Black out a picture
Cover the details
- Drag across a detail to cover it with a box.
- Drag a box to move it. Tap a box, then drag its round handle to change its size.
- Make the box bigger than the detail, with no gaps.
With a keyboard: choose Add a box, then press the arrow keys on the picture to move it. Hold Shift to change its size. N picks the next box, and Delete removes the one you've picked.
Check your new picture
Zoom in and read it closely. Every detail should be fully covered. If not, change your boxes above and make it again.
On an iPhone, Save to Photos or share opens the Share menu, where you can tap Save Image. Download puts the picture in the Files app, under Downloads.
Before you send it
- Check the result. Look at the new picture, not the one you were drawing on.
- Cover the whole detail. A box that leaves off the last few digits still gives those digits away.
- Look for repeats. Details often appear twice, like the long code at the bottom of a passport, or a signature.
- Send the new picture. Your original isn't changed, and it still shows everything. Keep it safe, or delete it.
What it can't do
- It doesn't find anything for you. You choose what to cover, so look over the whole picture yourself.
- It only makes solid boxes. There's no blur, because blurred or pixelated text may be worked out.
- It can't reach other copies. Anything you've already sent, posted or backed up stays as it was.
- Very large pictures get smaller. A browser can only handle so much, so a big photo may be saved at a smaller size. The page tells you if it does.
- Some files may not open. Your browser has to be able to show the picture. Some browsers can't open HEIC photos, and this tool can't open PDFs.
- Colours may shift slightly, because the picture is drawn again and saved as a new one.
What happens to your picture
Opening this page loads it from our website, like any page. After that, the tool works on your device and doesn't contact anything. Your picture isn't uploaded, and nothing is kept: when you close the page, it's gone. To check this yourself, open this page, turn on Airplane Mode, then pick a picture that's already on your phone.
The new picture is drawn from scratch, with the boxes painted in. So the covered parts aren't hidden underneath: they're gone from the new picture. It holds no location, date or camera details either.