Cropping a photo on iPhone removes distracting edges, straightens a crooked horizon, or reshapes a picture to fit a post or profile picture. The Photos app does it without any extra apps, and edits are non-destructive, so you can always revert to the original. This guide covers the standard crop, the quick pinch-to-crop shortcut added in iOS 17, aspect ratios, straightening, and cropping screenshots and videos.
The same Edit screen can also convert a picture to black and white with a filter or the saturation slider.
Quick Answer
Open the photo in Photos, tap Edit, then tap Crop. Drag the corners of the frame, tap the aspect ratio button if you want a preset shape, and tap Done.
Crop a Photo in the Photos App
- Open Photos and tap the photo.
- Tap Edit (the sliders icon on iOS 18 and later).
- Tap Crop at the bottom (or the crop icon).
- Drag the corners or edges of the white frame to the area you want to keep. Pinch to zoom and drag the photo to reposition it inside the frame.
- Tap Done.
Quick Pinch-to-Crop (iOS 17 and Later)
- Open a photo and pinch outward to zoom into the part you want.
- Tap Crop in the top-right corner.
- Adjust if needed and tap Done.
Crop to a Specific Shape
- In crop mode, tap the aspect ratio button (overlapping rectangles).
- Choose Original, Freeform, Square, 9:16, 16:9, 4:5, 5:7, 3:4, 3:2 and more. Tap the portrait/landscape toggle to switch orientation.
- Position the photo inside the frame and tap Done.
Square works well for profile pictures; 9:16 fits full-screen stories; 4:5 suits many social media feeds.
Straighten, Rotate and Flip
- Straighten: drag the dial below the photo. Tap the vertical or horizontal perspective icons to correct tilted buildings.
- Rotate 90°: tap the rotate icon at the top.
- Flip: tap the mirror icon to flip the photo horizontally.
- Auto: tap Auto for automatic straightening when available.
Undo a Crop
Open the cropped photo, tap Edit, then Revert (or Revert to Original) and confirm. The full original photo returns. To keep both versions, duplicate the photo first (⋯ > Duplicate) and crop the copy.
Crop Screenshots and Videos
- Screenshots: after taking one, tap the thumbnail in the corner, drag the blue crop handles, and tap Done. Or crop it later in Photos.
- Videos: open the video, tap Edit > Crop and adjust the frame the same way.
Troubleshooting
- No Edit button: shared album photos and some cloud-only items must be saved to your library first.
- Crop doesn’t save: make sure there’s free storage and iCloud Photos is syncing.
- Photo looks blurry after cropping: heavy crops enlarge fewer pixels. Shoot closer or use the higher-resolution camera modes.
Related: crop a screenshot on a Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does cropping reduce quality?
It keeps the original pixels in the area you keep, but the image has fewer pixels overall, so large prints may look softer.
Are cropped photos synced to my other devices?
Yes, with iCloud Photos turned on. The edit syncs and can be reverted on any device.
Can I crop a Live Photo?
Yes. The crop applies to the whole Live Photo.
Summary
- Photos > photo > Edit > Crop.
- Drag the frame or choose an aspect ratio.
- Straighten and rotate as needed, then tap Done.
- Use Revert to get the original back.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.