Compress PNG
Make PNG files smaller while keeping transparency. Useful for screenshots, logos, icons and web graphics that need sharp edges.
How to compress png
Three steps. No Photoshop skills needed.
Upload a PNG
Choose the PNG file you want to compress.
Compress
The tool optimizes the file while preserving transparency.
Download smaller PNG
Save the optimized file. Transparency stays intact.
What You Can Do with This Tool
PNG compression is fundamentally different from JPEG. Standard PNG compression is lossless, meaning no quality is lost at all. The file gets smaller by finding more efficient ways to store the same pixel data. However, the savings are modest compared to JPEG.
For significant PNG size reduction, color quantization is the key technique. A typical PNG uses 24-bit color, which supports 16.7 million colors. Many images only use a fraction of those colors. Reducing to 8-bit color can cut file size sharply, especially on simple graphics, icons and screenshots.
PNG is the right format when you need transparency, sharp edges or exact color reproduction. Screenshots, logos, icons, line art and text-heavy images all do better as PNG than JPEG. If your PNG has no transparency and no sharp text, converting to JPEG might be a better path to smaller files.
This tool applies both lossless optimization and optional color reduction to shrink your PNG files. You keep the transparency and sharp edges that made you choose PNG in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my PNG file so huge? A simple screenshot is 8MB.
PNG is lossless, which means it saves every single pixel exactly. Screenshots with lots of colors, gradients and fine detail result in large files. A photo saved as PNG can easily be 5-10x larger than the same image as JPEG. If you don't need transparency or perfect pixel accuracy, converting to JPG will shrink it dramatically.
If I compress a PNG, will I lose the transparent background?
A normal PNG optimization should keep the transparent background. If color reduction is used, the image may change slightly, but the alpha channel should remain. Always preview the result if the transparency sits around hair, soft edges or a detailed logo.
Should I use PNG or JPG for my website images?
Photos: JPG (smaller files, good enough quality). Logos, icons, graphics with text, anything with transparency: PNG (sharp edges, exact colors, alpha channel). Screenshots: JPG is usually fine unless you need to show pixel-perfect text. For web performance, consider WebP which handles both photos and graphics well at smaller sizes.
What's the difference between PNG-8 and PNG-24?
PNG-8 uses a palette of 256 colors maximum, so it suits simple graphics and icons. PNG-24 supports millions of colors, which is better for photos and detailed artwork. If your image has only a few colors, like a logo or flat illustration, PNG-8 can be much smaller than PNG-24.
I have a PNG with transparency that's 15MB. How do I make it smaller without losing the alpha channel?
Compress the PNG first and check the transparent edges in the preview. If it is still too large, reduce the dimensions or try color reduction. If the image does not really need transparency, converting to JPG or WebP may give a much smaller file.