Reducing Photo Size in Windows

If you’re like me you’ll occasionally find the need to email or upload photos but get frustrated when you run up against a size limit. Sure, you could always send the photos in multiple batches, but did you know there is an easier way? For many years I’ve been a fan of Microsoft PowerToys, a free collection of a couple dozen utilities developed in-house by Microsoft but deemed too niche for inclusion in a default installation of Windows. As the name implies, the tools are intended for “power users” – those who want to push beyond default settings to tweak their computers. One of these tools, Image Resizer, has such broad applicability that I’m still perplexed as to why it isn’t included in Windows automatically. The aptly-named application adds a “Resize” option to the pop-up menu when right-clicking on a photo or selection of photos in File Explorer. From there you can select a new size along with a few other options. Your new photos are then placed in the same folder as the original and are much smaller in file size, making them far easier to email or upload. Even if you don’t have immediate need for this feature, it’s worth a few minutes of your time to get it installed now so you have it available at your fingertips when the need arises.