UPSC photo and signature size
UPSC wants a colour JPG photo of 20 to 200 KB, with your face covering at least 75 percent of it, and one JPG of three signatures, 20 to 100 KB and 350 to 500 pixels. The form also takes a live photo and matches the two. This tool makes both files.
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What does UPSC ask you to upload?
Here are UPSC's own words, from two documents. The numbers are in the portal's upload instructions; the Civil Services 2026 notice adds the live photo and the three signatures.
UPSC upload instructions
- Photo
- JPG named photo, 20 to 200 KB, in colour
- Face
- At least 75 percent of the photo, looking at the camera, both ears visible
- Background
- Plain white, no shadows
- Not allowed
- Dark glasses, uniform, glare on glasses, a signed photo
- Signature
- Three signatures one below the other, black ink, plain white paper, in one image
- Signature file
- JPG named signature, 20 to 100 KB, 350 to 500 pixels
- Photo pixels
- Not stated
- Document
- Instructions for Uploading the Photo & Signature, pages 2 to 5. The link answered 404 when we checked, so we read UPSC's file in the Wayback Machine copy of 29 July 2026.
- Source
- upsconline.nic.in
- Read at the source on
Civil Services Examination 2026 notice
- Photos
- Upload a photograph and capture a live photograph in the form
- Signature
- Sign three times, one below the other, on plain white paper in black ink
- Exam day
- Face authentication at the venue for every candidate
- Document
- Examination Notice No 05/2026-CSE, 4 February 2026, pages 2 and 3
- Source
- www.upsc.gov.in
- Read at the source on
Why do other sites say 300 KB?
Because UPSC used to. The Civil Services notices for 2024 and 2025 said 20 to 300 KB for both files, and 2025's asked for your name and a date on the photo. Set side by side:
| Rule | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Photo size | 20 to 300 KB in the notice; 20 to 200 KB in the portal instructions | 20 to 200 KB |
| Signature | One signature; 20 to 300 KB in the notice, 20 to 100 KB in the instructions | Three signatures in one image, 20 to 100 KB |
| Signature pixels | 350 to 500 | 350 to 500 |
| Name and date on the photo | Required, photo under 10 days old | Not in the notice; the photo is not to be signed |
| Live photo | Not asked for | Captured in the form and matched to the upload |
How do you make the triple signature?
Sign three times on plain white paper in black ink, one signature below the other, with a clear gap between them. UPSC wants exactly three, upright and sharp.
Scan or photograph the sheet, then switch the tool to Triple signature. It sets 500 x 500 pixels and keeps the file between 20 and 100 KB.
The box is square, so crop to a roughly square area around the three signatures first. Otherwise the tool trims the top and bottom of the sheet to fit.
Do you still write your name and date on the photo?
Not for 2026. The 2025 notice asked for a photo under 10 days old with your name and the date on it. The 2026 notice has no such paragraph.
The upload instructions go further and say the photograph is not to be signed. Keep the photo clean, and check the notice for your own exam and year.
What is the live photo?
A photo the form takes while you fill it in, with your computer's webcam or with a phone after scanning a QR code on screen. UPSC makes it mandatory for every exam.
UPSC matches it against the photo you upload. If the two do not match, the instructions say you cannot go on with the application.
So upload a recent photo that looks like you do today, and take the live one in good light.
What size in pixels?
For the signature, 350 to 500 pixels, without saying which side. The tool uses 500 x 500, so both sides fit. On our clean test scan, 350 x 500 stayed under the 20 KB minimum even at full quality.
For the photo, UPSC gives no pixel size. The tool starts at 3.5 x 4.5 cm, India's passport photo size, which is 413 x 531 pixels at 300 DPI. That box is ours, not UPSC's.
Your face should cover at least 75 percent of the photo, so crop in close before you download.
What happens to your photo?
Your selected photo is processed in your browser, without an image upload to a server. The page may download code and codecs needed for editing.
Save your result before closing the tab; unsaved edits are kept in memory rather than in an online account.
Common questions
What is the UPSC photo size in KB?
20 to 200 KB, as a colour JPG, in UPSC's current upload instructions. Guides saying 20 to 300 KB are quoting the 2024 and 2025 notices.
What is the UPSC signature size?
One JPG holding three signatures, one below the other, between 20 and 100 KB and 350 to 500 pixels. A file that does not meet this is rejected, the instructions say.
Can I wear glasses in the UPSC photo?
The instructions rule out coloured or dark glasses and ask you to avoid glare on glasses; they say nothing else about clear ones. The 2025 notice asked that you look the same at every stage, glasses included.
What should the files be called?
The instructions ask for a photo named photo and a signature named signature, both JPG. Rename the downloads to photo.jpg and signature.jpg before you upload them.
Do these rules apply to UPSC exams other than Civil Services?
The upload instructions are for the portal as a whole, and say the live photo is mandatory for any exam. We read only the Civil Services 2026 notice, so check your own exam's notice too.
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