How to Crop a Picture in PowerPoint

This article explains how to crop pictures in PowerPoint using the built-in Crop tool.

How Do I Crop an Image in PowerPoint?

Cropping an image in PowerPoint is pretty straightforward. Here's what you need to do:

1. Open the presentation with the image you want to crop (or create a new presentation and add a picture).
   

2. Double click the image you want to crop to open the Picture Format tab.
   

   You can also single-click the image and then click Picture Format or the Format menu, and then Crop.

3. To freehand crop an image, click the Crop button and skip to the next section of the article.

4. To use the crop options and tools, click the down arrow icon next to the Crop button and choose from these tools:

   • Crop to Shape: Want to crop the image to look like a circle, square, or numerous other pre-made shapes? Click Crop to Shape > the shape you want to use > click outside the image to change its shape.
   • Aspect Ratio: You can crop the image's aspect ratio (the ratio of height to width) by clicking Aspect Ratio > one of the pre-defined ratios > clicking outside the image.
   • Fill: To center the image inside a box of a given size, grab the black crop frame handles and resize the box, then click the down arrow next to Crop, and then click Fill. The image will center itself in the box.
   • Fit: To make the image fit a specific size on the slide, grab the black crop frame handles and resize the box, then click the down arrow next to Crop, and then click Fit. The image will resize to fit the size of the box.
     

How Do You Freehand Crop an Image in PowerPoint?

If you prefer to control the size of the cropped image with more fluidity, use the freehand crop option by following these steps:

1. Double click the image and click the Crop button.

2. Grab the black frame handles on the image and drag them until the highlighted area of the image is the shape and size you want. Drag the image around within the crop area, if needed.

3. Click outside the image to commit the cropping and deselect the image.

How Do You Crop and Resize a Picture in PowerPoint?

Follow these steps to crop and resize a picture in PowerPoint:

1. Double click the image and click the Crop button.

2. Grab the black frame handles on the image and drag them until the highlighted area of the image is the size and shape you want it to be. Since this is applying a crop, this can only be smaller than the original image.
   

3. With the crop area set, grab one of the white squares at the edge of the image and drag to resize the image. You can also enter different size values in the Height and Width boxes next to the Crop button.
   

   This option maintains the picture's aspect ratio. If you want to distort the image, uncheck the box between the Height and Width boxes next to the Crop button.

4. You can drag the resized image around to place it where you want within the crop area.

5. When you've set the crop area, resized the image, and placed it where you want it, click outside the image to commit the edits.
   

Why Can't I Crop My Image in PowerPoint?

Are you following these instructions but can't crop images in PowerPoint? Here are some reasons why this could be happening and how to fix it:

• You've Selected a Group: Crop is available when the only thing you've selected is the image. If the image is part of a group of objects, or if you've selected more than one image, you won't be able to crop. Unselect all objects, or ungroup (Arrange menu > Ungroup) the picture from the other items, and try again.
• Image Was Added Via Photo Album: How you added the image to PowerPoint can affect whether you can crop it. You can't crop images added via Photo Album. That's because they're added as Auto-Fill shapes, which you cannot crop. If that's how you added the image, delete it from the slide and add it again by going to Insert > Picture > Picture From File.
• The Image is a Vector Graphic: Vector graphics can be misleading. While they look like one image, they're a collection of editable lines which look like a single image. PowerPoint can only crop images, not vectors. Try using an image editor to convert the vector to a JPEG (or similar image format), add it back into the presentation, and crop it.