# How to Compress Images for Email on Windows 11

URL: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-compress-images-for-email-windows-11/
Published: 2026-11-13 | Author: Ankit Kumar
Tags: Windows 11, Images, Files
Summary: Photos too big to attach? Shrink images for email on Windows 11 with Photos, Paint, or PowerToys Image Resizer, or send a OneDrive link instead.
Recommended app: Quick File Converter, https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/file-converter/ (Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9MTH938Z7S55?hl=en-us&cid=mytechnician-web). Optional; every step below uses built-in Windows tools.

## The Problem
A phone photo is often 3 to 8 MB. Attach five of them and the email bounces, or the mail app refuses to send. Gmail caps attachments at 25 MB per message, and Outlook.com at 20 MB, and many work mail servers allow less.

The fix is to reduce the pixel dimensions. A photo 4000 pixels wide is far more than any screen shows in an email.

## Pick a Method
Start at the top. Each row down handles a case the one above cannot.

| Method | Cost | Best when |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Photos or Paint](#step-1) | Free, built in | One to five photos |
| [PowerToys Image Resizer](#step-3) | Free Microsoft tool | A batch of photos to resize |
| [Send a link](#step-4) | Free with a Microsoft account | Dozens of photos, or full quality needed |

## Quick Checks First
1. **Check the total size.** Select the photos in File Explorer and look at the size shown in the bottom bar.
2. **Work on copies.** Every method below saves a new file. Keep the originals for printing.
3. **Know the target.** About 1600 pixels on the long side looks sharp on any screen and usually brings a photo under 500 KB.

## Step 1: Resize a Photo in Photos
1. Open the photo in **Photos**.
2. Choose **Edit** → **Resize**, or **...** → **Resize image**, depending on the Photos version.
3. Pick a preset size, or set the width to about **1600 pixels** with the aspect ratio locked.
4. Choose **Save as copy**.

## Step 2: Resize in Paint
1. Open the photo in **Paint**.
2. Choose **Image** → **Resize** (or press **Ctrl + W**).
3. Choose **Pixels**, keep **Maintain aspect ratio** ticked, and set the width to **1600**.
4. Choose **File** → **Save as** → **JPEG picture** and give it a new name.

Saving as JPG matters. A photo saved as PNG can be larger than the original even after resizing.

## Step 3: Resize Many Photos with PowerToys
[PowerToys](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/image-resizer) is a free set of utilities from Microsoft. Its Image Resizer works on a whole selection:

1. Install **PowerToys** from the Microsoft Store and make sure **Image Resizer** is turned on in its settings.
2. In File Explorer, select the photos, right-click, and choose **Resize with Image Resizer** (under **Show more options** on some PCs).
3. Pick **Medium** or set a custom width of 1600 pixels.
4. Leave **Resize the original pictures** unticked so you get copies.

> **Need stronger compression, or the photos are WebP or PNG?** [Quick File Converter](https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/file-converter/) resizes and compresses folders of images on the PC and can convert PNG or WebP to JPG too, with nothing uploaded.

## Step 4: Send a Link Instead
For a whole album, or when the recipient needs full-quality originals, do not attach at all:

1. Put the photos in a folder in **OneDrive**.
2. Right-click the folder and choose **Share**.
3. Copy the link and paste it into the email.

In Outlook, attaching a file that is already in OneDrive offers **Share link** instead of a copy, which skips the size limit.

## FAQ

### What size should a photo be for email?
About 1600 pixels on the long side, saved as JPG. That is sharp on a laptop or phone and usually 200 to 500 KB per photo.

### Does zipping photos make them smaller?
Barely. JPG files are already compressed, so a ZIP saves only a few percent. Resize them instead.

### Will resizing ruin the photo for printing?
The copy will print well only at small sizes. Keep the original for prints, and send the resized copy by email.

Related: [convert WebP to PNG or JPG](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-convert-webp-to-png-jpg-windows-11/) and [compress a PDF](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-compress-pdf-reduce-file-size-windows-11/).

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Source: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-compress-images-for-email-windows-11/ (My Technician, free Windows 10/11 troubleshooting guides).
Related tool: Quick File Converter (Quick File Converter is an offline file converter for Windows. Convert PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and images on your PC, no uploads to the cloud.): https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/file-converter/
More guides: https://www.mytechnician.tech/llms.txt