How to Crop a Picture on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac
Published 2026-10-27
Cropping removes the parts of a photo you don’t want and changes its shape: a square for a profile picture, a tall 9:16 frame for a story, or a wide 16:9 frame for a thumbnail. Every device can do it, and the steps only take a few seconds.
The quickest way on any device
- Open the Image Cropper and choose a picture.
- Pick a shape such as 1:1, 4:5 or 16:9, or leave it on Free.
- Drag the frame and its corners, then click “Crop and download”.
Tick “Circle crop” for a round profile picture with transparent corners.
On iPhone
Open the photo in Photos, tap Edit, then the crop icon. Drag the corners, or tap the aspect-ratio button at the top to choose Square, 16:9, 4:5 and other shapes. Tap Done. You can undo it later with Edit → Revert.
On Android
In Google Photos, open the photo, tap Edit, then Crop. Drag the corners or choose an aspect ratio, then tap Save copy to keep the original. Other gallery apps have a similar Edit → Crop option.
On Windows
Open the image in the Photos app, click Edit image (or press Ctrl+E), and use the crop handles or the aspect-ratio menu. Save a copy so the original stays untouched. In Paint, drag a selection and click Crop.
On a Mac
In Preview, drag a selection over the area you want and choose Tools → Crop (Command+K). In Photos, click Edit, then Crop, where you can also choose an aspect ratio.
Which shape to choose
| Ratio | Best for |
|---|---|
| 1:1 (square) | Profile pictures, product photos, square posts |
| 4:5 | Portrait posts in Instagram feeds |
| 9:16 | Stories, Reels, TikTok and Shorts |
| 16:9 | YouTube thumbnails, slides, desktop wallpapers |
| 3:2 | Standard prints such as 4 × 6 inches |
Tips for a better crop
- Use the rule of thirds. Place the subject’s eyes or the main object about a third of the way in, rather than dead center.
- Leave breathing room in the direction a person is looking or moving.
- Don’t crop at joints such as wrists, elbows or knees; it looks awkward.
- Crop before resizing. Get the shape right first, then set the exact size with the image resizer.
Common questions
- Does cropping reduce quality? It removes pixels outside the frame, so a heavily cropped photo has fewer pixels and may look soft when shown large.
- How do I crop a photo into a circle? Choose a square crop, tick “Circle crop” in the image cropper, and download the PNG.