re-encodes it at its fixed quality, potentially increasing or decreasing file size unpredictably depending on the source image. Opening a 500 kilobyte JPEG in Paint and saving it again can produce a 350 kilobyte file or a 700 kilobyte file depending on the image content and Paint's fixed encoder settings. The behavior is inconsistent and not documented anywhere in the Paint help. Paint 3D has identical limitations for JPEG compression.
The Windows Photos app, which is the default image viewer in Windows 11, is primarily a viewer and light editor rather than a compression tool. It offers cropping, filters, brightness and contrast adjustments, and a Save a copy option. The Save a copy function saves the image in its current format without any compression quality control whatsoever. There is no slider for JPEG quality, no file size target, and no preview of output size before you save. For the specific task of reducing a 5 megabyte photo to under 1 megabyte with controlled quality, the Photos app provides absolutely no tools at all. Microsoft's Paint offers slightly more utility for compression because resizing the canvas in Paint does reduce file size, but the unpredictable JPEG encoder behavior makes it unreliable for meeting specific size targets in any consistent way.
Microsoft Edge, which is the default Windows 11 browser, and Google Chrome on Windows both support the full Canvas API used by FixTools. Drag-and-drop from File Explorer works seamlessly in both browsers: select an image file in File Explorer, drag it to the browser window with FixTools open, and it loads in the upload area immediately. This workflow is as fast as any desktop application for single files. For batch processing, multi-file drag from File Explorer using Ctrl+click to select multiple files works in both browsers for batch upload. Downloads save to the Windows Downloads folder at C:\Users\your username\Downloads by default, with no additional software, permissions, or system configuration required.
There is one notable exception where Windows built-in tools genuinely beat the browser for compression: the Windows PowerToys Image Resizer extension, which adds a right-click resize option in File Explorer with customizable presets. PowerToys is a free Microsoft download and is worth installing for repetitive resize-then-compress workflows. However, PowerToys Image Resizer only handles resize and uses fixed JPEG quality, so even with PowerToys you typically need a real compression tool like FixTools for the quality control step. The two tools combine well: use PowerToys to bulk-resize from File Explorer, then drag the resized files into FixTools for the quality compression pass.
Step-by-step guide to compress image on windows:
Open a browser on Windows
Open Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox and navigate to fixtools.io. Any browser released in the past five years on Windows 10 or Windows 11 handles the full feature set including WebP output without needing any additional plugins or extensions.
Open Image Compressor
Click the Image Compressor tool from the image tools menu. The tool page loads quickly and presents a simple upload area, quality slider, and preview pane that work the same way regardless of which browser you chose.
Upload your image
Drag an image directly from a File Explorer window into the upload area, or click Upload to browse using the standard Windows file picker. Multi-select with Ctrl+click in File Explorer lets you drag a whole group of files at once for batch compression in one operation.
Compress and download
Adjust quality as needed using the slider and watch the live size readout update. Click Download when satisfied. The file saves to your Windows Downloads folder by default at C:\Users\your username\Downloads, or to whatever location you have configured in browser settings.
Open with default app to verify
Double-click the downloaded file in File Explorer to open it in the default image viewer, which is Photos on Windows 11. Confirm the visual quality looks acceptable and that the file size matches your target before uploading or sending the compressed version.
Common situations where this approach makes a real difference:
Office worker sending attachments
A Windows 11 office worker needs to email 8 photos from a company event under Gmail's 25 megabyte attachment limit. Original photos from a phone are 5 to 7 megabytes each, totaling 48 megabytes that exceeds the limit. Using Edge on Windows, they open FixTools and batch-compress all 8 photos to 80 percent quality at 1600 pixels wide. Files average 310 kilobytes each, totaling 2.5 megabytes. The email sends without triggering Gmail's attachment limit and arrives in seconds rather than hitting the size warning.
Student uploading coursework
A student needs to upload a scanned document under 1 megabyte to their university's online submission portal. Their scanner saves TIFFs at 8 megabytes per page, well over the limit. Converting to JPEG in the Format Converter and then compressing to 78 percent quality in FixTools, all in Chrome on their Windows laptop, produces a 680 kilobyte file. The portal accepts it without the file size error message they received repeatedly with the original TIFF.
Small retailer updating a website
A Windows-based small business owner updates their WooCommerce site with new product photos monthly. Original smartphone photos are 6 to 8 megabytes each. Using Edge on Windows, they drag photos from File Explorer into FixTools, compress each to 82 percent quality at 1200 pixels wide, and download the resulting 180 to 240 kilobyte files. WooCommerce uploads complete in seconds instead of timing out at the server's upload limit, which had been a recurring frustration.
Teacher creating a digital handout
A teacher on a Windows school computer creates a digital handout with embedded photos. Original photos from the school camera are 4 to 6 megabytes each. The school's file sharing system rejects files above 5 megabytes total per upload. After compressing four photos to 80 percent quality in FixTools using the school's locked-down Chrome browser, the total drops to 1.1 megabytes. The handout uploads and shares without errors, and students can download it quickly on their home internet.
Get better results with these expert suggestions:
Drag images from File Explorer directly into Chrome or Edge
On Windows, you can drag image files from a File Explorer window directly into the FixTools upload area in Chrome or Edge. This is faster than clicking the upload button and navigating the file browser dialog. Select multiple files with Ctrl+click in File Explorer, then drag them all at once into FixTools for batch upload without leaving the keyboard-and-mouse flow you are already in.
Never use Paint to compress images for specific size targets
Paint's JPEG encoder applies a fixed quality setting with no user control and no file size feedback. Re-saving a JPEG in Paint can increase or decrease file size unpredictably depending on source content. For any task requiring a specific file size target like under 1 megabyte, under 200 kilobytes, or under 100 kilobytes, use FixTools instead of Paint. The quality output is controllable and the result is predictable rather than depending on luck.
Set Edge or Chrome to save downloads to a specific project folder
In Edge, go to Settings then Downloads then change the location to your project folder. In Chrome, the equivalent is Settings then Downloads then change location. This routes all compressed image downloads directly to your working folder, eliminating the step of moving files from the default Downloads folder to your project directory. This is especially useful for web project workflows where every compressed image belongs in a specific assets directory.
Use Windows Snipping Tool screenshots as PNG before compressing
Windows Snipping Tool, invoked with Win+Shift+S, saves screenshots as PNG by default. For screenshots that will be embedded in documents or uploaded to web, convert to JPEG using the Format Converter before compressing in FixTools. A 1920x1080 pixel screenshot as PNG is 1 to 3 megabytes; the same screenshot as JPEG at 82 percent quality is 150 to 350 kilobytes. Text in UI screenshots remains perfectly legible at JPEG 82 percent.
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