How to compress images without uploading them
Compress them on your Mac. Online image compressors upload each photo to their server and send back a smaller copy. FileMate does the same job locally: select the images in Finder, right-click, and choose FileMate › Compress Images. Smaller JPEG, PNG, HEIC or TIFF copies are saved next to the originals. Preview’s export quality slider is the built-in option for one image at a time.
With FileMate, your photos never leave your computer.
Compress images locally with FileMate
- Select the images in Finder.
- Right-click and choose FileMate › Compress Images.
- Smaller copies appear next to the originals, in the same format.
- Need smaller? Click Want smaller files? and try Stronger or Maximum.
What you send with a photo
A photo carries more than its pixels. Phone photos usually include the date and time, the device, and often the exact GPS location where they were taken. Upload it to a compressor, and all of that goes with it.
FileMate keeps metadata by default, so your own copies keep their dates. In FileMate Settings you can choose to remove the location and device details, or all metadata, from the compressed and converted copies it makes: useful before you post a photo publicly.
How much smaller will it get?
It depends on the photo. Phone photos saved at high quality typically shrink a lot at Safe, which keeps the dimensions and uses 80% JPEG quality. Images that were already compressed may not, and FileMate says “Already well compressed” instead of saving a copy that’s barely smaller.
Do I need the internet for this?
No. FileMate works offline once its licence is activated, once per Mac. Compression happens entirely on the Mac, so it works the same on a plane or with Wi-Fi turned off.
Built-in alternative: Preview
Open the image, choose File › Export, choose JPEG, and move the Quality slider. Preview shows the file size as you drag. That’s local too, and good for one image. FileMate is quicker for several images and for doing it regularly, because it happens in Finder.
Get FileMate
There is no need to upload a photo to make it smaller. FileMate compresses it in Finder, on your Mac, and the original stays untouched.
Normal price €9.99, now €4.99 incl. VAT
One payment, no subscription. macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.