UPSC Photo Size With Name and Date: 2026 Rules and 3/4 Face

For UPSC applications, the photo is a JPG of 20–200 KB (some 2026 guides say up to 300 KB) on a plain white background, with your face covering about three quarters of the frame. You also take a live photo in the form, which must match the uploaded one. Whether the photo needs your name and date printed on it has changed between cycles, so check the Photos and Signature instructions on upsconline.nic.in before you resize.

Here is what we know about each rule, where sources disagree, and how to prepare a photo that passes.

UPSC photo rules at a glance

The name and date rule: what changed

For the 2024 Civil Services cycle, news and coaching sites widely reported new photo instructions: the photo had to be taken not more than 10 days before the application opened, and it had to show the candidate's name and the date the photo was taken, usually printed at the bottom. That is the origin of searches for a "UPSC photo resizer with name and date".

For 2026, the picture is less clear. The CSE 2026 notice says candidates must upload a photo and capture a live photo, and points to "Instructions and FAQs > Instruction for filling the form > Photos and Signature" on upsconline.nic.in for the detailed rules. Some 2026 guides still say name and date are required; others say UPSC no longer requires them. We could not confirm either way from the notice itself.

What to do:

1. Open the Photos and Signature instructions on upsconline.nic.in for the exam you are applying to.
2. If they ask for name and date, add them (see below). If they do not, a clean photo without text is the safer choice.
3. Either way, use a photo taken recently. The 10-day window was a real rule in 2024 and could return.

How to add name and date to the UPSC photo

Our UPSC photo resizer crops, resizes and compresses, but it does not add text. Add the text first:

• On a PC: open the photo in Paint, drag the bottom edge of the canvas down to add a white strip, use the Text tool ("A") to type your name and the date the photo was taken in black, and save as JPEG.
• On a phone: use the Text option in your gallery's editor (Markup on iPhone) and type the name and date on a plain white area at the bottom.

Keep the strip small, about a fifth of the height, so your face still covers most of the photo. Then open the UPSC photo resizer and choose "Fit inside with white border" so the text is not trimmed. Check the preview: the name and date must be readable.

UPSC 3/4 face (75% face) photo, explained

This rule trips up more people than the KB limit. It means your face, from the top of the head to the chin, should fill roughly three quarters of the photo's height. A typical passport photo with lots of shoulder and background space falls short.

To get it right:

1. Take the photo against a plain white wall, with even light on your face.
2. Open crop image and pick a ratio close to the shape your instructions give (square if they say equal width and height, or Passport 3.5:4.5 for a portrait).
3. Drag the crop box in so your head almost touches the top margin and your chin sits near the lower part, with both ears in the frame.
4. Then run it through the UPSC photo resizer.

The resizer preset is 350 x 450 px and 20–200 KB. If the instructions for your exam give a different pixel range, edit the width and height fields.

The live photo and why it must match

During the application you take a live photo with a webcam, or with a phone through a QR code. It is compared with the photo you uploaded, and a mismatch can stop the application. So:

• Use a recent photo for the upload, not one from years ago.
• Take the live photo in similar light, with similar glasses, hairstyle and beard.
• UPSC has also asked candidates not to change their appearance drastically between the form and the exam.

UPSC photo size 50 KB, JPG and other common questions

A 50 KB JPG is well within the 20–200 KB range and a good target for a sharp photo. Save it as .jpg, not PNG or HEIC; if your phone saves HEIC, convert it first with HEIC to JPG.

UPSC's other exams (CDS, NDA, CAPF, ESE, EPFO recruitment and so on) go through the same online application, so the photo rules are usually the same, though each notice can add its own details. Our triple signature guide covers the signature, which you can make with the UPSC signature resizer.

Common reasons UPSC photos get rejected

• Face too small, failing the 3/4 rule.
• Background not white, or with shadows and patterns.
• Dark glasses, a cap, or glare covering the eyes.
• Name or date missing when the instructions ask for them, or text covering the face.
• A photo that does not match the live capture.
• File outside the KB range or in the wrong format.

UPSC's 2026 notice says no correction is allowed in any field after submission, so check the photo carefully before you submit.

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