ESExactSizeTool
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UPSC CSE photo and signature size

UPSC is the strictest of the big applications, and the parts that catch people out are not the file sizes. The photograph has to carry your name and the date it was taken, and the signature requirement changed for 2026. Get those right first, then the sizes are straightforward.

Check your own notification first. The photo is usually given as 413 x 531 pixels, though at least one source describes it as 4 x 5 cm rather than 3.5 x 4.5 cm, which would be a different pixel count. The signature is quoted as a range of 350 to 500 pixels rather than a fixed size.
Set your file to these in one step
Photograph 🎯 Exam Photo Resizer
413 x 531 px · 20 – 300 KB · JPG
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Signature ✍️ Signature Resizer
20 – 100 KB · JPG
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What resizing will not fix

Two UPSC requirements cannot be met by resizing, and they are the ones that get applications rejected. The photograph must have your name and the date it was taken printed on it — that is content, not size, so it has to be done before you resize. And from 2026 the signature is reported as three signatures written vertically, one below the other, on white paper and scanned as a single image. Our tools will set the size of whatever you give them; they cannot add the text or make the three signatures for you.

Have the notification in front of you?

Then you do not need the figures above at all. Copy the upload instructions straight out of it and paste them into the box on the home page — it reads the pixel sizes, the KB range and the DPI out of the text and sets the tools to exactly what your notification says. That is always right, even when a published figure has gone stale.

Notes on these figures

  • 413 x 531 pixels is 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm at 300 DPI, which is why the number looks unlike other exams.
  • Sources give the signature as roughly 350 to 500 pixels rather than one exact size, so the KB window is the firmer constraint.
  • If a minimum KB is given, set it too — a clean photograph often compresses below it, and the tool pads the file to reach it without touching the picture.
  • Reading a size in centimetres? This guide shows how to convert it to pixels properly.

Figures last checked 2026-09-24, from:

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Questions

What is the UPSC photo size?

Commonly reported as 413 x 531 pixels at 20 to 300 KB in JPEG, which is 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm at 300 DPI. A plain white background is expected and the face should fill roughly three quarters of the frame.

Does my name have to be on the photo?

UPSC is reported to require your name and the date the photograph was taken printed clearly at the bottom. That is part of the picture rather than a size setting, so do it before resizing.

Why three signatures?

For 2026 the signature is reported as three signatures one below the other on white paper, scanned as a single image. Confirm the current instruction in the notification, since this changed recently.

What size should the signature be?

Sources give roughly 350 to 500 pixels rather than one exact figure, with a 20 to 100 KB file size. The KB window is the part to set precisely.

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