JEE (Main) photo specifications
| Requirement | What the JEE (Main) 2026 bulletin says |
|---|---|
| Type | Recent passport size photograph |
| Colour | In colour |
| Face | 80% face visible, without a mask, including ears |
| Background | White |
| File format | JPG/JPEG, clearly legible |
| File size | 10–200 KB |
| Pixel dimensions | Not specified |
| Live photo | Also captured during the application through a webcam, or a phone via QR code |
Source: JEE (Main) 2026 Information Bulletin, National Testing Agency, linked from jeemain.nta.nic.in (the latest bulletin there when we checked in October 2026), Step 2 of the application process.
Each JEE (Main) cycle has its own bulletin. When the next one is published, compare its photo rules with this page before uploading, because values and dates can change. KBSnap is an independent tool and is not affiliated with NTA.
Why the photo opens at 3.5 × 4.5 cm
The bulletin fixes the format (JPG/JPEG) and the file size (10–200 KB) but not the pixel dimensions. It does ask for a passport size photograph, so this page starts from the usual Indian passport photo size, 3.5 × 4.5 cm at 300 DPI (413 × 531 pixels). You can type other dimensions if the form asks for them.
At that size the JPG is sharp and well inside the 200 KB ceiling. With the minimum set to 10 KB, a very plain image that would come out smaller is brought up to the minimum, first by raising quality and then, if needed, with invisible padding.
Step by step: your JEE Main photo
- Wear your usual look. This photo appears on your admit card and you paste a copy at the exam, so look the way you normally do.
- Stand against a plain white wall in daylight or a bright room. Ask someone to take the photo at eye level while you look straight at the camera.
- Show both ears and keep your face uncovered. Masks are not allowed in the photo.
- Crop in your gallery app so your face fills about 80% of the frame, from just above the hair to just below the chin, with a little room at the sides for your ears.
- Add the photo here. The 3.5 × 4.5 cm, 10–200 KB settings are ready. Crop to fill trims the edges evenly, so a centred face stays centred.
- Download the JPG and check it at full size: your face should be sharp, evenly lit and clearly recognisable.
- Upload it in the application form along with your signature and documents, then complete the live photo capture.
KBSnap doesn’t change or remove backgrounds and doesn’t detect faces, so the white wall and the close crop are up to you.
The other uploads in the JEE Main form
| Upload | Format | File size in the 2026 bulletin |
|---|---|---|
| Photograph | JPG/JPEG | 10–200 KB |
| Signature | JPG/JPEG | 10–100 KB |
| Class 10 or equivalent certificate/marks sheet | 50–300 KB | |
| Identity proof (only if not verifying through Aadhaar or DigiLocker) | JPG/JPEG | 10–200 KB |
| Disability/UDID certificate (if applicable) | 50–300 KB |
- Make the signature with the Signature Resizer: photograph your signature on white paper, then set the maximum to 100 KB and the minimum to 10 KB.
- Bring a scanned certificate between 50 and 300 KB with compress PDF to 300KB, or turn a photo of it into a PDF with JPG to PDF.
The same application number is used for both JEE (Main) sessions, so keep the photo file and its prints safe if you plan to sit both.
The live photo and identity
The JEE (Main) form also captures a live photograph. Switch on your camera or connect a webcam to the device you are applying from; if it has no webcam, scan the QR code shown on the form with a phone or tablet. The bulletin asks for a light-coloured background, proper lighting and 80% face visibility, including ears, without a mask.
NTA also advises candidates to update their Aadhaar details, including a recent photograph, and says it reserves the right to verify candidates’ details and photographs.
Photo problems the bulletin warns about
- Indistinct or doubtful photographs. The bulletin says no admit card will be issued to candidates whose applications are incomplete for reasons that include indistinct or doubtful photographs.
- Someone else’s photo. Candidates must upload their own photograph, signature and certificates; if someone else’s are found at any time, it is treated as Unfair Means.
- Wrong or morphed photographs. Affixing or uploading wrong or morphed photographs or signatures on the application form, admit card or proforma is listed as unfair means.
- No later corrections. The facility for correcting the photograph and signature will not be given in the future, so check them before submitting.
On exam day you need one passport size photograph, the same as the one uploaded, to paste on the attendance sheet, plus an original photo ID. Print a few copies of the exact file you upload; the Indian passport photo page can lay out a 4×6 in print sheet.