Compress PNG
Shrink PNG files by reducing colors, without losing transparency.
Runs in your browser. Your files never leave your device.
- Keeps transparency
- Falls back to lossless if smaller
- Batch compress
How to compress a PNG
- Drop your PNG files here.
- Move the colors slider.
- Download the smaller PNGs.
How color reduction shrinks a PNG
A normal PNG can store 16.7 million colors, one 24-bit value per pixel. This tool rebuilds the image using a palette of only the colors you choose, from 2 up to 256, then stores one small palette index per pixel instead. Fewer colors means less data per pixel, which is why a screenshot or logo with a handful of solid colors can shrink a lot while a photo barely changes.
PNG color count vs result
| Colors | Best for | Typical result |
|---|---|---|
| 16 to 32 | Simple logos, icons, flat illustrations | Smallest file, may show slight banding |
| 64 to 128 | Screenshots, UI graphics | Good balance of size and detail |
| 256 | Photos or gradients saved as PNG | Closest to the original, least savings |
When PNG beats other formats
- The image needs a transparent background, which JPEG cannot store.
- It is a screenshot, logo, chart or icon with flat colors and sharp edges, where PNG's lossless compression already does well.
- It will be edited again later and you want to avoid the quality loss of repeated JPEG re-encodes.
Compress PNG FAQ
How does this shrink PNG files?
It rebuilds the PNG with a smaller color palette, the same idea TinyPNG and other PNG compressors use, since PNG stores color data far more efficiently with fewer colors.
Will transparency still work?
Yes. Transparent and semi-transparent pixels are kept in the reduced color version.
What if fewer colors makes it look worse?
Move the colors slider higher. If the compressed version ever ends up larger than a normal lossless PNG, this tool uses the lossless one instead, so the file never gets worse.
Can I compress many PNGs at once?
Yes. Drop as many as you like and download them together as a ZIP.
Does this work like TinyPNG?
Yes, the same idea: fewer colors in the palette instead of blurring or altering the picture. Results are usually close to what TinyPNG produces.
Can a PNG with transparency use a small color palette?
Yes. The transparency level for each palette color is kept, so a logo with a soft-edged shadow still fades correctly at a lower color count.
Should I convert a photo saved as PNG to JPG instead?
Usually yes, if it does not need transparency. A photo has too many colors for a small palette to help much, while JPEG's quality slider handles photos far better.