What UPSC requires
Union Public Service Commission specifies an exact size for each file you upload. A photo straight from a phone camera is typically 2 to 6 MB, which every one of these limits will reject, so each file has to be resized and recompressed first.
| Document | Dimensions | File size | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhotographRecent colour passport-style photograph on a plain white background. Your face must cover at least 75% of the frame, looking straight at the camera with both ear lobes visible. Not to be signed. No pixel dimensions are specified, so your own framing is kept and only the file size is adjusted. | no pixel size specified | 20–200 KB | JPEG |
| Signature (three times)UPSC requires you to sign three times, one below the other, on plain white paper in black ink, then scan all three as a single image. The image must contain exactly three signatures, arranged vertically and correctly oriented. Applications whose signature file misses these requirements are rejected. | 350–500 px on each side | 20–100 KB | JPEG |
UPSC uses one Universal Registration Number profile and a Common Application Form across its examinations, so these files work for Civil Services, Forest Service, CAPF, Engineering Services and the rest.
The same requirements apply to
The files you prepare here are the same ones accepted for:
- UPSC CSE (IAS)
- UPSC IFoS
- UPSC CAPF
- UPSC Engineering Services
- UPSC CDS
- UPSC NDA
If you have already registered for one of these, the photograph and signature on your profile carry over and you do not need to prepare them again.
What trips people up on UPSC
How to produce the three signatures correctly
This is the step most people get wrong, because no other exam asks for it. Sign three times down a single sheet of plain white paper in black ink, leaving clear space between each one, then photograph or scan all three together as one image. Do not sign once and copy it three times: the requirement is three genuine signatures, and a duplicated one is a misrepresentation. Keep the paper square-on so the image is not rotated, and keep the shape close to square, because both sides of the file have to land between 350 and 500 pixels and an extremely wide or tall image cannot satisfy that at any file size.
Your uploaded photo is compared against a live capture
UPSC asks for a passport-style photograph as a file and also captures a live photograph during the application, through your webcam or by scanning a QR code with your phone. The two are then compared, and a mismatch stops you from continuing. Practically, that means the photo you upload should look like you do now, not like you did several years ago, and both should be taken in good light against a plain background.
Face coverage matters more than pixel size here
Unusually, UPSC states no pixel dimensions for the photograph at all, only that it must be between 20 and 200 KB and that your face has to fill at least 75% of the frame. So the thing to get right is framing rather than resolution: crop in close, look straight at the camera, keep your head centred and both ear lobes visible. Because no dimensions are specified, this tool keeps your framing and adjusts only the file size.
One extra step: alongside the scanned photograph above, Union Public Service Commission also asks you to capture a live photo in the form, either through your webcam or by scanning a QR code with your phone. The file you prepare here does not replace that.
How to use this tool
- Add your file. Drag in your photo, choose a file, paste it, or use your phone’s camera.
- Check the crop. The tool crops to the required shape automatically. Adjust it if you want a different framing.
- Let it hit the target. The size meter shows the file converging into the required 20–200 KB range.
- Download. The file is saved with a sensible name, ready to upload to the application portal.