Crop images online
Drag a selection box over your image and cut exactly what you need — a square avatar, a 16:9 cover, or any free-form crop. Everything happens locally in your browser.
100% private: files are processed in your browser and never uploaded to any server.
How it works
- Drop an image into the box above — the crop editor opens instantly.
- Drag and resize the selection; use the ratio buttons for exact proportions.
- Click “Crop & download” to save the cropped image.
Cropping is a compositional decision, not a technical one
Every other adjustment changes how an image is stored; cropping changes what it is about. Removing the distracting half of a frame, cutting to the subject, straightening a horizon by cropping into the rotation — these decide what a viewer looks at. It is the most consequential edit on this site and the one worth spending an extra minute on.
Practically, cropping also improves everything downstream. A tighter crop means fewer pixels spent on background, which means better quality at any given file size — the reason a photograph that will not compress to a small target often fits comfortably once it is cropped to the subject.
Cropping to a required shape
Platforms are opinionated about aspect ratio. Profile pictures want squares, banners want wide strips, video thumbnails want 16:9, and printed photographs want the ratio of the paper. If you upload the wrong shape, the platform crops it for you, usually badly and usually through somebody's forehead.
Cropping deliberately to the required ratio before uploading takes that decision back. Fix the ratio first, then move the frame to choose what stays. And remember that cropping only removes pixels: if the result then falls below a minimum dimension the destination requires, you may need to start from a larger original rather than enlarging afterwards.
Good to know
Cropping is the one edit that costs nothing in quality: the pixels you keep are untouched and the rest are simply discarded. There is no re-sampling, so a crop of a sharp photo is exactly as sharp as the original.
The ratio presets are there because most crops are for a slot with fixed proportions — 1:1 for avatars and product listings, 4:3 for classic photo prints, 16:9 for video thumbnails and cover images. Free mode is for when you just need to remove something from the frame.
The output keeps the format of the file you dropped in, including PNG transparency. If you need specific pixel dimensions rather than a proportion, crop first and then resize.
Frequently asked questions
Can I crop to an exact aspect ratio?
Yes — use the preset buttons (1:1, 4:3, 16:9) to lock the ratio, or choose Free to drag any shape.
Does cropping reduce image quality?
No. Cropping only removes pixels outside the selection; the pixels you keep are untouched.
What formats are supported?
JPG, PNG and WebP. The cropped file keeps the same format as the original, including PNG transparency.
Is my photo uploaded while I edit?
Never. The editor runs entirely in your browser; the image stays on your device from start to finish.
Can I recover the cropped-away part later?
Not from the cropped file — those pixels are gone. Keep the original if you might want a different crop later.