Does a file inside these limits get accepted?

A file inside them meets the published limits as we read them on 4 November 2026. Only the authority decides whether it accepts a photo, and rules change: check the official page before you apply.

Is my photo uploaded to WinPhoto?

No. The check runs in your browser and the photo stays on your device, unless you choose the Detail check, which is opt-in. No face is recognised.

Does WinPhoto fill in or send the application?

No. WinPhoto is photo software: it checks a photo and makes a photo file. The application is yours to make on the official site.

Passport, visa and ID photos · Upload refused

DS-160 photo upload failed? The file limits, and how to meet them

The photo for the DS-160 online visa form is a digital file, and the official page publishes limits for it: file type JPEG; pixel size 600 x 600 pixels to 1,200 x 1,200 pixels (width x height); shape square: the height equals the width; file size up to 240 KB; colour depth 24-bit colour; colour in colour. A file outside any one of them does not meet the published limits. WinPhoto ID checks your photo against the published rules and makes a file inside these limits. The check is free.

Your photo stays on your device: nothing is uploaded, and no face is recognised.

Check your photo now, free

The published file limits

For the U.S. visa photo (DS-160 / DS-1648 nonimmigrant digital image; DS-260 immigrant visa prints). The indented words are the issuing authority's own, from the official page linked under them, read on the date given. WinPhoto is photo software, not an application service. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government. Only the authority decides whether it accepts a photo.

Limit	As published
File type	JPEG File Format The image must be in JPEG file format Official page, read on 4 November 2026.
Pixel size	600 x 600 pixels to 1,200 x 1,200 pixels (width x height) Dimensions The image dimensions must be in a square aspect ratio (the height must be equal to the width). Minimum acceptable dimensions are 600 x 600 pixels. Maximum acceptable dimensions are 1200 x 1200 pixels. Official page, read on 4 November 2026.
Shape	square: the height equals the width Dimensions The image dimensions must be in a square aspect ratio (the height must be equal to the width). Minimum acceptable dimensions are 600 x 600 pixels. Maximum acceptable dimensions are 1200 x 1200 pixels. Official page, read on 4 November 2026.
File size	up to 240 KB File Size The image must be less than or equal to 240 kB (kilobytes). Official page, read on 4 November 2026.
Colour depth	24-bit colour Color The image must be in color (24 bits per pixel) in sRGB color space which is the common output for most digital cameras. Official page, read on 4 November 2026.
Colour	in colour In color Official page, read on 4 November 2026.
Background	plain white or off-white Taken in front of a plain white or off-white background Official page, read on 4 November 2026.

The usual reasons a file is refused

Each of these puts a file outside the limits above:

The file is not a JPEG file.
The image is smaller than 600 x 600 pixels or larger than 1,200 x 1,200 pixels.
The image is not square: its height and width differ.
The file is larger than 240 KB.
The file is not saved in 24-bit colour.
The photo is black and white.

This list comes only from the published limits. A photo can also be turned down for what it shows, such as the background or the head size: the US visa photo page has every published rule.

What the free check does

The page checks your photo against the published photo rules it can measure, such as the head size where the rules set one and the background.
It then frames the photo and makes a 1,200 x 1,200 pixel JPEG file, fitted to the file size limit above.

Checking your photo is free and runs in your browser. The file comes with your document's photo: €6.99, paid once for that document, with unlimited retakes for 30 days. No subscription. A file made or checked here meets the published limits as read on 4 November 2026; it is not a promise that the authority accepts it.

Check your DS-160 photo, free

Questions

What photo file does the DS-160 online visa form take?: As the official page states it, read on 4 November 2026: file type JPEG; pixel size 600 x 600 pixels to 1,200 x 1,200 pixels (width x height); shape square: the height equals the width; file size up to 240 KB; colour depth 24-bit colour; colour in colour.
Does a file inside these limits get accepted?: A file inside them meets the published limits as we read them on 4 November 2026. Only the authority decides whether it accepts a photo, and rules change: check the official page before you apply.
Is my photo uploaded to WinPhoto?: No. The check runs in your browser and the photo stays on your device, unless you choose the Detail check, which is opt-in. No face is recognised.
Does WinPhoto fill in or send the application?: No. WinPhoto is photo software: it checks a photo and makes a photo file. The application is yours to make on the official site.