What JEE Main asks for
One JEE (Main) form covers Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) and Papers 2A and 2B (B.Arch and B.Planning), and every paper uses the same two images. The binding rule is Step 2 on page 4 of the bulletin, quoted below. NTA sets the size in KB only: there is no pixel or cm size anywhere in the bulletin.
| Upload | Pixels | File size | Format | Background |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scanned passport size photograph | Not set | 10–200 KB | JPG/JPEG | White |
| Signature | Not set | 10–100 KB we aim for 10–50 KB | JPG/JPEG | Not stated |
Scanned passport size photograph: the notice's words
“The recent passport size photograph should be in colour with 80% face (without mask) visible including ears against white background.”
“Photograph in JPG/JPEG format (clearly legible) between 10 kb to 200 kb.”
Name and date on the photo: Not asked for in 2026. The 2025 bulletin only wanted the file named "Photograph"; the 2026 bulletin has no name, date or file-name rule for the photo.
Signature: the notice's words
“Signature file should be JPG/JPEG format (clearly legible) between 10 kb to 100 kb.”
Why 10–50 KB: Page 4 of the 2026 bulletin says 10–100 KB, but the bulletin's own demo Upload Document page (page 80) still shows 10–50 KB, the 2025 limit. A file of 10–50 KB passes both.
How to use the JEE Main resizer
- Start with card 1: your recent colour photo. Card 2 takes a picture of your signature.
- Zoom until your face, both ears in view, takes up about 80% of the frame, then centre it; an off-white wall can be fixed with Make the background white. Crop the signature tightly; a grey scan comes out clean with Whiten the paper.
- Download each file when its checklist is green: the photo inside 10–200 KB, the signature inside 10–50 KB. They go in at step 11, Document Upload, after the live photo at step 10.
Example: a phone photo through the JEE Main resizer
- Scanned passport size photograph: a 6-megapixel phone photo, 2,160 × 2,880 px, opens as a 1,800 × 2,400 px copy; with no shape set, the frame is the whole 1,800 × 2,400 px, kept at 1,800 × 2,400 px. The JPEG is 10,240 to 200,000 bytes (10–200 KB), named jee-main-photo-1800x2400.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.
Page 4 or page 80: why the signature stops at 50 KB
The 2026 bulletin states the limits twice. The text on page 4 says the photo is 10–200 KB and the signature 10–100 KB. The demo "Upload Document Page" screenshot on page 80 shows a photo of 10–300 KB and a signature of 10–50 KB, the same as the 2025 bulletin, so the screen looks reused from 2025. Page 4 is the rule, but a file that passes both is the safer choice: a photo up to 200 KB already does, and a signature of 10–50 KB does too. The checklist tests the page 4 limits and says what it aims for.
What changed from JEE Main 2025
- The photo limit came down from 10–300 KB to 10–200 KB.
- The signature limit went up from 10–50 KB to 10–100 KB.
- The file-naming rule went: 2025 asked for files named "Photograph" and "Signature"; 2026 doesn't.
- NTA changed both limits in one year, so read the 2027 bulletin when it's out before you reuse old files.
After the form: exam day and JEE Advanced
Bring one printed passport size photo, the same as the one you upload, to paste on the attendance sheet; the Passport Size Photo Maker fits several copies on one print sheet. If you qualify for JEE Advanced, you don't upload a new photo or signature there: the JEE (Advanced) portal shows your details from the JEE (Main) application, and your JEE (Advanced) admit card carries your photo and signature. That's one more reason to make this photo clear and recent. The JEE Advanced photo page explains who uploads there and at what size.
The live photo in the JEE Main form
The JEE (Main) form has a Capture Live Photograph step (step 10) before Document Upload (step 11), and the scanned photo is still needed. The live photo comes from the camera or webcam of the device you're using, or from a phone or tablet that scans the QR code shown on screen. NTA compares live photos with identity records: on 2 January 2026 it asked candidates whose live photo didn't match their identity documents for extra attested verification.
“Candidates should ensure there is a light-colored background with proper lighting, and 80% face visibility (including ears, without a mask).”
Take it facing a window or a bright light, with a plain light wall behind you and your mask off, and look like your identity documents: the live photo is the one NTA compares with them.
Why JEE Main uploads get rejected
- Using someone else's photo is treated as Unfair Means.
- No correction to the photo is allowed later, so check the file before you upload it.
- If your live photo doesn't match your identity documents, NTA can ask for extra attested verification (NTA advisory of 2 January 2026).
How the tool reaches the KB range
With no pixel size from NTA, the tool keeps the crop you frame, at up to 2,400 pixels on the longer side, and works on the file size alone: the highest JPEG quality under 200 KB for the photo and under 50 KB for the signature. Too big even at 60% quality? Then the pixels are cut down in proportion and the search is repeated. A file under 10 KB at full quality gets an invisible comment added to reach the minimum; the picture doesn't change. The checklist is read from the finished file. Your Class 10 certificate or marksheet (a PDF of 50–300 KB) is a separate upload: for that, use Compress PDF to Size.
Check before you apply
- These are the JEE (Main) 2026 rules: on 8 October 2026 jeemain.nta.nic.in still linked only the 2026 bulletin. NTA changed both limits between 2025 (photo 10–300 KB, signature 10–50 KB) and 2026 (photo 10–200 KB, signature 10–100 KB), so check the 2027 bulletin when it's out (expected late October or November 2026).
- The 2026 bulletin's demo Upload Document page (page 80) still shows photo 10–300 KB and signature 10–50 KB. The tool keeps the photo at 10–200 KB and the signature at 10–50 KB, which pass either set. When the 2027 form opens, check the limits the form itself shows.
- No NTA document gives JEE Main a pixel, cm or DPI size. The tool therefore leaves your framing alone and works on the KB only; a cm size for the photo or signature quoted elsewhere isn't from NTA.
- NTA may check your photo against your Aadhaar (UIDAI) record.
- Your Class 10 certificate or marksheet and any disability/UDID certificate go in the same step as PDFs of 50–300 KB; an identity proof (JPG/JPEG, 10–200 KB) is needed only without Aadhaar or DigiLocker verification. This tool makes none of these.
Sources
Rules on this page and in the tool are as per the JEE (Main) 2026 Information Bulletin dated 2 November 2025; check the latest notice before you apply. We read the official sources below on 8 October 2026 (JEE (Main) 2026 Information Bulletin, the same uploads for Paper 1 and Papers 2A and 2B; no JEE (Main) 2027 bulletin had been published on 8 October 2026) and will check them again by 1 November 2026.
- JEE (Main) 2026 Information Bulletin ↗, dated 2 November 2025
- JEE (Main) official portal (NTA) ↗, read on 8 October 2026
- JEE (Main) 2026 FAQ (NTA) ↗, dated 20 November 2025
- NTA public notice inviting applications for JEE (Main) 2026 Session 1 ↗, dated 31 October 2025
- NTA advisory on live photographs that don't match identity documents, JEE (Main) 2026 ↗, dated 2 January 2026
- JEE (Main) 2025 Information Bulletin (previous cycle, for comparison) ↗, dated 28 October 2024