How to Crop a Screenshot on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android

Few things are as satisfying as taking a perfect screenshot — except when you realize it captures way more than you intended. Whether it’s a cluttered desktop, an extra notification bar, or just too much white space, cropping a screenshot is a skill that saves time and keeps your images clean.

Built-in cropping methods covered: 4 ·
Most searched platform: Windows ·
Official support articles cited: 2 ·
Date of top SERP result: March 2024

Four platforms, four approaches, one pattern: every major OS now ships a screen-capture and crop workflow that requires zero third-party software. Here’s how they compare.

The fastest path on each platform follows its own shortcut logic.

How do I cut out part of a screenshot?

Cutting out part of a screenshot is just cropping by another name, and every major OS gives you a built-in way to do it. The trick is knowing which tool opens fastest and whether you want to crop before or after you capture.

Using Windows Snipping Tool

• Press Win+Shift+S to open the Snipping Tool capture overlay. You can select a rectangular, freeform, window, or fullscreen snip (Microsoft Support).
• The cropped area is automatically copied to your clipboard and can be pasted into any app.
• After capture, the Snipping Tool editor lets you annotate, crop further, save, or share (Microsoft Support).

Using Mac Preview

• Open the screenshot in Preview, then click the Markup toolbar icon and select the Crop button (Apple Communities).
• Drag the corners of the crop box to select the area you want to keep, then hit Crop.
• Preview also offers annotation tools like text, shapes, and signatures.

Using iPhone Photos

• After taking a screenshot, tap the thumbnail that appears in the bottom-left corner. The Markup editor opens with a crop tool at the bottom-left icon (Apple Support).
• Adjust the selection handles and tap Done. You can also crop later by opening the screenshot in the Photos app and tapping Edit.

Using Android Gallery

• Open the screenshot in your Gallery app, tap Edit, then select the Crop tool. Adjust the frame and save (Google Support).
• Google Photos offers the same crop functionality with a slightly different interface.

How do I crop a screenshot on a Mac?

Mac offers two distinct routes: crop during capture using the screenshot toolbar, or crop afterward using Preview. Both are built-in and free.

Using Preview

• Open the screenshot file in Preview. Click the Markup toolbar button (a pencil tip icon), then click the Crop button (Apple Communities).
• Drag the blue selection handles to frame the area you want, then press Command+K or click Crop.
• Preview preserves the original file unless you choose Save As — so you can always revert.

Using Screenshot app Markup

• Press Shift+Command+5 to open the screenshot toolbar. Select the capture mode, then click Capture (Apple Support).
• A thumbnail preview appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Click it to open the Markup editor with crop, text, and drawing tools.
• This method lets you crop immediately after capture without opening a separate app.

Using Quick Look

• Select the screenshot file in Finder and press Space to open Quick Look. Click the Markup icon (a paintbrush) to reveal a crop tool.
• Adjust the crop rectangle and click Done. The changes save automatically.

How to crop and screenshot on iPhone?

On an iPhone, cropping a screenshot is baked into the capture flow itself — no need to open a separate app.

Cropping after taking screenshot

• Take a screenshot (side button + volume up on Face ID models; side button + home on older models). A thumbnail appears in the bottom-left corner (Apple Support).
• Tap the thumbnail to open the Markup editor. The crop icon is in the bottom-left toolbar — tap it, then drag the corner handles to select your area.
• Tap Done, then choose Save to Photos or Copy and Delete.

Using Markup tools

• In the same Markup editor, you can also add text, arrows, highlights, or signatures before cropping.
• The crop tool is non-destructive — you can re-enter the editor later and adjust the crop area again.

Using Photos app

• Open the screenshot in the Photos app, tap Edit, then tap the Crop icon (bottom toolbar). Adjust the frame and tap Done.
• iOS 15 and later also support rotating and straightening in the same editor.

How do I crop a screenshot on Windows 10?

Windows 10 gives you three built-in tools for cropping screenshots, each with a different balance of speed and features.

Using Snip & Sketch (Win+Shift+S)

• Press Win+Shift+S — the screen dims and a small toolbar appears at the top for rectangular, freeform, window, or fullscreen snips (Microsoft Support).
• Drag to select the area you want to keep. The cropped region is copied to your clipboard and a notification appears — click it to open the full editor.
• The editor includes a crop tool if you need to refine further, plus pen, highlighter, and ruler.

Using Snipping Tool

• The legacy Snipping Tool is still present on Windows 10. Open it from the Start menu, click New, and select an area (Microsoft Support).
• After capture, click the Image crop button in the toolbar to adjust the selection.
• Microsoft has not announced a firm deprecation date, but Snip & Sketch is the recommended replacement.

Using Photos app

• For screenshots already saved to disk, open them in the Photos app. Click Edit & Create, then Edit, then Crop and Rotate.
• Drag the aspect-ratio handles or use preset ratios like 16:9 or 4:3.

How do I crop a screenshot on Android?

Android’s crop workflow varies slightly by manufacturer, but the core method is consistent across devices running stock Android or vendor skins.

Using Gallery app

• Open the screenshot in your Gallery app (often called “Photos” on Pixel devices or “Gallery” on Samsung). Tap the Edit icon (a pencil or slider) (Google Support).
• Select the Crop tool — usually represented by two right-angle corners. Drag the white selection handles to frame your area.
• Tap Save (or Save Copy) to keep the cropped version.

Using Google Photos

• Open the screenshot in Google Photos, tap the Edit icon (three sliders), then tap the Crop icon in the bottom toolbar.
• Google Photos also offers auto-enhance, color adjustment, and straightening tools alongside crop.

Using Samsung Galaxy specific method

• Samsung devices include Smart Select in the Edge panel — draw a rectangle or oval around any on-screen content to capture only that area (Google Support).
• The Galaxy Gallery editor also supports crop with aspect-ratio presets and a straightening slider.

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

Open your screenshot by double-clicking it and then access the Markup Toolbar. Click on the “Crop” button. Click and drag the corners of the crop box to select the desired area.

— TechSmith, screen capture software publisher

You hit Win+Shift+S instead of printscrn, and then you can draw a shape where you want your crop to be.

— Reddit user, productivity tips thread

Cropping a screenshot is one of those small digital skills that pays for itself in seconds every time you use it. After cropping, you might want to compress your images to save space or explore photo backup solutions to keep your screenshots safe — both natural next steps in managing your image library.

For anyone who regularly shares screenshots — whether for work, support tickets, or tutorials — the decision is clear: learn the native crop shortcut on your primary device, and you’ll never open a photo editor just to trim an image again. The tools are already on your machine.

Frequently asked questions