
Cropping a photo into a circle in Microsoft Paint is not a straightforward process. The program is not designed to easily crop circles, but it can be done with a workaround. There are other programs, such as GIMP, GNU Image Manipulation Program, and PhotoScape, that offer a circular crop feature. However, if you are set on using Paint, the first step is to load MS Paint on your computer. Then, select the Oval shape tool, which can be found in the toolbar marked Shapes. Next, drag your cursor around the image to cover the area you want to include within the circle crop. You can then reshape this oval into a circle by dragging the corners of the rectangle that appears on the cropped image. Once you have created the circle shape, bold the edges. Finally, erase and save your image.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Software | MS Paint, Paint 3D, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, GIMP, PhotoScape |
| Ease of use | MS Paint is not designed to easily crop circles, Paint 3D is a lengthy process, GIMP is recommended as better than Paint and free to use |
| Process | Select the Oval shape, drag the cursor to cover the area to be included in the circle crop, reshape into a circle, bold the edges, erase, save |
| Other methods | Use the Crop to Shape feature in Microsoft 365 applications, adjust the crop area using the cropping handles, use the Magic Select tool in Paint 3D to remove the background outside the circle |
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What You'll Learn

Using MS Paint
To crop a photo into a circle using MS Paint, follow these steps:
First, open the image you want to crop in MS Paint. This can be easily done by searching for it in the Windows search box. Once you have the program open, look for the toolbar marked "Shapes" – it's located right around the middle of the pack, next to "Brushes".
From the options available, choose the Oval one, which is the third option in the top line. Once you've clicked on it, the shape will load onto your cursor. Now, go to your image and drag the cursor around to cover the area you want to include within the circle crop. You can reshape this oval into a circle by dragging the corners of the rectangle that appears on the cropped image.
Next, bold the edges of the circle shape. After that, choose your desired colour and erase the parts of the image that are outside of the circle. Finally, save your newly cropped circular image.
It is worth noting that MS Paint is not designed to easily crop circles. There are other programs, such as Paint 3D, GIMP, and PhotoScape, that offer more advanced image manipulation tools and may be better suited for this task.
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Using Paint 3D
To crop a photo into a circle using Paint 3D, follow these steps:
First, open the image file in Paint 3D. You can do this by clicking on 'New' to start a new project, then selecting 'Canvas'. Ensure that the 『Transparent Canvas' option is turned off before importing the image.
Next, use the 2D shapes function to draw a circle around the target area of your image. Make sure that 『Fill' is set to 'None' and the 『Line type' is 'Solid', with sufficient thickness.
After drawing the circle, use the 『Magic Select' tool to remove the background outside of the circle and make it transparent. This will leave you with the targeted object and a white background.
To crop the image further down to the object boundary, use the 『Magic Select' function again and click 'Next'. Paint 3D will automatically detect the edge of the object and crop away everything else. If needed, you can manually refine the cutout by adding or removing sections.
Finally, click 'Done' to generate the circle-cropped image. You can make the background transparent by selecting the object, moving it to the side, and erasing the white portions using the 'Brushes' function.
While Paint 3D does not have a native circle crop feature, this workaround allows you to achieve a similar result.
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Using Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint offers a native feature to crop a photo into a circle. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do it:
Insert the Image:
First, insert the desired image into your PowerPoint slide. You can do this by selecting “Insert” from the ribbon and then choosing “Pictures” or “Picture from File” to locate the image on your device.
Access the Picture Format Tab:
Once the image is inserted, double-click on it to ensure the “Picture Format” tab appears at the top. This tab provides access to various formatting options for your image.
Locate the Crop Button:
On the “Picture Format” tab, find and click on the “Crop” button. It is usually located on the right end of the ribbon. Clicking on it will reveal additional cropping options.
Select "Crop to Shape":
From the cropping options, choose “Crop to Shape.” This feature allows you to change the outline of your photo into a specific shape, such as a circle or rounded rectangle.
Choose the Circular Shape:
After selecting "Crop to Shape," a menu will appear with various shape options. Choose the circle or oval shape from this list. Your image will then be cropped into the selected circular shape.
Adjust the Crop Area (Optional):
If needed, you can adjust the crop area to fine-tune your circular crop. Look for the black crop handles that appear on the edges and corners of the picture. Drag these handles inward to crop the margins of the image. You can also hold the Ctrl key while dragging to crop evenly on two parallel sides simultaneously.
Finalize the Crop:
Once you are satisfied with the circular crop, click anywhere outside the picture to finalize the shape change. Your image will now be in the form of a circle, maintaining its original proportions.
Remember that you can also crop multiple pictures into circular shapes simultaneously in PowerPoint by selecting all the desired images before accessing the "Crop to Shape" feature.
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Using Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word does not have a crop-to-circle feature. However, you can crop images into circles by using Microsoft Paint or Microsoft PowerPoint. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to crop a photo into a circle using Microsoft Word in conjunction with Microsoft Paint or PowerPoint:
Using Microsoft Paint:
First, open the image file in Microsoft Paint. You can do this by searching for Paint in the Windows search box and loading the image into the program. Next, select the Shapes toolbar and choose the Oval option. This will load the shape onto your cursor. Go to the image and drag the cursor around to cover the area you want to include within the circle crop. You can reshape the oval image into a circle by dragging the corners of the rectangle that appears on the cropped image. Once you have created the circle shape, bold the edges of the circle. You can then choose your colour and erase any remaining background outside the circle. Finally, save your image.
Using Microsoft PowerPoint:
Open your image in Microsoft PowerPoint. Use the 2D shapes function to draw a circle around the area of the image you want to crop. Make sure that Fill is set to None and the Line type is Solid with sufficient thickness. After drawing the circle, use the Magic Select functionality to remove the background outside the circle and make it transparent. This will leave you with the targeted object and a white background. Choose the Magic Select function again and click Next. The software will automatically detect the edge of the object and crop away everything else. Once all necessary manual adjustments are made, click Done, and your circle-cropped image will be generated.
Although Microsoft Word does not have a crop-to-circle feature, you can still use Picture Styles to apply basic shapes to a picture. First, add an image to your Word document by selecting Insert from the ribbon and then selecting Picture. After inserting the image, you will see the Picture tab in the ribbon. Go to Picture Styles and select a shape to apply to your picture. You can adjust the crop area by using the cropping handles.
Please note that the above methods may not produce perfectly circle-cropped images, and there may be some manual adjustments required.
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Using GIMP
GIMP is a free photo-manipulation tool available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It does not have a built-in shape crop feature, but you can still crop images into any shape, including circles, by following a workaround. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to crop a photo into a circle using GIMP:
Step 1: Launch GIMP and open your desired image
Open the GIMP application and import the image you want to crop by clicking on "File" and then "Open" in the menu bar.
Step 2: Select the Ellipse Tool
GIMP does not have a built-in circular crop tool, so you will need to use the Ellipse Tool to create a circular selection. In the toolbar, click on the Ellipse Tool, which looks like an oval shape, or simply press the "E" key on your keyboard.
Step 3: Draw a circle on the desired area of the image
Using your mouse, draw a circle on the area of the image that you want to crop. To keep the circle size fixed, check the "Fixed" option in the Tool Options on the left sidebar before drawing your circle. You can adjust the position and size of the selection by clicking and dragging the mouse within the selected area.
Step 4: Copy and paste the selection
Right-click on the selected area and go to "Edit" > "Copy." Then, open a new image by going to "File" > "Open", right-click on this new image, and select "Edit" > "Paste." You can use the Scale and Move tools to adjust your pasted image.
Step 5: Auto-crop and save the image
Before saving, your image will have an extra background around the circular selection. To make the size of your image match the circle, use the auto-crop feature by going to "Image" > "Crop to Content." Finally, save your image in the PNG format to preserve transparency. Go to "File" > "Export As" and ensure the file extension is .png.
By following these steps, you can easily crop your photos into circles using GIMP, even though it lacks a built-in shape crop feature.
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