How to check file input size with jQuery?

If you want to use jQuery's validate you can by creating this method:

$.validator.addMethod('filesize', function(value, element, param) {
    // param = size (en bytes) 
    // element = element to validate (<input>)
    // value = value of the element (file name)
    return this.optional(element) || (element.files[0].size <= param) 
});

You would use it:

$('#formid').validate({
    rules: { inputimage: { required: true, accept: "png|jpe?g|gif", filesize: 1048576  }},
    messages: { inputimage: "File must be JPG, GIF or PNG, less than 1MB" }
});

Use below to check file's size and clear if it's greater,

    $("input[type='file']").on("change", function () {
     if(this.files[0].size > 2000000) {
       alert("Please upload file less than 2MB. Thanks!!");
       $(this).val('');
     }
    });

You actually don't have access to filesystem (for example reading and writing local files), however, due to HTML5 File Api specification, there are some file properties that you do have access to, and the file size is one of them.

For the HTML below

<input type="file" id="myFile" />

try the following:

//binds to onchange event of your input field
$('#myFile').bind('change', function() {

  //this.files[0].size gets the size of your file.
  alert(this.files[0].size);

});

As it is a part of the HTML5 specification, it will only work for modern browsers (v10 required for IE) and I added here more details and links about other file information you should know: http://felipe.sabino.me/javascript/2012/01/30/javascipt-checking-the-file-size/

---

Old browsers support

Be aware that old browsers will return a null value for the previous this.files call, so accessing this.files[0] will raise an exception and you should check for File API support before using it

This code:

$("#yourFileInput")[0].files[0].size;

Returns the file size for an form input.

On FF 3.6 and later this code should be:

$("#yourFileInput")[0].files[0].fileSize;