How to crop images with your Windows PC’s built-in tools

Cropping images on Windows is easier than you think, thanks to built-in tools like the Snipping Tool, Photos app, and Paint. Whether you’re editing screenshots, resizing photos, or preparing images for social media, Windows offers several ways to crop without the need for third-party software. Here’s how to do it with each tool.

Let’s start with the Snipping Tool. First, right-click on an image file in Explorer and navigate to Open with > Snipping Tool. This will load the Snipping Tool with the selected image.

Next, click on the Crop image button in the toolbar—it’s the fourth from the right. A frame with handles will now appear around the image. Drag the handles inward to crop the image as desired.

Once the result looks right, click the checkmark icon at the top labeled Apply (input). Use the Save as button at the top right to save the edited image as a new file.

Using the Photos App

With the Photos app (also known as the Windows Photo Viewer), you can easily crop images. To do this, right-click on the desired photo in Explorer and select Edit with Photos from the context menu.

Make sure that Crop is selected at the top of the toolbar, then drag the handles until the image is the desired size. Click the Save options button and select what you want to do with the edited image.

Alternatively, to crop your photo with a custom aspect ratio, click Free at the bottom, choose a suitable format, confirm with Done, and click on Save options.

Using Paint

As a third option, you can also use the Paint program for cropping. Right-click on the image file in Explorer and go to Edit with Paint.

In Paint, you may first have to adjust the photo to a suitable view using the Fit to window size button at the bottom right. The software automatically adds handles to the photo, which you can use to crop it quickly.

It’s also possible to go to Select > Rectangle on the far left of the toolbar, select the part of the image you want to keep, and then use the Crop button (immediately to the right) to remove the rest of the photo.