This wikiHow teaches you how to trim a photo using Microsoft Paint.

Steps

  1. 1
    Locate the image you wish to crop and right-click it. Doing this will prompt a drop-down menu.
  2. 2
    Hover the mouse cursor over Open with. This option is toward the middle of the drop-down menu.
  3. 3
    Click Paint. It's beside a blue icon depicting a paint palette.
  4. 4
    Click beneath Select. Select is in the "Image" section of the Home tab at the top of the "Paint" window.
  5. 5
    Click Rectangular selection. It's the first option in the drop-down menu here.
  6. 6
    Click and drag over the image. Doing so will drag a rectangular dotted line over the image; anything inside of the dotted line will remain when you crop the image.
    • If you're trying to remove a border from a photo, the best way to do so is to click in the top-left corner and drag diagonally into the bottom-right corner (or similar).
    • To remove the dotted line and start over, click anywhere outside of the area surrounded by dotted lines.
  7. 7
    Click Crop. It's at the top of the "Image" section of options and to the right of Select. Clicking this button will remove everything outside of the dotted lines, leaving only the part of the image that's inside.

Community Q&A

  • Question
    How do I make it a JPEG? I keep trying and it won't upload.
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Go to: File>Save As, then where it says "Save as type:" use the drop down menu to select JPEG. Name your file accordingly and then save to wherever you want it.
  • Question
    How do I remove the white around the edges if I am using the free-form selection for cropping, and the cropped image is round or oddly shaped?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Under the dropdown for the "select" tool, choose "transparent selection." If this does not make the white edges transparent, use the color-picker tool and right click the white area so that the exact shade goes into Color 2 (background color). Note the "transparent selection" only works if the whole background is the exact same shade and won't work well if there are some slightly darker patches around the edges.

Warnings

  • Whenever your image is selected, be careful not to hit Delete. If you accidentally delete your image, click the backward-facing arrow at the top of the page to undo your mistake.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽

About this article

Jack Lloyd
Written by:
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 312,361 times.
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Co-authors: 20
Updated: March 4, 2021
Views: 312,361
Article SummaryX

1. Right-click your photo.
2. Select Open with.
3. Click Paint.
4. Click Select.
5. Click Rectangular selection.
6. Click and drag over the image.
7. Click Crop.

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