Invalid file format: how to fix it on an exam form
The form wants a JPG and got something else. Usually it is a PNG screenshot, a WebP saved from a website, or an iPhone photo in HEIC. Pick your exam in the tool, drop the picture and download the result. You get a real JPG at the exam's pixel size and KB range, not a renamed file.
The tool runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Updated 28 October 2026.
1. Choose
- Pixels:
- about 350 × 350 px
- File size:
- 20–200 KB
- Format:
- JPG
- Background:
- white
- Face share:
- about 75% of the height (from the notice)
Source: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 — Examination Notice No. 05/2026-CSE (4 Feb 2026), checked 3 Oct 2026
Change the output size
The notice gives an approximate size, so you can pick another one close to it.
2. Fix
JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC (where the browser can open it). Large phone photos are fine.
Nothing is uploaded. Everything runs on this device.
What "Invalid file format" means
Every exam in our data asks for the photo as a JPG, and nearly all of them want the signature as a JPG too. When the form says the format is invalid, it is objecting to the file type only.
Renaming photo.png to photo.jpg does not change what is inside the file. Some upload checks read the start of the file, where the real type is written, so a renamed PNG can fail again. The picture has to be saved again as a JPG.
Why it happens
- The iPhone saved the photo as HEIC, the format recent iPhones use unless you change it.
- You took a screenshot of the photo, and phones save screenshots as PNG.
- The picture came from a website or from Google Photos in a browser and downloaded as WebP.
- The scan was saved as a PDF, or someone renamed the file by hand from .png to .jpg.
Exams that take the photo only as a JPG
- Bihar Police Constable · 200 × 230 px, 15 to 25 KB
- CSIR NET · 200 × 230 px, 10 to 200 KB
- CTET · 200 × 230 px, 10 to 100 KB
- CUET UG · 200 × 230 px, 10 to 200 KB
- CWC · 200 × 230 px, 20 to 50 KB
- DSSSB · 480 × 672 px, 50 to 300 KB
- GATE · 350 × 450 px, 5 to 600 KB
- IBPS Clerk · 200 × 230 px, 20 to 50 KB
- IBPS PO · 200 × 230 px, 20 to 50 KB
- IBPS RRB Clerk · 200 × 230 px, 20 to 50 KB
- IBPS RRB PO · 200 × 230 px, 20 to 50 KB
- India Post GDS · 320 × 400 px, 30 to 100 KB
- JEE Advanced · 200 × 230 px, 10 to 200 KB
- JEE Main · 200 × 230 px, 10 to 200 KB
- LIC AAO · 200 × 230 px, 20 to 50 KB
- NEET PG · 200 × 230 px, up to 80 KB
- NEET UG · 200 × 230 px, 10 to 200 KB
- NICL AO · 200 × 230 px, 20 to 50 KB
- NIFT · 200 × 230 px, 10 to 200 KB
- RBI Assistant · 200 × 230 px, 20 to 50 KB
- RIMCEE · 200 × 230 px, 10 to 200 KB
- RMS CET · 200 × 230 px, 10 to 200 KB
- SBI Clerk · 200 × 230 px, 20 to 50 KB
- SBI PO · 200 × 230 px, 20 to 50 KB
- SWAYAM · 200 × 230 px, 10 to 200 KB
- TNPSC Group 4 · 130 × 170 px, 20 to 50 KB
- UGC NET · 200 × 230 px, 10 to 200 KB
- UPPSC PCS · 200 × 230 px, up to 50 KB
- UPSC CAPF AC · 350 × 350 px, 20 to 200 KB
- UPSC CDS · 350 × 350 px, 20 to 200 KB
- UPSC CSE · 350 × 350 px, 20 to 200 KB
- UPSC ESE · 350 × 350 px, 20 to 200 KB
- UPSC Geo-Scientist · 350 × 350 px, 20 to 200 KB
- UPSC NDA · 350 × 350 px, 20 to 200 KB
- WB Police Constable · 138 × 177 px, 10 to 50 KB
From each exam's latest notification in our data. Each exam page shows its source and the date we checked it.
Tips
- On an iPhone, go to Settings, Camera, Formats and choose Most Compatible. The camera saves JPGs from then on.
- On Windows, turn on "File name extensions" in File Explorer's View menu. A file that shows as photo.jpg may really be photo.jpg.png.
- JPG and JPEG are the same format with two spellings. If the notice says either one, a .jpg file is right.
- Do not paste the photo into Word or print it to PDF to convert it. That gives you a document, not a picture file.
Other upload errors
Rejected for something other than size? See photo rejected and signature rejected. Only need the file smaller? Use compress to KB.