How to crop a screenshot

Keep the original before editing so you can make a focused image for a ticket without losing context you may need later.

Choose between cropping a saved image and capturing a region

Cropping removes the outer parts of an image. Resizing changes its dimensions. If you want to remove a sidebar while keeping a chart, crop the image; if you want the entire image to fit a smaller space, consider resizing it instead.

If an error has disappeared, edit its saved screenshot. A new screen capture cannot recover that earlier state.

How to crop a screenshot on Windows

Crop a saved screenshot in Photos

Whether the image came from Print Screen, a browser capture or another person, start with its saved file. On Windows 11, Photos provides image-editing controls; labels and save options can vary by app version.

1. Make a copy in File Explorer. Select the screenshot, copy it and paste a duplicate into your chosen folder. Give the copy a recognizable name, such as checkout-error-crop.png.
2. Open the copy in Photos. Right-click it and choose Open with → Photos if another app opens by default.
3. Choose Edit image, or press Ctrl + E while the image is open.
4. Select Crop. Drag the edges or corner handles inward so the crop boundary encloses the content you want to keep.
5. Check the boundary. Leave room around the text, button or chart. Make sure a narrow crop has not removed a useful label.
6. Save the edited copy. Use the available save control. Choose a new filename with Save as, if offered. Saving over the duplicate still preserves the original.
7. Reopen the output. Confirm that the unwanted area is gone and the remaining text is readable.

Microsoft’s Photos editing guide documents Edit image, Ctrl + E and the Crop controls. Duplicating first keeps the original separate regardless of which save label your version shows.

Capture a new region with Snipping Tool

Use Snipping Tool when the content you need is visible now and you want to capture only a selected area. This is a new capture, not an edit to an existing file.

1. Press Windows + Shift + S to open the capture controls.
2. Choose Rectangle, then drag around the area you want. Capture the full screen only if you need all of its context.
3. Open the capture notification to view the result in Snipping Tool.
4. If the fresh snip includes too much, use Image crop in Snipping Tool and adjust the boundary.
5. Choose Save as in Snipping Tool to save the screenshot with a clear filename and location.

On Windows 11, some Snipping Tool versions also save captures automatically. Saving a named copy makes it easier to identify the result you intend to share. Microsoft describes these options in its Snipping Tool guide.

Snipping Tool captures what is on screen; a rectangular selection does not automatically include a page’s off-screen content. For a section farther down a long screenshot you already have, use the saved-file route in Photos.

Crop a screenshot on Mac

Edit a saved image in Preview

The Preview app can crop screenshots you already saved, including images received from a colleague.

1. Duplicate the file in Finder. Select it and choose File → Duplicate. Rename the duplicate so you can distinguish it from the original.
2. Open the duplicate in Preview. If necessary, Control-click it and choose Open With → Preview.
3. Choose a rectangular selection. If the selection controls are hidden, show the Markup toolbar and use the rectangular selection option among the markup tools.
4. Drag around the part to keep. Adjust the selection rectangle until it includes the necessary content and a little surrounding space.
5. Choose Tools → Crop, or press Command + K. Preview removes the image area outside the selected area.
6. Save the copy, then reopen it to inspect the result.

Apple’s Preview cropping guide explains selection, cropping and undo. If you chose the wrong boundary, use Edit → Undo Crop immediately, adjust the selection rectangle and try again.

Capture a new region on Mac

If you need a new image of something currently visible, press Command + Shift + 4 and drag around the selected area. This saves you from capturing extra content only to remove it afterward.

Use Preview to crop screenshots that already exist or need more precise edges. A new region capture cannot include parts of a webpage that are not currently on screen.

Crop an image in a compatible Chrome editor

If your installed version of Screenshot Extension has Add image and Crop, you can use those controls to trim a saved PNG or JPEG. Use the controls your installed editor provides.

1. Choose Add image and open your saved screenshot, or use the capture already open in the Editor.
2. Select Crop. If the editor asks you to apply existing annotation changes first, choose Apply changes, then return to Crop.
3. Drag the crop handles to set the edges. Drag inside the crop area if you need to reposition it over a different part of the image.
4. Choose Apply crop to keep that area. Use Cancel if you want to leave the current crop unchanged.
5. Export a copy with the available Download control, then open the saved result to check its edges and readability.

Where available, Restore full image lets you return to the full image in the editor. Keep your original file as well. Very large screenshots may be unavailable for cropping even when they can still be downloaded; in that case, download the image and try a desktop editor that can open it.

If your installed popup only downloads captures and has no image editor, use Photos or Preview for this task.

Keep enough context and save a readable result

The purpose of a crop is to help someone notice the right thing. For a checkout bug, keep the error message, the button that triggered it and enough of the form to show where it happened. Remove unrelated navigation or empty space. A crop of only the error text may be too narrow to explain the problem.

For a design review, keep the heading or nearby element that anchors your comment. Add an arrow or short note if your editor supports it, but avoid covering the detail you want reviewed. Crop screenshots around the decision or action, not just the most visually striking object.

PNG is a useful choice for interface text and sharp edges. JPEG export can introduce compression artifacts, so inspect small lettering if you use it. Cropping cannot create detail that was absent from the original; making a small crop fill a large slide may reveal blurry pixels.

Open the actual exported copy before attaching it. Check that no annotation was cut off and that the recipient can read it at a practical size. If you need a document attachment, you can then turn the saved image into a PDF. Inspect the PDF too, because its layout may scale the image.

Common crop problems

Before sharing, inspect the exported image for details you did not intend to include. Cropping is an editing action, not a guarantee about metadata, previous versions or copies stored elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions