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Make Smaller guide

Make a smaller file copy on Windows

Right-click a file in File Explorer and open Make Smaller. Choose a quality profile, then open the saved copy with Show in folder. Your original stays in place.

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Before you start

  • Make Smaller on Windows 11 24H2 or later, x64, with a full Microsoft Store license or trial access with uses remaining.
  • A supported sample file available locally, a writable output location, and enough free space on both the system and destination drives for processing and the separate copy.

Using the free trial? Each saved copy at least 1% smaller uses one of your five trial uses. How the free trial works.

Follow these steps

  1. Choose one file

    Start with one photo, document or recording. Finish editing it and close apps that are writing to it. Right-click it, choose Properties and note Size if you need to meet an upload limit.

  2. Choose a quality profile

    Right-click the file and open Make Smaller. Choose Preserve quality to avoid extra quality loss, or Balanced for a smaller copy when some quality or resolution change is acceptable. Selecting the profile starts the work.

    Windows File Explorer shows Make Smaller in the selected Earth photo’s right-click menu.
    Open Make Smaller from the file’s menu. Enlarge image.
    1. Open Make Smaller from the selected file menu.

  3. Wait for the result

    Let Making smaller and Checking result finish. If Choose an output folder appears, pick a local folder you can save to. No improvement means no smaller copy was saved.

    Make Smaller shows a smaller Earth JPG created with Balanced beside File Explorer.
    Use Show in folder to open the smaller copy. Enlarge image.
    1. Show in folder opens the smaller copy’s location.

  4. Find the copy

    Choose Show in folder for a successful result. Individual files normally add - smaller to the name; Balanced and Smallest size add - smaller - balanced or - smaller - smallest. A number avoids an existing filename.

  5. Open and measure it

    Open the copy in its usual app. Check the content, then right-click the copy in File Explorer and choose Properties. Compare Size, not Size on disk, with the upload limit. Share the file you just checked.

Check your result

  • The original still exists and opens normally.
  • The reported output is smaller, has the expected format and opens correctly.
  • The selected output meets the receiving service's limit; no exact final size was assumed.
If you need more help

No new file can be a normal result

Some files are already small for their content. Read No improvement or the other result before trying another profile; a familiar extension does not mean every file can be reduced.

Your original and the new copy both take up space. The smaller-copy saving compares their sizes; it does not mean that space has been freed on your PC.

Hide or stop the operation

During processing, Hide puts the panel away while work continues. Use its system-tray icon to return. Stop requests cancellation of the current selection; copies that already finished remain available and other waiting selections can continue.

If the Explorer action is missing, check that the Store installation has completed and reopen File Explorer. If the app reports a license problem, follow Check license or Open Microsoft Store before selecting your files again.

Need the app?

Make Smaller. Check requirements and download options.

Make Smaller on Microsoft Store

Next steps