How to use the Image Pixelator
- Choose a photo (JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP or AVIF).
- Pick Whole image, or Selected areas and drag a box over each thing you want to hide.
- Set the pixel size. Larger blocks hide more detail.
- Optionally reduce the colours for a retro pixel-art look, then download.
What does this tool do?
Pixelation replaces each block of the image with a single average colour, so fine detail such as a face, a licence plate or handwriting disappears while the rest of the photo stays sharp. Pixel size is set as a percentage of the photo's longer side, so the look is the same on a small screenshot and a 12-megapixel photo.
With the whole-image mode and reduced colours, the same tool turns any picture into pixel art — useful for avatars, game sprites and retro posters.
Your images are processed on your own device and never uploaded.
Why use it?
- Hide several areas in one go.
- Pixel art with 3, 5 or 8 colour levels.
- Keeps the original resolution.
- No upload, no watermark.
How big should the blocks be?
For hiding information, bigger is safer. As a rule of thumb on a typical phone photo:
| Pixel size | Effect | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5–1% | Soft mosaic, shapes still visible | Pixel-art style, decoration |
| 2–3% | Faces unrecognisable at normal viewing size | Blurring bystanders |
| 4% and up | Large blocks, text unreadable | Number plates, names, addresses, documents |
Common mistakes
- Using tiny blocks on text. Short words and numbers can sometimes be guessed from light pixelation — use 4% or more, or a solid box.
- Pixelating a copy but sharing the original. Download the new file and share that one.
- Forgetting reflections and screens in the background, which can show the same details.
Privacy
Your files are processed entirely in your browser using built-in web technologies. They are not uploaded to our servers, and closing the page clears them from memory. There's no account to create and nothing to install.
Frequently asked questions
Can pixelation be undone?
The saved file no longer contains the original pixels, so they can't simply be restored. Light pixelation of short text can sometimes be guessed, though, so use large blocks — or a solid box in the Screenshot Annotator — for anything sensitive.
Can I pixelate more than one face?
Yes. Choose Selected areas and drag a box over each face. Use Undo last to remove a box.
Will the image lose quality?
Only the areas you pixelate change. The rest keeps its full resolution, and PNG output is lossless.
How do I make pixel art from a photo?
Use Whole image with a pixel size of about 1–2% and choose Retro or 8-bit colours. Simple photos with clear shapes give the best results.
Last reviewed by the M2Toolkit team.