That one sentence is all CEAC gives you when your DS-160 photo fails its checks; it never names the rule. These are the requirements it holds your photo against, in the order home photos actually break them — and how to fix yours.
Fix it automatically — see the result free See your finished photo free · download it for Was $9.99, now $4.99 · refunded if the government rejects it
Why this happens
The fix
Or upload the photo you already have: we replace the background, crop your head to spec, export 600×600 JPEG · under 240 KB · pure white background, and measure the result against every rule on this page. You see the finished photo and its check report free before paying.
Fix it automatically →Pass here, rejected there? Instant refund.
Tap the refund link in your receipt, tell us it was rejected — refunded on the spot. No screenshots, no forms, no waiting.
30 DAYS FROM PURCHASE · NO PROOF UPLOADS · A DRUGSTORE COUNTER CHARGES $15–25 AND GUARANTEES NOTHING
Questions
CEAC does not say — the message is the same sentence whatever the cause. The spec it checks is public, though: head at 50–69% of the photo's total height, eyes 56–69% up from the bottom of the photo, background: Plain white or off-white, in a square JPEG at 240 KB or smaller. Our free check report measures your photo against each rule and names the ones that miss.
If the photo is sharp, straight-on, and shows your full head with room around it, the framing, background, and file can all be fixed after the fact. Blur, heavy shadows, a covered hairline, or glasses need a retake — no tool can honestly fix those.
No — the free official photo tool is no longer available. The requirements are still published, but the government no longer offers a tool to meet them with.
If you made it with us and the government rejects it, open the refund link in your receipt and tell us — the money goes back to your card on the spot. No screenshots, no forms. Covers thirty days from purchase.