What GATE asks for
The GATE 2027 portal's Photograph and Signature page has the full rules, and the Information Brochure repeats them with only the maximum file sizes. Pixel sizes and shapes are given as ranges, so a file anywhere inside them is accepted.
| Upload | Pixels | File size | Format | Background |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photograph | 200 × 260 to 530 × 690 px shape (width ÷ height) 0.66–0.89 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 5–600 KB | JPEG/JPG | White, with no other objects or persons |
| Signature | 250 × 80 to 580 × 180 px shape (width ÷ height) 2.75–3.75 | 3–300 KB | JPEG/JPG | No dark background; black or dark blue ink only |
Photograph: the notice's words
“Upload a good quality, color photograph of passport size (3.5 cm width × 4.5 cm height) with the face of the candidate covering 60-70% of the photograph.”
“The background of the photograph must be white and not contain any other objects or persons.”
“Photograph can be in JPEG/JPG format with minimum aspect ratio of 0.66 and maximum aspect ratio of 0.89.”
“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.”
Name and date on the photo: Not asked for: neither the GATE 2027 portal nor the brochure mentions a name or date on the photo.
Signature: the notice's words
“Upload an image of your signature in JPEG/JPG format of size with an aspect ratio (height: width) of 1 : R, where the value of R can be between 2.75 and 3.75.”
“The signature of the candidate must be in black or dark blue color ink only.”
“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.”
How to use the GATE resizer
- Choose your photo for card 1 and a picture of your signature on plain paper for card 2.
- Zoom and drag the photo until your face covers 60–70% of the frame, centred, and tap Make the background white if the wall behind you isn't white. Frame the signature so it fills 70–80% of its wide box; Whiten the paper clears a grey background.
- When the checklist is green, download the photo (up to 530 × 690 px, 5–600 KB) and the signature (up to 580 × 180 px, 3–300 KB).
Example: a phone photo through the GATE resizer
- Photograph: a 16-megapixel phone photo, 3,456 × 4,608 px, opens as a 1,800 × 2,400 px copy; the frame at the largest shape the range allows covers 1,800 × 2,343 px, drawn smaller, at 530 × 690 px. The JPEG is 5,120 to 600,000 bytes (5–600 KB), named gate-photo-530x690.jpg. Over the limit even at 60% quality, it would get fewer pixels, same shape.
The JPEG quality it lands on depends on the picture itself.
Why 530 × 690 and 580 × 180 pixels
GATE accepts any photo from 200 × 260 px to 530 × 690 px whose width divided by its height is between 0.66 and 0.89, and any signature from 250 × 80 px to 580 × 180 px that is 2.75 to 3.75 times as wide as it is high. The tool frames each at the shape of its largest size and keeps as many of your picture's own pixels as the limit allows, because more pixels keep your face and the pen strokes sharp, and the photo is printed on your admit card and score card. A sharp phone photo comes out at the largest size; a small scan keeps its own pixels rather than being blown up, and one under the minimum is enlarged to it, with a warning in the checklist. The largest sizes are also inside the allowed shapes: 530 ÷ 690 is 0.768 and 580 ÷ 180 is 3.22. If a file would still be over its KB limit at a reasonable quality, the tool makes it smaller, never below the minimum size.
Signature tips for GATE
Sign yourself, across the paper, in black or dark blue ink only. The portal turns away signatures in ALL CAPITALS, initials only, digital signatures, other ink colours, dark backgrounds, extra writing, and signatures that are too small, unclear or outside the box. Sign the same way on exam day: a mismatch can disqualify you. Leave a little white space around the signature so that, after cropping, it covers 70–80% of the image.
The live photo in the GATE form
GATE 2027 also captures a live photo during registration, besides the photo you upload: use a computer with a webcam or a phone with at least a 5 MP front camera, in a well-lit place. The Aadhaar or DigiLocker photo isn't used; the live photo and your uploaded photo are what count. Visually impaired candidates who have trouble with the live capture can email the GATE helpdesk.
“Candidate's live photo will be captured during registration time. Hence, use a computer with a webcam facility or phone with 5 MP camera.”
Indian nationals register through DigiLocker, but GATE's FAQ says the DigiLocker photo isn't the one used; keep your face clear and well lit for the live capture.
Why GATE uploads get rejected
- A photo or signature that doesn't meet the rules gets the application marked DEFECTIVE. You can upload it again, but if it isn't corrected the application can be rejected, with no fee refund.
- Signatures that aren't allowed: a dark background, extra writing, ALL CAPITALS, initials only, a digital signature, any ink other than black or dark blue, too small or unclear, or outside the box.
- If your signature doesn't match the one you give at the exam, you can be disqualified.
- Photos with caps, hats, sunglasses, coloured glasses, a mask, cloth or a shadow on the face aren't allowed.
How the tool reaches the KB range
Each file is drawn at its size and saved as a JPEG at the highest quality that stays under the maximum (5–600 KB for the photo, 3–300 KB for the signature), found by halving the gap between a too-big and a small-enough quality about seven times. Both limits are wide, so most pictures fit at high quality without any change in size; the checklist is read from the finished file. For other forms, the Passport Size Photo Maker and Image Resizer make other sizes.
Check before you apply
- The pixel sizes are limits, not one fixed size. From a sharp phone photo or scan the tool makes the largest allowed (530 × 690 px for the photo, 580 × 180 px for the signature); a smaller picture, or a close zoom, keeps its own pixels inside the limits (never below 200 × 260 px or 250 × 80 px), and a file over the KB limit is made smaller.
- The minimum file sizes (5 KB photo, 3 KB signature) are on the GATE 2027 portal page; the brochure gives only the maximums (600 KB and 300 KB).
- The brochure (revised 27 September 2026) still has one line saying the face covers 30–35% of the photo; its own later line and the portal say 60–70%. Look for a corrected brochure before you apply.
- A different IIT runs GATE each year (IIT Guwahati ran 2026, IIT Madras runs 2027), so check the rules again for GATE 2028.
Sources
Rules on this page and in the tool are as per the GATE 2027 Information Brochure (revised version) dated 27 September 2026; check the latest notice before you apply. We read the official sources below on 8 October 2026 (GATE 2027: application portal (GOAPS) opened 2 September 2026; exams in February 2027) and will check them again by 1 August 2027.
- GATE 2027 Information Brochure (revised version) ↗, dated 27 September 2026
- GATE 2027 Photograph and Signature page ↗, read on 8 October 2026
- GATE 2027 registration guidelines ↗, read on 7 October 2026
- GATE 2027 required documents ↗, read on 7 October 2026
- GATE 2027 FAQs ↗, read on 7 October 2026