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Compress PNG images online

PNG files are often the heaviest assets on a page, because the format preserves every pixel by design. That guarantee is exactly right for interface graphics and screenshots — and exactly why a dedicated compression pass, which most export tools skip, can shrink PNGs dramatically.

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Make images lighter

Add images and Tinify starts immediately. Each result keeps its own progress, error and download state.

  • Up to 50 files
  • 40 MB each
  • Deleted after 2 hours
Compression mode
Optional. 10–40,960 KB, and smaller than the original file.

Where PNG size actually comes from

PNG stores pixels losslessly using DEFLATE compression, so its size depends on how predictable the image data is. Flat colors and hard edges compress superbly; photographic content does not, which is why a photograph saved as PNG can be ten times larger than the same image as JPEG.

Many PNGs also carry more color depth than they use. An interface graphic with forty distinct colors saved as full 24-bit RGBA wastes most of its palette — and most of its bytes.

Lossy and lossless PNG compression

Balanced mode applies palette reduction and quantization: it maps the image to a smaller set of colors chosen to be visually close to the original. For screenshots, icons, and illustrations the result is usually indistinguishable and much smaller.

Lossless mode re-compresses the existing pixel data more efficiently without changing a single pixel. PNG is one of the formats — with WebP, AVIF, and GIF — where Tinify offers true lossless. Gains are smaller than lossy mode but the output is exact.

Transparency survives

Alpha transparency is preserved in both modes. Logos, badges, and UI elements keep their clean edges over any background. If an image would grow rather than shrink, Tinify returns the original and labels it not optimized rather than inventing a saving.

Should this image be a PNG at all?

PNG is right for screenshots, interface graphics, hard-edged illustrations, and anything needing exact pixels or transparency. Photographs are better served by JPEG, WebP, or AVIF, and genuinely vector artwork belongs in SVG. Converting to the right format often saves more than any compressor can — compress what remains afterward.

Frequently asked questions

Will compressing a PNG blur my screenshot?

No blur is introduced. Lossy PNG optimization reduces the color palette rather than smearing detail, and lossless mode changes no pixels at all. Text in screenshots stays sharp in both modes.

Does PNG compression keep transparency?

Yes. Alpha channels are preserved in both Balanced and Lossless modes.

When should I use lossless instead of Balanced?

Use Lossless when pixels must be exact — archival copies, images that will be edited again, or graphics where any palette change is unacceptable. Balanced gives larger savings for everyday delivery.