How-To

How to Crop an Image in Windows 10, Linux, macOS, iOS or Android

Your favorite desktop or mobile operating system has a built-in app for cropping photos and images.

Just about every device you own, be it a desktop PC, laptop, smartphone or tablet, has some simple image editing capabilities built-in. This includes the ability to crop photos so you can cut down on the size of an image to accentuate the subject matter or alter the aspect ratio of the photo. Once you find an application’s crop tool, the process is fairly intuitive. But the steps for editing a photo vary from platform to platform. Here’s a handy guide on how to crop a photo on whatever device you’re using.

How to use Photos, Paint, Shotwell or Preview to Crop a Photo

If you have a favorite third-party application that works across multiple platforms, by all means, use it. But if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to crop a photo using native or included applications on your operating system, follow these steps.

Photos App in Windows 10

Windows 10’s default image viewer includes numerous functions and cropping your photo is one of them. Open an imagein the Photos app. Start by clicking the Edit & Create menu then click Edit or press Control + E.

Note: Microsoft is constantly making changes to these apps, so these instructions might be outdated by the next release. If you don’t see the menu option above, right-click the photo and click Edit & create > Edit.

Once you are in the editing interface, click the huge Crop and rotate menu at the top of the edit pane.

This will activate the anchors at the edges of the photo.

To begin cropping, drag the anchors inward. If you make a mistake, just click Reset. After cropping to your specified dimensions, click Done. That’s it!

Paint 3D in Windows 10

Another new app for Windows 10 is Paint 3D. We have covered some of the new features and capabilities included in Paint 3D. The app puts a lot of focus on 3D, augmented reality and adding special effects to your photos. But you can use it to crop photos too. On the command bar, click the Crop menu.

Just like Photos, you can use the activated anchors to adjust the dimensions of the photo.

You can review the task pane to see the width and height. If you are happy with the results, click Done.

Classic Paint in Windows 10

The good old Paint application is still around and its just as fast and easy to use like always. The first step is to click the Select button under the Home tab.

Use the mouse to make a selection then release.

Proceed to click Crop within the same Image group under the Home tab or press Control + Shift + X.

There is it, your photo is now cropped.

Linux – Shotwell

Most Linux distributions include the Shotwell application, which you can use to crop photos and perform other basic photo editing tasks. Open the image, click the Crop menu at the bottom or press Control + O on your keyboard.

Adjust the anchor then click Crop.

macOS – Photos

In Apple’s desktop operating system, you can use either the Photos or Preview apps. In Photos, click the Edit menu.

Once in Edit mode, click Crop.

Use the anchors to resize the image to your desired dimension.

Preview in macOS

Use your mouse to make a selection, press Command + K or click Tools then click Crop.

iOS – Photos App

There are hundreds of apps to choose from that can perform cropping on iOS. But for this article, we’ll use with the built-in Photos app.

  • Launch the Photos app and select the image from your camera roll. Tap edit menu at the top right corner of the screen.
  • Tap the crop icon at the bottom – it’s right beside the Cancel menu.
  • Use the activated anchors to adjust the dimension of the photo you would like to keep then click Done to confirm changes.

Android – Gallery App

The instructions here will vary because manufacturers and carriers will often modify the stock Android operating system. For instance, a Samsung Galaxy or OnePlus will vary from a stock Android phone or another make/model. Here I’m using a cheap Alcatel.

  • Launch the Gallery app and select the image from your camera roll. Tap the edit icon represented by a pencil at the bottom.
  • Tap Edit again.
  • Use the activated anchors to adjust the dimension then tap Crop.

That’s it—the many ways to crop your photos, whether you are on Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS or Android.

Is there something I missed or any tips you might have that might make this otherwise simple task even easier? Let us know in the comments section.

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