
Microsoft Paint is a simple yet effective tool for cropping images, especially if you don't have access to graphic design programs. It comes pre-installed on your computer as part of the Windows operating system. To crop an image, you can open Microsoft Paint, locate the image you wish to crop, right-click on it, and select Open with from the drop-down menu. From here, you can choose the Rectangular selection or \Free-form selection\ tool to draw a cropping area around the portion of the image you want to keep. After cropping, you can save your image in your desired format, such as .png or .jpg, and it will be ready for use in any program or on social media platforms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Software | Microsoft Paint |
| Use | Simple and effective cropping |
| Image dimensions | Horizontal and vertical measurements |
| Image type | .png, .jpg |
| Cropping tool | Rectangular selection, Free-form selection, Transparent selection |
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What You'll Learn

Opening Microsoft Paint
Microsoft Paint is included as part of the Windows operating system and comes pre-installed on your computer. It is one of the simplest ways to edit images, and you can open it in several ways.
Firstly, you can open the Start menu by clicking the button in the lower left-hand corner of your screen with the left mouse button. The Start menu will always be in the lower left-hand corner, regardless of your operating system. You can also bring up the Start menu by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard, which is normally in the lower left-hand corner. Once you have the Start menu open, navigate to the '
Another way to open Paint is to use the Run program. In the search bar at the bottom of the Start menu, type in "Run". The top entry should say "Run" with the phrase "Desktop app" beneath it. Click on this entry to open the Run program, and in the dialogue box, type "mspaint.exe", then click "OK" to search for Microsoft Paint. After a slight delay, this should bring up the Microsoft Paint interface.
Finally, you can also use the Windows taskbar to open Paint. Click the magnifying glass icon on the taskbar and type 'Paint' in the text field at the top of the Search window. In the search results list, click on the Paint program or press Enter.
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Understanding image dimensions
When working with images, it is important to understand image dimensions, which refer to the height and width of an image. This is different from image file size, which refers to how big the image file is. Image dimensions are usually measured in pixels, but some graphics programs allow you to view and work with your image in equivalent inches or centimetres. For example, the dimensions of an image might be 1024 x 768 pixels, with the first number representing the horizontal size and the second representing the vertical size.
The size of an image file is related to its dimensions; larger dimensions will result in a larger file size. This is important to keep in mind as larger file sizes take up more storage space and also take longer to load on websites. Therefore, it is recommended that file sizes are reduced, typically to 200-500 kb, before uploading to the web. However, changing the image dimensions may not have the desired effect on file size and could also cause the image to not align properly on the screen.
For this reason, it is important to be aware of the standard recommended image dimensions for different platforms. For example, Instagram's square photos are best uploaded in dimensions of 1080 x 1080 pixels. Depending on what you plan to use your image for, you may want to change its dimensions. For instance, if you are using a high-resolution digital photograph, you may want to make the image dimensions smaller for publishing on a web page.
When using a graphics or image-editing program, you will usually have two options for changing the image dimensions: resize or resample. Many online image-resizing tools focus on resizing the image's dimensions, but this may not have the desired effect on file size. There are guides available that can help you learn how to reduce image file size without changing the image's dimensions.
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Selecting the image
To select the image you wish to crop in Microsoft Paint, follow these steps:
First, locate the image file on your computer. Right-click on the image, which will prompt a drop-down menu. Hover your mouse cursor over "Open with", which should be in the middle of the menu. From there, click on "Paint" — it will be beside a blue icon that looks like a paint palette.
Now that you have the image open in Paint, it's time to make your selection. Click on "Select" in the "'Image' section of the Home tab." A drop-down menu will appear. If you want to crop your image into a rectangle, click on "Rectangular selection". Then, click and drag your cursor over the image to draw a rectangular dotted line. Anything inside this line will remain after you crop the image. If you want to remove a border, click in the top left corner of the image and drag diagonally to the bottom right.
Alternatively, if you want to draw a crop area freehand, you can click "Free-form selection" from the drop-down menu. This will allow you to create a crop shape that isn't a rectangle. If you're using this option and your cropped image is round or oddly shaped, you can choose "transparent selection" from the "Select" tool drop-down menu to remove any white edges. However, this only works if the background is all the exact same shade.
Once you're happy with your selection, it's time to crop the image.
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Choosing the crop tool
Microsoft Paint is a simple yet effective tool for cropping images and is included as part of the Windows operating system. It is pre-installed on your computer, so you don't need any fancy graphic design programs or additional software to crop your photos.
To begin, locate the image you wish to crop and right-click on it. This will prompt a drop-down menu. Hover your mouse cursor over 'Open with', and from the options, select 'Paint'.
Now, you will need to choose the crop tool. In the ''Image' section of the Home tab, click on 'Select'. This will prompt another drop-down menu. Here, you have a few options for selecting the crop tool:
- Rectangular Selection: Choose this option if you want to crop your image into a rectangle. Click and drag your cursor over the image to create a rectangular dotted line. Anything inside the dotted line will remain after cropping.
- Free-Form Selection: If you want to draw a custom crop area that is not a rectangle, choose this option. You can draw the crop area freehand, allowing for more flexibility in the shape of your cropped image.
- Transparent Selection: This option is useful if you are using the free-form selection tool and want to remove any white edges or background from your cropped image. It ensures that the background becomes transparent, creating a clean look for your cropped image.
After selecting the desired crop tool, you can proceed to define the area you want to keep and then finalize the cropping process.
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Saving the cropped image
Once you have made your selection and cropped the image, you can save it by following these steps:
Select "File" from the menu bar and then click on "Save." Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + S" to save the file.
Next, you will need to choose where to save the file on your computer. Navigate to the desired location and select it.
Enter a relevant file name for your cropped image. You can also choose the format in which you want to save the image. Common image formats include .png and .jpg.
Your cropped image will now be saved in the chosen format and location. You can access and use this image within any program or on social media platforms.
If you are using the free-form selection tool for cropping and want to remove any white edges, you can select "transparent selection" from the dropdown menu under the "Select" tool. This will ensure that the background colour of your cropped image is transparent. If this does not work, you can use the colour-picker tool to select the exact shade of white and set it as the background colour.
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Frequently asked questions
To open Microsoft Paint, click the Start button, then click All Apps. Scroll to the P section within the programs list and click Paint.
First, locate the image you wish to crop and right-click it. Doing this will prompt a drop-down menu. Hover the mouse cursor over Open with and click Paint. Then, click Select and Rectangular selection. Click and drag over the image. Anything inside the resulting dotted line will remain when you crop the image. Finally, click Crop.
To save your new cropped image, select File > Save or press Ctrl + S on the keyboard. Enter a relevant File name and choose the image type you wish to save as: .png, .jpg are popular options.
Under the dropdown for the "select" tool, choose "transparent selection." If this does not work, use the color-picker tool and right-click the white area so that the exact shade goes into Color 2 (background color).









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