What is the US visa photo size in pixels?

Square, between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 pixels, JPG, 240 KB or less.

How big should my head be in the DS-160 photo?

Between 50% and 69% of the photo's height, from chin to top of hair.

Why does the portal still reject my file?

Check you picked the right exam, and that the file you upload is the one downloaded here, not a screenshot or a copy re-saved by another app. Notices change between cycles, so compare with the official link shown on the page.

Are my photo and signature uploaded?

No. They are cropped, cleaned and compressed in your browser, on your device. Location and camera details are removed from the saved files.

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US visa photo for the DS-160

The DS-160 needs a square JPG from 600 × 600 to 1200 × 1200 pixels, 240 KB or less, with your head taking 50 to 69% of the photo's height.

First use downloads ~300 MB (LibreOffice engine). On a slow network this can take a few minutes.

After that, it's cached on your device. Subsequent conversions start in about 2 seconds and never upload your file.

Drop your file here

or click to browse

All files • or paste with ⌘V

filename

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The browser enforces this: the site’s security policy only lets the page talk to the code libraries’ servers and an anonymous usage counter (tool name, file type, size range). A request carrying your file to anywhere else would be blocked before it left.

Check it yourself: open your browser’s developer tools, go to the Network tab, and run the tool. Or turn off Wi-Fi once the tool has loaded; it keeps working.

How it works

The DS-160 needs a square JPG from 600 × 600 to 1200 × 1200 pixels, 240 KB or less, with your head taking 50 to 69% of the photo's height.

The US Department of State checks your DS-160 photo for size and framing: it must be square, at least 600 × 600 and at most 1200 × 1200 pixels, a colour JPG of 240 KB or less, taken in the last six months, on a white or off-white background, with your head (chin to top of hair) taking 50 to 69% of the image's height. No glasses except for documented medical reasons, no hat except daily religious wear, and no digital changes to your face. The head guide here is sized for that rule, and the photo is saved at 600 × 600 under 240 KB.

How to use it

Pick US visa (DS-160). The sizes it asks for load with a link to the official notice.
Add each image. A phone photo is fine: drag and zoom inside the exact frame.
Check the list. Format, pixels and KB are checked the way the portal checks them.
Download. One file per upload, already named and sized.

Frequently asked questions

What is the US visa photo size in pixels?: Square, between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 pixels, JPG, 240 KB or less.
How big should my head be in the DS-160 photo?: Between 50% and 69% of the photo's height, from chin to top of hair.
Why does the portal still reject my file?: Check you picked the right exam, and that the file you upload is the one downloaded here, not a screenshot or a copy re-saved by another app. Notices change between cycles, so compare with the official link shown on the page.
Are my photo and signature uploaded?: No. They are cropped, cleaned and compressed in your browser, on your device. Location and camera details are removed from the saved files.