How to crop a photo
- Choose a photo or drop it on the box above. It opens with a crop box over it.
- Drag the box to move it, and drag a corner handle to resize it. Pick a shape to lock the proportions, for example Square 1:1 for a profile picture.
- For exact results, type the position and size in pixels.
- Select Crop image and download the result. Select Skip this image to leave a photo uncropped.
Common crop shapes
| Shape | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Square 1:1 | Profile pictures, product photos, Instagram grid |
| Portrait 4:5 or 3:4 | Instagram and Facebook portrait posts |
| Landscape 3:2 | Prints (6 × 4 inches), most camera photos |
| Landscape 4:3 | Phone photos, presentations, many tablets |
| Widescreen 16:9 | YouTube thumbnails, desktop wallpapers, slides |
| Vertical 9:16 | Phone wallpapers, Stories, Reels, TikTok |
Crop or resize?
Cropping removes the edges of a picture, changing what’s in it and often its shape. Resizing keeps the whole picture but makes it bigger or smaller. When a website asks for a fixed size such as 1080 × 1080, crop to the right shape first so nothing is stretched, then resize to the exact pixels.
Tips for a better crop
- Leave a little space around the subject, especially in the direction a person is looking or moving.
- For portraits, don’t crop through joints like wrists, elbows or knees; crop between them.
- Photos from phones are usually large enough to crop tightly and still print well. Small web images lose detail quickly when cropped hard.
Formats and privacy
JPG, PNG and WebP keep their format; AVIF, BMP and GIF are saved as PNG, and only the first frame of a GIF is kept. Transparent areas stay transparent. The photo is cropped by your browser on your device and never uploaded.
Questions
How do I crop to an exact size in pixels?
Type the width and height into the number boxes under the photo. Left and Top set where the box starts, measured from the top-left corner. To end up with a specific final size, such as 1200 × 800, crop to the shape you want, then use the resize tool.
Does cropping lower the quality?
Cropping keeps every pixel inside the box exactly as it was. PNG and WebP are saved without loss; JPG photos are re-saved at high quality (92%), which isn't visibly different.
Can I crop several photos?
Yes. Add several and they open one after another. Each can have its own crop, and the chosen shape stays selected for the next photo.
Why does the cropped photo have fewer pixels than the original?
That's what cropping does. It removes the area outside the box, so the result is smaller in pixels and usually in file size too. The detail inside the box is unchanged.
Last reviewed 5 November 2026