GATE photo & signature size
Prepare both files to the GATE specification — correct pixel size, inside the KB range, ready to upload.
The specification
| Photograph | Signature | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 480 × 620 px | 500 × 160 px |
| File size | 5–600 KB | 3–300 KB |
| Format | JPG / JPEG | JPG / JPEG |
| Background | Plain white | Plain white paper |
| Ink | — | Black, handwritten |
GATE is the outlier: it publishes pixel RANGES rather than fixed sizes. The photograph must fall between 200 × 260 and 530 × 690 pixels at 5–600 KB, and the signature between 250 × 80 and 580 × 180 pixels at 3–300 KB, with a height-to-width ratio between 1:2.75 and 1:3.75. The values above sit comfortably inside both windows.
Specific to GATE. Because GATE accepts a range, aim for the middle of it rather than the edges — a file at the boundary can fail on rounding.
Always check your own notification. IIT (rotating organising institute) revises these between cycles and the figures published on third-party sites go stale. The tool above accepts whatever the current rule is — and if your notification differs, the exact KB tool and resizer will hit any target you type in.
Before you upload
Prepare the photograph against a plain white wall in even daylight, taken by someone else from about 1.5 metres — not a selfie. Sign on blank unlined paper with a medium ballpoint and photograph the sheet straight down. Transfer the original file rather than sending it through WhatsApp, which re-compresses it.
The six mistakes that actually cause rejections, and how to fix each one, are covered in why exam photo uploads get rejected.
Questions
What is the GATE photo size?
The commonly published requirement is 480 × 620 pixels in JPG format, between 5 KB and 600 KB, on a plain white background. Confirm against the notification you are applying under, as portals adjust this between cycles.
What is the GATE signature size?
500 × 160 pixels in JPG format, between 3 KB and 300 KB. Sign in black ink on plain unlined white paper.
Anything specific to GATE I should watch for?
Because GATE accepts a range, aim for the middle of it rather than the edges — a file at the boundary can fail on rounding.
My photo is rejected even though the size looks right.
The three usual causes are a background that is not plain, a face that fills too little of the frame, and a file just outside the permitted range. Some portals also enforce a minimum size, so a file that is too small is rejected as well as one that is too large.
Can I use a phone photo?
Yes, if the background is plain and the lighting is even. Have someone else take it from about 1.5 metres — a selfie at arm's length distorts facial proportions and some portals detect it.
Does the signature have to be in black ink?
Most Indian portals require black ink on white paper, and several reject blue. Never use a typed or digitally drawn signature — that is grounds for rejection on its own.
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything is prepared inside your browser and never transmitted. That matters for documents attached to an identity.