UPSC Photo Size and Signature Size for the Online Application

For UPSC online applications in 2026, the photo must be a JPG between 20 KB and 200 KB. It needs a plain white background, with your face covering about 75% of the photo and both ears visible. The signature is a separate JPG between 20 KB and 100 KB. You sign three times, one below the other, in black ink on white paper, then scan all three as one image.

UPSC repeats these rules in each exam notice, but details can shift between exams and years. Before you fill the form, check the current official notice for your exam on the UPSC website and match your files against it.

UPSC photo size and requirements

The photo rules cover file size and how you look in the picture:

• Format: JPG
• File size: 20 KB to 200 KB
• Background: plain white
• Face: about 75% of the photo
• Both ears clearly visible
• A recent photo
• No sunglasses, no cap and no uniform

Notice what's missing: these rules don't fix an exact pixel size or cm size for the photo. What matters is the KB range and a large, clear face. A tightly cropped head-and-shoulders shot that reaches the 75% guideline is what you're after.

The 20 KB minimum catches people out. If you squeeze the photo too hard, the form rejects it for being too small, and a photo that small usually looks blurry anyway.

Why your UPSC photo must match the live photo

During the online application, UPSC also captures a live photo of you through the camera and matches it against the photo you upload. So the uploaded photo needs to look like you do today.

In practice that means a photo taken recently, with your current hairstyle and with or without glasses the way you'll appear on camera. Avoid heavy filters, beauty modes and edited skin tones. Old studio photos from years back are a bad bet here, even if they meet the KB rules.

When the live capture runs, sit facing a light source, with a plain wall behind you if you can. Follow the on-screen prompts in the application.

How to take and resize a photo for UPSC

A phone camera and daylight are enough. Work from the original photo file, not one forwarded through a chat app, since those apps compress images.

1. Stand in front of a plain white wall, facing a window. Tuck your hair behind your ears if it covers them.
2. Have someone take the photo at your eye level. Look straight at the lens.
3. Open the photo in Crop Image and crop close, so your face fills about three quarters of the frame. The 35:45 passport ratio works well as a starting shape.
4. Open Resize Image and set a max file size under 200 KB. Keep it comfortably above 20 KB.
5. Save as JPG, then check the file size before you upload.

If your photo is already cropped and you just need it lighter, resize image to 100 KB lands it in the middle of the allowed range. On a Mac, Preview's Tools > Adjust Size menu can scale the image down, though it can't aim for a KB size directly.

ConvertorLab's tools run in your browser, so the photo stays on your device while you work on it.

UPSC signature size and how to scan it

The UPSC signature is different from most forms. You sign three times on one sheet, and it goes up as a single file:

• Sign three times, one below the other
• Black ink on white paper
• Scanned as one JPG image
• File size: 20 KB to 100 KB
• Image size: 350 to 500 pixels, as given in the notice

To prepare it:

1. Sign three times down the middle of a clean white sheet, with a little space between each signature.
2. Scan the sheet, or photograph it from directly above in good light so your phone casts no shadow.
3. Crop around the three signatures, leaving only a thin border of paper.
4. Resize the image so it falls within the pixel range in your notice, then bring the file between 20 KB and 100 KB.

Signatures in pen are thin, so a small file can still look fine. Check that all three signatures are readable after resizing. If the ink looks faint, take the photo again in brighter light before you try to fix it in an editor.

How to check your photo size in KB before uploading

Don't trust the number you aimed for. Check the saved file itself.

• Windows: right-click the file, choose Properties, and read the Size line on the General tab.
• Mac: select the file in Finder and press Command + I to open Get Info.
• Android: most file manager and gallery apps show the size under the file's details or info panel.
• iPhone: in the Files app, press and hold the file and tap Get Info.

Upload forms usually check the exact byte count. A file Windows calls "200 KB" may sit just over the limit in bytes, because Windows counts 1 KB as 1,024 bytes. Staying a little under the top of the range, and a little above the bottom, avoids those edge cases. If you need to compare units, the KB to MB converter shows both the decimal and binary values.

Common rejection reasons for UPSC photos and signatures

• The background has shadows or isn't plain white.
• Your face is too small in the frame, far below 75%.
• Hair or a headscarf hides your ears.
• Sunglasses, a cap or a uniform appear in the photo.
• The uploaded photo looks clearly different from your live capture.
• The photo is above 200 KB or below 20 KB.
• Only one signature was uploaded instead of three in one image.
• The signature was done in blue ink, or the scan is grey and faint.
• The file is a PNG or HEIC when the form asks for JPG.

iPhone photos are often saved as HEIC. Convert them to JPG before resizing if the form won't take your file. For the general size rules that other Indian forms use, see the passport size photo size guide.

Frequently asked questions