SSC CGL 2026 Photo and Signature: Live Photo, 10-20 KB Signature

For SSC CGL 2026 you do not upload a photo file. The application on ssc.gov.in captures a live photo of you through a webcam or phone camera. The only image you prepare yourself is your signature: a JPEG/JPG between 10 KB and 20 KB, about 6.0 cm wide and 2.0 cm high.

You may have seen "resize your SSC CGL photo to 20-40 KB" elsewhere, including in an earlier version of this page. That rule is not in the current SSC notices. Older SSC notices asked for a scanned photo of 20-50 KB, but SSC has replaced the uploaded photo with live capture. This guide covers what SSC asks for now, how to get the live photo accepted and how to prepare the signature file.

Key takeaways

• Photo: captured live inside the application form. There is no photo file, so there is no photo size in KB or pixels to meet.
• Signature: the one file you upload. JPEG/JPG, 10-20 KB, about 6.0 cm x 2.0 cm. No pixel size is given.
• Source: the SSC CHSL 2026 notice (F. No. HQ-C1102/5/2026-C-1, published 7 September 2026). The CGL 2026, MTS 2025 and GD 2026 notices give the same 10-20 KB signature and the same live photo capture. Checked on 25 October 2026.
• Before the next cycle: SSC can change these rules. Read the photo and signature section of the new notice on ssc.gov.in before you apply.

What changed: uploaded photo versus live capture

The old-rule column comes from a 2022 notice by the SSC Karnataka-Kerala Region quoting the CHSL 2022 notice. One annexure of the current notice still says about 4.0 cm x 2.0 cm for the signature; the main text says 6.0 cm x 2.0 cm. Both describe a wide, short image. The KB range is the firm number.

What to prepare before you apply

1. A One-Time Registration on ssc.gov.in. An OTR made on the old ssc.nic.in site does not carry over. The notice advises choosing Aadhaar-based authentication during OTR.
2. A working camera. A laptop webcam works. If it does not, the Upload Documents page shows a QR code to install the mySSC app and capture the photo on your phone.
3. A signature file: JPEG/JPG, 10-20 KB, cropped close to a wide 6.0 x 2.0 cm shape. See the steps below.
4. Printed passport-size colour photos. Live capture removes the uploaded photo, not the printed one. Candidates who did not complete Aadhaar-based authentication must bring recent passport-size colour photos and an original photo ID to the exam, and Document Verification also asks for printed photos.

How to get the live photo accepted

The notice lists the capture conditions. Follow them and the photo step is done:

• Sit in good light in front of a plain background.
• Keep the camera at eye level and look straight at it.
• Keep your whole face inside the area marked on screen, neither too close nor too far.
• Do not wear a cap, mask, glasses or spectacles.
• Never photograph an existing photo, printed or on screen. SSC rejects those applications.

Poor-quality, blurred, miniature or side-facing photos are also grounds for rejection. Check the preview and recapture before you submit if anything looks off. Face a window or lamp rather than having the light behind you, and clean the camera lens first.

How to prepare the signature file

1. Sign in your normal style on plain white paper with a dark pen, in a firm stroke so it stays readable when small.
2. Photograph or scan it straight on, in good light, without shadows.
3. Crop close around the signature so it is about three times as wide as it is tall. A small signature in the middle of a large white page is what the notice calls "miniature" and rejects.
4. Open the SSC Signature Resizer. It is set to the SSC spec: a JPEG between 10 KB and 20 KB at about 6.0 cm x 2.0 cm.
5. Download the file and check its size is at least 10 KB and no more than 20 KB before you upload it.

Blurred or miniature signatures are rejected. For candidates with a visual impairment (PwD, VH), the notice also accepts a thumb impression in place of the signature.

Why applications get rejected

Use the Preview option before you submit. After submission, changes are possible only in the correction window SSC announces.

Aadhaar-based authentication

The notice gives two reasons to choose Aadhaar-based authentication during OTR:

• Applications from these candidates are not rejected because the photo or signature is not to the prescribed standard.
• These candidates do not need to bring printed photos or an original photo ID to the computer-based exam.

Frequently asked questions

What is the photo size for SSC CGL 2026?

There is no photo size, because you do not upload a photo. The form captures a live photo through your webcam or phone. The only file you upload is the signature.

Is the SSC CGL photo size 20-40 KB?

No. No current SSC notice gives 20-40 KB. Older notices asked for a scanned photo of 20-50 KB at about 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm; the current notices replaced it with live capture.

What is the SSC CGL signature size?

A JPEG/JPG between 10 KB and 20 KB, about 6.0 cm wide and 2.0 cm high. No pixel size is given. Source: SSC CHSL 2026 notice, F. No. HQ-C1102/5/2026-C-1 (7 September 2026); the CGL 2026 notice gives the same 10-20 KB. Checked on 25 October 2026.

Can I upload an old passport photo for SSC CGL?

No. You must not capture a photo of an existing photograph; SSC rejects those applications. Take the live photo when the form prompts you.

Can I wear spectacles in the SSC live photo?

No. The capture rules say no cap, mask, glasses or spectacles.

What if my webcam does not work?

Use the QR code on the Upload Documents page to install the mySSC app and capture the live photo on your phone.

Sources

Checked on 25 October 2026.

• Staff Selection Commission: Notice of the Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination 2026, F. No. HQ-C1102/5/2026-C-1 (published 7 September 2026): signature 10-20 KB, about 6.0 x 2.0 cm; live photo capture
• Staff Selection Commission: Notice of the Combined Graduate Level Examination 2026 (the file name on the SSC server says 2025): live photo capture, capture instructions, Aadhaar-based authentication
• Staff Selection Commission (Karnataka-Kerala Region): photo and signature provisions, CHSL 2022: the older uploaded-photo rule
• Staff Selection Commission: official website