Crop images online
circle, rectangle & custom shapes
Free, fast and private. Upload a photo, pick a shape, and download your crop in seconds. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
A free online image cropper that does more
CropImages is a fast photo cropper for everyday jobs: round profile pictures, square Instagram posts, YouTube thumbnails, banners and creative cut-outs. No account, no watermark, no installs.
Circle crop
Make perfectly round profile pictures and avatars with a transparent background.
Square & rectangle
Free-form or locked to 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 9:16 and more, with optional rounded corners.
Custom shape crop
Click around any object to cut it out with your own polygon, then drag points to fine-tune.
Social media presets
One click sets the shape, ratio and export width for profile photos, posts, stories and more.
Private by design
Everything happens in your browser. Your images are never uploaded, stored or shared.
PNG, JPG & WebP
Export at the original size or a custom width, with adjustable quality and background colour.
Precise controls
Type exact X, Y, width and height values, or use handles and the rule-of-thirds grid.
Works everywhere
Desktop, tablet and phone. Upload, drag and drop, or paste straight from your clipboard.
Popular ways to crop an image
Pick a preset, upload your photo, and your crop is already set up with the right shape, ratio and output size.
Profile picture (circle)
Round 1:1 crop exported at 512 px. A good fit for social, chat and work profile photos.
Use this preset →Instagram square post
Square 1:1 crop at 1080 px wide for classic feed posts.
Use this preset →Instagram portrait 4:5
Taller 4:5 crop at 1080 px wide that takes more room in the feed.
Use this preset →Story, Reel & TikTok
Vertical 9:16 crop at 1080 px wide for full-screen short video covers and stories.
Use this preset →YouTube thumbnail
Widescreen 16:9 crop at 1280 px wide for video thumbnails and blog headers.
Use this preset →X (Twitter) header
Wide 3:1 crop at 1500 px wide for profile banners.
Use this preset →LinkedIn banner
Ultra-wide 4:1 crop at 1584 px wide for profile background images.
Use this preset →Image cropping guides
Short, practical answers to the most common cropping questions.
How to crop a picture into a circle
- Upload your photo above.
- Choose Circle. The selection locks to a perfect 1:1 shape.
- Drag it over the face or subject and resize with the handles.
- Download as PNG or WebP to keep the corners transparent.
How to crop an image to a square
- Choose Rectangle and click the 1:1 ratio chip.
- Move the square over the part of the photo you want to keep.
- Set a custom width such as 1080 px for social posts, or keep the original size.
- Download your square image.
How to crop a photo into a custom shape
- Choose Custom and click around the edge of the area to keep.
- Click the purple first point or press Enter to close the outline.
- Drag points to refine the edge. Backspace removes the last point.
- Export as PNG to get a clean cut-out with a transparent background.
How to make a transparent PNG
Any shape other than a full-frame rectangle leaves empty corners or edges. Export as PNG or WebP and those areas stay transparent, which is ideal for logos, stickers and overlays. JPG cannot store transparency, so it fills them with a colour you choose.
Tips for a better crop
- Use the rule-of-thirds grid and place the main subject on a line or intersection.
- For portraits, keep the eyes in the upper third and leave a little headroom.
- Crop tight enough to remove distractions, but leave breathing room around the subject.
- Start from the highest resolution file you have, since cropping removes pixels.
Handy shortcuts
- Ctrl/⌘ + V pastes an image straight from your clipboard.
- Enter closes a custom shape.
- Backspace or Ctrl/⌘ + Z removes the last custom point.
- Drag outside the box to start a brand-new selection.
Social media image size cheat sheet
Common aspect ratios and sizes. Platforms change their specs from time to time, so treat these as reliable starting points and check the platform's current guidelines.
| Use | Aspect ratio | Suggested size | Preset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile picture | 1:1 | 400 × 400 px or larger (shown as a circle) | |
| Instagram feed, square | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 px | |
| Instagram feed, portrait | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 px | |
| Stories, Reels, TikTok | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 px | |
| YouTube thumbnail | 16:9 | 1280 × 720 px | |
| X (Twitter) header | 3:1 | 1500 × 500 px | |
| LinkedIn profile banner | 4:1 | 1584 × 396 px | |
| Link preview (Open Graph) | 1.91:1 | 1200 × 630 px | Use the 16:9 chip and fine-tune |
PNG vs JPG vs WebP: which format should you export?
| Format | Best for | Transparency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNG | Circle crops, logos, stickers, graphics | Yes | Lossless quality. Files are larger, especially for photos. |
| JPG | Photos and sharing by email or chat | No | Small files with adjustable quality. Outside-the-shape areas are filled with your background colour. |
| WebP | Websites and apps | Yes | Usually smaller than PNG or JPG at similar quality. Supported by modern browsers. |
Why use a browser-based photo cropper?
Many online image croppers upload your pictures to a remote server, add watermarks, or ask you to create an account. CropImages works differently: the whole crop tool runs inside your browser, so cropping is instant, works with large photos, and keeps your private pictures on your own device.
Whether you want a round image maker for a profile photo, a quick square crop for Instagram, a widescreen crop for a YouTube thumbnail, or a creative custom shape cut-out, you can do it in a few clicks. Use it as a free circle crop tool, a rectangle and square cropper, an ellipse cropper, or a polygon cutter, all on one page.
On the roadmap: an image resizer, compressor, format converter, rotate and flip, and more tools that keep the same private, in-browser approach.
Frequently asked questions
Is CropImages really free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many images you can crop.
Are my photos uploaded to a server?
No. Cropping runs entirely in your browser using the HTML canvas, so your photos never leave your device. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page has loaded and it will keep working.
How do I crop a picture into a circle?
Upload your image, choose the Circle shape, then drag the circle or its handles to frame the part you want. Download as PNG or WebP to keep the area outside the circle transparent.
How do I get a transparent circle PNG?
Choose Circle (or Ellipse, or any custom shape), set the format to PNG, and click Download. Everything outside the shape is saved as transparent pixels. JPG cannot store transparency, so it fills the outside with the background colour you pick.
How do I crop an image to a square (1:1)?
Choose Rectangle, click the 1:1 aspect ratio chip, and move the square over the area you want. You can also type exact X, Y, width and height values in pixels for a precise crop.
Can I crop an image into a custom shape?
Yes. Select Custom and click around the area you want to keep to place points. Click the first purple point, or press Enter, to close the shape. You can then drag any point to refine the outline, or drag inside the shape to move it.
What image formats can I upload and download?
You can upload any image your browser can open, typically JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, AVIF and BMP (HEIC depends on your browser and device). You can download your crop as PNG, JPG or WebP.
Will cropping reduce my image quality?
No. By default the crop is exported at the original pixel size from your source image, so nothing is resampled. PNG is lossless, and for JPG and WebP you can choose the quality level.
Does it work on my phone or tablet?
Yes. The cropper uses touch-friendly handles and works in modern mobile browsers on iPhone, iPad and Android, as well as on desktop.
What is the best size for a profile picture?
Most platforms display profile photos as a circle or rounded square cut from a square image. Crop to 1:1 and export at 400 pixels or larger, then check the platform's current guidelines, as recommended sizes change over time.
How do I crop to an exact pixel size?
Pick the aspect ratio you need, then in the Export section choose Custom width and enter the width in pixels. The height follows from the ratio. For an exact selection on the source image, use the X, Y, Width and Height fields.
Can I crop an animated GIF?
You can open a GIF, but only its first frame is cropped and exported, so the result is a still image.
Ready to crop your image?
Free, private and takes seconds. No sign-up needed.