SSC CGL and CHSL 2026 Photo and Signature Size: Live Photo Rules and 10–20 KB Signature

If you're applying for an SSC exam this year, the photo and signature rules are different from what older guides, coaching PDFs and YouTube videos describe. There's no photo to upload any more. SSC captures your photo live while you fill in the form, and the only image you upload is your signature. This guide goes through exactly what the Staff Selection Commission's own notices for the Combined Graduate Level Examination (CGL) 2026 and the Combined Higher Secondary Level Examination (CHSL) 2026 say, what gets applications rejected, and how to prepare a signature file that meets the 10–20 KB limit. The CHSL 2026 application window runs from 7 September to 7 October 2026 (23:00), so if that's your exam, there's still time to get it right.

The Short Version

Both notices use the same wording for these rules. One annexure of the CGL 2026 notice mentions about 4.0 cm × 2.0 cm for the signature, while the main instructions of both notices say about 6.0 cm × 2.0 cm. In practice the portal checks the format and the 10–20 KB size; a clear signature in a wide, short shape satisfies either description.

How the Live Photo Works

SSC's application module has a camera step built in. When the form asks for your photo, it switches on your webcam, or lets you use your phone, and takes the picture there and then. You don't need a studio photograph, and you shouldn't try to use one.

The notices list five instructions for the capture:

1. Find a place with good light and a plain background.
2. Make sure the camera is at eye level before taking the photo.
3. Sit or stand directly in front of the camera and look straight ahead.
4. Keep your face fully inside the area marked on the screen, neither too close nor too far, with no part of your face outside it.
5. Don't wear a cap, mask or glasses/spectacles while capturing the photo.

The notices are also very direct about one thing: do not photograph an existing photograph. Holding up a printed passport photo to the webcam, or pointing the camera at a photo on another screen, leads to rejection. The photo in the form must be of you, taken at that moment, and your appearance at the exam should match it.

Getting the Live Photo Right the First Time

The official instructions are short, so here's what they mean in an ordinary room at home:

• Light from the front. Sit facing a window during the day. A window behind you turns your face into a dark silhouette, and an overhead tube light can throw shadows under your eyes.
• A plain wall behind you. A light, single-colour wall is ideal. Move away from cupboards, posters, curtains with patterns and doorways with people walking past.
• Camera at eye level. On a laptop, put it on a few books so the camera isn't looking up at your chin. On a phone, prop it up rather than holding it at arm's length.
• Glasses off. SSC's instructions say no glasses or spectacles during capture, even if you wear them every day.
• Fill the marked area. Move closer or further until your face sits fully inside the outline on screen.
• Check before you continue. SSC's instructions advise recapturing if the photo isn't as instructed. Look at the preview, and take it again if it's dark, blurred or tilted.

If your laptop has no webcam or it won't start, the CGL 2026 notice explains that the Upload Documents page shows a QR code for downloading SSC's app, so you can capture the photo on your phone instead. Applications can also be filled in through the mySSC mobile app.

Preparing the Signature File

This is the one image you prepare yourself, and it's where most avoidable mistakes happen.

1. Sign on white paper with a dark pen

Use plain white paper and a black or dark blue pen that writes smoothly. Sign the way you'll sign in the exam hall and on every later document. A signature that looks different from your usual one causes trouble at verification stages.

2. Make it a little larger than usual

A signature that fills a 6 cm × 2 cm box on paper survives resizing much better than a tiny one in the corner of a page. SSC rejects "miniature" signatures, meaning ones that are too small to read clearly in the uploaded image.

3. Photograph or scan it cleanly

In daylight, hold the phone directly above the paper so it's not at an angle, and make sure your hand or phone isn't casting a shadow. Tap to focus on the ink before taking the picture. A scanner works just as well.

4. Crop tightly and keep the shape wide

Crop close around the signature with a small white margin. The result should be a wide, short rectangle, roughly three times as wide as it is tall, to match "about 6 cm × 2 cm". SSC gives the size in centimetres, not pixels. As a practical guide (our suggestion, not an SSC figure), an image of around 450 × 150 pixels keeps that shape and stays sharp.

5. Fit it into 10–20 KB

Save it as a JPEG and check the size. Aim for the middle of the range, around 14–17 KB, so small differences in how systems count kilobytes don't push it over or under the limit.

• Too big (over 20 KB): lower the JPEG quality slightly, or reduce the pixel size a little.
• Too small (under 10 KB): this is common, because white paper compresses so well. Increase the JPEG quality to 90–95%, or use a slightly larger image. Don't add borders or noise.

The Aadhaar Authentication Exception

Both notices advise candidates to choose Aadhaar-based authentication during One-Time Registration. For candidates who do, SSC says their applications will not be rejected on the grounds that the photograph or signature doesn't meet the prescribed standards, and they won't need to carry photographs or original photo ID to the exam centre for the computer-based exam.

Candidates who don't go through Aadhaar authentication must, according to the CHSL 2026 notice, reach the exam centre two hours before the exam and carry at least two recent passport-size colour photographs and original valid photo ID with the date of birth as printed on the admission certificate. Even if you do choose Aadhaar authentication, it's still worth submitting a clear photo and signature. Your admission certificate and verification stages rely on them.

Common Reasons SSC Photos and Signatures Get Rejected

• Photographing a printed photo or a photo on another screen instead of capturing your face live.
• Wearing glasses, a cap or a mask during the photo capture.
• A dark or blurred live photo, or a face partly outside the marked area.
• A blurred signature, or one so small it can't be read.
• A signature file outside 10–20 KB, or saved as PNG instead of JPEG.
• A signature on lined, grey or crumpled paper, or with a shadow across it.

Step by Step: Preparing Your SSC Signature With Kravoy

The Exam Form Kit's SSC page is set up for exactly this (the CHSL 2026 signature rules are the same as CGL's):

1. Add your signature. Upload a photo or scan, or take one with your phone camera. iPhone HEIC photos work too.
2. Let the kit clean it. It crops to a wide signature shape, whitens grey paper and removes shadows.
3. It fits the file into 10–20 KB as a JPEG, checking both the minimum and the maximum.
4. Read the check. The kit flags anything likely to cause trouble, such as a faint or blurred signature, before you download.
5. Practise the live photo. The same page has a practice camera with SSC's live-photo rules, so you can check your lighting and background before the real form.

Everything runs in your browser; your signature isn't uploaded to Kravoy. If you're applying to other exams too, the guide to reducing a photo to 20–50 KB covers the general method, and the Exam Form Kit also covers IBPS, UPSC, NEET and JEE.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to upload a photo for SSC CGL or CHSL 2026?
No. SSC captures your photo live through the application form. You only upload your signature.

What is the SSC signature size in KB?
10 KB to 20 KB, in JPEG/JPG format, with dimensions of about 6.0 cm wide by 2.0 cm high according to the main instructions of both 2026 notices.

What is the SSC signature size in pixels?
The notices don't give a pixel size, only centimetres. A wide image around 450 × 150 pixels matches the 6 cm × 2 cm shape and stays clear. The KB range is what the portal enforces.

Can I wear spectacles in the SSC live photo?
No. The instructions say not to wear a cap, mask or glasses/spectacles while capturing the photo.

Can I use my passport photo for SSC?
No. Taking a picture of an existing photograph leads to rejection. The photo must be captured live of you.

My webcam isn't working. What can I do?
The CGL 2026 notice says a QR code on the Upload Documents page lets you download SSC's app and capture the photo with your phone. You can also apply through the mySSC app.

Source: Staff Selection Commission notices for the Combined Graduate Level Examination 2026 and the Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination 2026, published at ssc.gov.in. Always check the latest notice for your exam before applying.