UPSC photo resize and triple signature
Resize your UPSC photo or signature
Nothing is uploadedWhat the source says: Upload a photo named photo in jpg format with a file size between 20KB and 200KB. The face must cover at least 75% of the area in the photo. Photo background shall be plain white.
What it leaves open: The instructions give no pixel size for the photograph, so this preset keeps your proportions. Crop tight around the face first: the 75% face rule is checked on the picture you upload. The upload screen refuses black-and-white photos. The download is named photo.jpg, as the instructions ask.
Instructions for uploading photo and signature (opens in a new tab) section 1, PDF page 2, and the dos and don'ts, PDF page 4, read 25 Oct 2026
UPSC’s online application asks for a colour photo saved as a JPG named photo, 20 KB to 200 KB, with your face covering at least 75% of it, and one JPG named signature that holds three signatures, 20 KB to 100 KB, 350 to 500 pixels high and wide. Choose the file above, add your picture, and download it at that size with the right file name.
UPSC photo and signature rules
What UPSC's own instructions say, read on upsconline.nic.in, the Commission's application site. The exam notices point to the same instructions.
| Notice | File | What the notice says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPSC online application | Photograph | Colour JPG named photo, 20 KB to 200 KB, plain white background, face covering at least 75% of the photo, both ears visible, not signed | Instructions for uploading photo and signature (opens in a new tab) section 1, PDF page 2; dos and don'ts, PDF page 4, read 25 October 2026 |
| UPSC online application | Live photograph | Captured in the form through the webcam or, by a QR code, a phone, and matched with the uploaded photo; a mismatch stops the application | Instructions for uploading photo and signature (opens in a new tab) section 2, PDF pages 4 to 5, read 25 October 2026 |
| UPSC online application | Signature | Three signatures one below the other in black ink on plain white paper, in one JPG named signature, 20 KB to 100 KB, 350 to 500 pixels | Instructions for uploading photo and signature (opens in a new tab) section 3, PDF page 5, read 25 October 2026 |
| UPSC online application | Signature | The height and width of the signature image must be between 350 and 500 pixels | Signature upload step on upsconline.nic.in (opens in a new tab) note 3 on the signature upload screen, read 25 October 2026 |
| UPSC CSE (Preliminary) 2026 | Photo and signature | Upload the photo, capture the live photo, and sign three times one below the other in black ink, as the instructions on upsconline.nic.in describe | Civil Services (Preliminary) 2026 notice (opens in a new tab) notes 2 and 3 under How to Apply, PDF page 2, read 25 October 2026 |
| UPSC ESE (Preliminary) 2027 | Photo and signature | Appendix-IIA still says each file should not exceed 300 KB and not be less than 20 KB; the application site accepts 20 to 200 KB for the photo and 20 to 100 KB for the signature | Engineering Services (Preliminary) 2027 notice (opens in a new tab) Appendix-IIA, clause 4, page 52, read 25 October 2026 |
UPSC states a file size and a face share for the photo and no pixel size, so the photo preset keeps your picture's shape.
How to prepare your UPSC photo and signature.
Crop the photo so your face fills at least three quarters of it, head in the centre, both ears visible, against a plain white background. Crop before you add the file: the preset sets the KB and leaves the framing as it is.
Sign three times, one below the other, in black ink on plain white, unruled paper with a gap between each, and scan or photograph all three as one picture. UPSC’s examples reject blue ink. Crop away the blank paper around them.
Choose the file in the resizer and add your picture. The photo preset keeps the file between 20 and 200 KB; the signature preset makes 400 × 500 pixels between 20 and 100 KB, adding white space so no signature is cut.
Download. The files are named photo.jpg and signature.jpg, the names the instructions ask for.
Take the live photo in the form in good light. UPSC matches it with the photo you uploaded.
Why UPSC rejects a photo or signature
Taken from the sample photos, the sample signatures and the dos and don'ts in UPSC's instructions.
Too little face. The face covers less than three quarters of the photo, or the photo is too small.
A misaligned or blurred face. The face is not looking straight at the camera, is blurred, or is so close that it leaves the frame and hides the ear lobes.
Background, uniform or glasses. A dark background, a uniform, eyes hidden under coloured or dark glasses, shadows on the face or background, or hair over the eyes.
A signed photo. The photograph is not to be signed.
The wrong signature image. Signatures side by side instead of one below the other, only one signature, too little space between them, blue ink, ruled or coloured paper, a rotated or blurred image, or something that is not a signature.
A live photo that does not match. The form will not let you go further if the live photo and the uploaded photo do not match.
Questions
What is the UPSC photo size?
A colour JPG named photo, between 20 KB and 200 KB, on a plain white background, with your face covering at least 75% of the picture. UPSC gives no pixel size for the photo, so the resizer keeps your proportions and only sets the file size. The upload screen refuses black-and-white photos.
What is the UPSC signature size?
One JPG named signature that holds three signatures, one below the other, in black ink on plain white paper: 20 KB to 100 KB, with a height and a width of 350 to 500 pixels each, as the signature upload screen puts it. The preset makes 400 × 500 pixels.
Why do some sites say the UPSC photo can be 300 KB?
The Engineering Services (Preliminary) 2027 notice still says, in Appendix-IIA, that each file should not exceed 300 KB. The application site itself takes 20 to 200 KB for the photo and 20 to 100 KB for the signature, and refuses a file outside those limits, so prepare to those.
Do I need a live photo for UPSC as well?
Yes. The form captures a live photo through your webcam or, by a QR code, your phone, and matches it with the photo you upload. If the two do not match, the form will not let you go further, so upload a recent photo of yourself.
Does the UPSC photo need my name and date on it?
Not in the photo and signature instructions on upsconline.nic.in, read on 25 October 2026: they ask for a clear, recent colour photo of your full face, and say the photograph is not to be signed. Follow your own exam's notice if it asks for more.
Is UPSC OTR still used?
No. UPSC's general instructions say the old One Time Registration module no longer applies: you create an account, get a Universal Registration Number and fill the Common Application Form, where the photo, live photo and signature are added.
Is my photo uploaded to FormAssets?
No. The photo and signature are resized inside your browser and download to your device. There is no account and no copy on a server.
Before you upload: what the resizer cannot check
FormAssets sets the file size, the pixels and the file name, and shows the result. It cannot judge the face share, the alignment or the background; crop the picture right before you add it.
Before you apply, read the instructions on upsconline.nic.in (opens in a new tab); each row above shows the date we read it.
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