How to Crop Screenshot on Windows 10/11: Step-by-Step Guide

Cropping a screenshot on Windows allows you to set the focus on what you want others to see and remove unwanted or sensitive parts from the screenshots. For example, I regularly take screenshots as part of my work. Rather than posting them as they are, I crop those screenshots and annotate them so that I can steer your focus toward the important points.

Since cropping an image is such a basic task, thankfully, you don’t have to install or use third-party applications. There are several built-in applications in Windows, like the Snipping Tool, Paint, and Photos app, that allows cropping a screenshot in just a few clicks.

So, without delay, let me show you how to crop screenshots on Windows in three ways.

Table of contents:

1. How to use Snipping Tool to crop screenshot
2. How to use Paint to crop screenshot
3. How to use the Photos app to crop screenshot
4. Conclusion

How To Use Snipping Tool to Crop Screenshot

Windows has a built-in screenshotting and annotating tool called Snipping Tool that allows taking and editing screenshots on Windows. You can use the snipping tool to take a screenshot and crop it or crop an already taken screenshot/image.

Here’s how to crop a screenshot using Snipping Tool:

1. Press the “Start” key on your keyboard.
2. Search and open “Snipping Tool.”
3. Click the “Menu” icon (three horizontal dots).
4. Select the “Open file” option.
5. Select the image you want to crop.
6. Click on the “Open” button.
7. Grab the corners and drag to set the crop location.
8. Click on the “Apply” icon to crop the image.
9. Click on the “Save” icon to save the cropped image.
10. With that, you’ve cropped a screenshot with Snipping Tool.

Steps with more details:

Press the “Start” key on your keyboard to open the Start menu. You can also click the Start icon on the taskbar. Search for “Snipping Tool” in the Start menu and click on the top result to open the Snipping Tool application.

If you want to take a new screenshot, select the “Full-screen mode” option from the top dropdown menu and click the “New” button.

If you already have a screenshot, you can open it in Snipping Tool. To do that, click on the “Menu” (three horizontal dots) in the top-right corner of the Snipping Tool window. Next, select the “Open file” option from the list of options.

Find and select the screenshot you want to crop and click on the “Open” button in the Browse window.

Once the screenshot is opened in Snipping Tool, click the “Crop” icon on the top bar. Next, grab the corners with your mouse pointer and drag them to the area that you want to focus on or keep.

Once satisfied with the crop location and size, click the “Apply” icon on the top bar or press the “Enter” key on your keyboard. Finally, click the “Save” icon on the top bar or press the “Control key + S” keyboard shortcut to save the cropped image.

That is it. The cropped screenshot is saved to the disk. You can open File Explorer and go to the save location to find the cropped screenshot.

How To Use Paint to Crop Screenshot

You can use the “Crop” tool in the good old Paint application to crop and annotate a screenshot. Let me show you how.

Here’s how to crop a screenshot on Windows using Paint:

1. Click the “Start” icon on the taskbar.
2. Search and open the “Paint” application.
3. Click on the “File” option at the top.
4. Select the “Open” option from the list.
5. Select the image you want to crop and click “Open.”
6. Click on the “Select” tool in the “Image” section.
7. Click and hold the left mouse button on the image and drag it to select the area you want to crop.
8. Click on the “Crop” icon in the “Image” section.
9. The Paint application instantly crops the screenshot.
10. Press the “Ctrl + S” shortcut to save the cropped screenshot.

Steps with more details:

Since we want to use Paint to crop a screenshot, open the application first. To open Paint on Windows, click on the “Start icon” on the taskbar, search for “Paint,” and click on the top result.

After opening Paint, you must add the screenshot to edit. To open the screenshot in Paint, click on the “File” option at the top of the Paint window and select the “Open” option.

Select the image you want to crop and click the “Open” button.

The above action will add the screenshot to the Paint application. Next, click on the “Select” option in the “Image” section. By default, it will be a rectangle selection tool. If you want more control over the selection share, click the dropdown menu under it and select the “Free-form” option.

Now, click and hold the left mouse button and drag on the screenshot to select a section of it. Next, click on the “Crop” option.

As soon as you do that, the Paint application crops the image to the selection. After that, either press the “Ctrl key + S” keyboard shortcut or select “File -> Save” to save the cropped screenshot.

That is it. It is that simple to crop a screenshot using Paint on Windows.

How To Use Photos App to Crop a Screenshot

The Photos app, a default photo viewer in Windows, has basic image editing tools that can help you crop a screenshot however you want.

Here’s how to crop a screenshot using the Photos app in Windows:

1. Open the screenshot with the Photos app.
2. Click on the “Edit” icon at the top.
3. Select the “Crop” option at the top of the window.
4. Grab the corners and drag to set the crop location.
5. Click on the “Save as copy” dropdown icon.
6. Click on the “Save” option to save the cropped screenshot.
7. With that, you’ve cropped a screenshot using the Photos app.

Steps with more details:

First, find the screenshot you want to crop in File Explorer and double-click on it to open it in the Photos app. You can also right-click on the screenshot and select “Open with -> Photos.”

Once the screenshot is opened in the Photos app, click on the “Edit” icon at the top of the window. This will open the Edit view. Here, select the “Crop” option, grab the corners with your mouse pointer, and drag them to the area that you want to focus on or keep.

After setting the crop section, click on the “Save” option from the “Save as copy” dropdown. If you want to keep the original screenshot, click on the “Save as copy” button.

A quick tip: By default, the Photos app uses “Free-form” cropping. However, if you want the cropping to be a specific aspect ratio, click on the “Free” option at the bottom, choose the aspect ratio of your choice, and click the “Done” button.

That is it. It is that simple to crop a screenshot using the Photos app on Windows 10/11.

Cropping a screenshot on windows – conclusion

As you can see, cropping a screenshot on Windows is simple and straightforward. The good thing is that you don’t have to use complicated third-party tools; instead, you can use built-in tools like Paint, Snipping tool, or Photos. No matter which software you use for cropping screenshots, all it takes is a few clicks.

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That is it. It is that simple to crop a screenshot on Windows.

I hope this simple and easy Windows how-to guide helped you.

If you are stuck or need help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.