How do I crop a photo to a square?

Choose the Crop tool, hover over it and pick 1:1 from the Crop ratio menu, position the frame, then click Apply Crop.

Does cropping reduce quality?

No. The pixels inside the frame stay exactly as they were, so nothing gets blurry. The photo just has fewer pixels because part of it is gone.

Yes. Click the ✕ on the Pending Crop chip, press Ctrl+Z, or click an earlier step in the History panel.

Photo Editor Beginner 2 min read Updated Oct 23, 2026 Pluto Photos 2.5.2

How to Crop a Photo to Any Size or Aspect Ratio

Short answer

Press C to pick the Crop tool, hover over it to choose a ratio (Free, 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 5:4, 2:3 or 9:16), drag the frame into place, then click Apply Crop.

Requires Pluto Photos Pro (one-time $29, no subscription). The free download includes a 30-day trial of every Pro feature.

#1. Choose the Crop tool

Open the photo in the editor, then click the Crop tool in the left toolbar or press C. A crop frame appears over the photo with rule-of-thirds guides, and the options bar at the top shows the frame size in pixels.

The Crop tool active on a photo of a blue camper van, with a frame and guides over the image — The frame starts as Free, so you can drag any edge or corner.

#2. Pick a ratio (optional)

For a fixed shape, hover over the Crop tool in the toolbar to open the Crop ratio menu. Choose 1:1 for a square, 16:9 for widescreen, 9:16 for a vertical story, or one of 4:3, 3:2, 5:4 or 2:3. Pick Free to go back to any shape.

Flip orientation at the bottom of the menu swaps landscape and portrait, so 3:2 becomes 2:3.

The Crop ratio menu listing Free, 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 5:4, 2:3, 9:16 and Flip orientation — Hover over the Crop tool to open the ratio menu.

#3. Position the frame

Drag a corner or edge handle to resize the frame. With a fixed ratio, the shape stays locked. Drag inside the frame to move it. The pixel size of the result shows under the frame and in the options bar.

A 16:9 crop frame on the camper van photo, labelled 1104 by 621 pixels — A 16:9 frame at 1104 × 621 px. Drag it to choose what stays in.

#4. Apply the crop

Click Apply Crop in the options bar, or Cancel to back out. The editor goes back to the Move tool and a Pending Crop chip appears at the top right with the new size. The crop is written to the file when you save. To remove it first, click the ✕ on the chip.

The camper van photo after cropping to 16:9, with the editor back on the Move tool — The canvas after Apply Crop.

#5. Save the cropped photo

Click Save as Copy (Ctrl+S). Your original stays as it was, and the cropped version is saved beside it.

The editor top bar with the Save as Copy button and a Pending Crop chip showing 1104 by 621 — The Pending Crop chip means the crop is waiting to be saved.

#Tips

For an exact pixel size, pick a ratio here and then set the pixels with Image Size.
Common ratios: 1:1 for a square post, 9:16 for stories and reels, 16:9 for video thumbnails and 2:3 for pins.
If the horizon is crooked, straighten the photo before you crop.

#Questions

How do I crop a photo to a square?: Choose the Crop tool, hover over it and pick 1:1 from the Crop ratio menu, position the frame, then click Apply Crop.
Does cropping reduce quality?: No. The pixels inside the frame stay exactly as they were, so nothing gets blurry. The photo just has fewer pixels because part of it is gone.
Can I undo a crop?: Yes. Click the ✕ on the Pending Crop chip, press Ctrl+Z, or click an earlier step in the History panel.

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