How to Resize an Image in Microsoft Paint

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This wikiHow teaches you how to enlarge, shrink, or crop an image in Microsoft Paint. The first two maintain the native aspect ratio while the latter removes the outer area from the image.

How to Resize a Picture and Preserve its Aspect Ratio

  • Make a copy of your image and open it in Microsoft Paint.
  • Click “Resize” under the “Image” section in the Paint toolbar.
  • Select “Percentage” and “Maintain Aspect Ratio,” then type a number between 1 and 500 in the “Horizontal” text box.
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Enlarging or Shrinking an Image

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  1. Go to the image you want to resize, right-click it, and click Copy in the drop-down menu, then right-click an empty space in the folder or on the desktop and click Paste .
    • Failing to make a copy of the image will result in the original image being modified.
  2. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
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  3. This option is toward the middle of the drop-down menu. A pop-out menu will appear.
  4. It's in the pop-out menu. Doing so will open your selected image in the Paint program. [1]
  5. This option is on the middle-right side of the "Image" section at the top of the Paint window. [2]
  6. If not, click the circle next to "Percentage" to ensure that your image's changes will be measured in percents. [3]
    • Your image will start at 100 for both the vertical and horizontal values, so changing these to "75" will reduce your image to three-quarters of its original size.
    • If you know the exact horizontal or vertical pixel count you want, you can click the circle next to "Pixels" instead.
  7. If there is no checkmark in the box next to "Maintain aspect ratio", click the box; otherwise, any changes you make to one aspect of your image (e.g., vertical size) won't scale with the other aspects. [4]
    • If this box is already checked, proceed to the next step.
  8. Type a number between 1 and 500 into the "Horizontal" text box. Any number below 100 will cause your image to shrink while maintaining its dimensions, and any number over 100 will enlarge the image while maintaining the dimensions.
    • If you're resizing using pixels, type the number of vertical pixels you want to use into the "Vertical" text box. You can also uncheck the "Maintain aspect ratio" box and enter a different number than was initially used in the "Horizontal" text box if necessary.
  9. Doing so will apply your changes to the image.
  10. Press Ctrl + S to do so. This will save your changes to the image. [5]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Cropping an Image

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  1. Cropping an image can only result in a smaller section of the image, but the cropped section will retain its quality. This is ideal if you're trying to remove excess parts of your photo while maintaining its resolution.
    • Cropping an image will also make the image's file size smaller.
  2. Go to the image you want to resize, right-click it, and click Copy in the drop-down menu, then right-click an empty space in the folder or on the desktop and click Paste .
    • Failing to make a copy of the image will result in the original image being modified.
  3. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
  4. This option is toward the middle of the drop-down menu. A pop-out menu will appear.
  5. It's in the pop-out menu. Doing so will open your selected image in the Paint program.
  6. Select is in the "Image" section of the Home tab at the top of the "Paint" window. A drop-down menu will appear.
  7. It's the first option in the drop-down menu here.
    • If you want to be able to draw your own selection, click Free-form selection instead.
  8. Doing so will drag a rectangular dotted line over the image; anything inside of the dotted line will remain when you crop the image. [6]
    • 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Press Ctrl + S to do so. This will save your copied image as a cropped file rather than as the original image.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    I have an image that I need to size at 2" x 3" landscape before emailing it, so that it prints that size, no matter who prints it. What can I do?
    Community Answer
    The best option is to copy the image into another program, such as Microsoft Word or Open Office Draw, so that you can view what dimensions it will print out beforehand and not worry about the printer stretching the image.
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  • Question
    If I crop an image, do I only see a tiny image of the cropped photo?
    Community Answer
    No. It crops wherever you selected. If you use the crop tool on a human face, it will remove everything but the face.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 2 Helpful 6
  • Question
    When I resize up to 125 percent, it does not increase the size when I print it. How can I get the printed size increased?
    Community Answer
    First, save your image, with a different filename/extension, then replace the initial source with a new one.
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      Tips

      • When printing your resized image, make sure your printer's settings aren't automatically resizing the image before printing.
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      • Reducing an image's size, even by a little, makes the image's file size smaller.
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      Warnings

      • Consider resizing a copy of the image rather than the original image itself. To copy the original file: right-click the image, click Copy , and then right-click the desktop and click Paste . You can then right-click the copied image and proceed with opening it in Paint.
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      • Enlarging an image will reduce its quality.
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      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about resizing images, check out our in-depth interview with Boris Polissky .

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.augusta.edu/dentalmedicine/axium/images/crop-resize-paint.pdf
      2. ↑ https://www.uwrf.edu/CMSTraining/Documentation/ResizeImageInPaint.cfm
      3. ↑ https://www.augusta.edu/dentalmedicine/axium/images/crop-resize-paint.pdf
      4. ↑ https://condor.depaul.edu/gandrus/130/docs/Paint.htm
      5. ↑ https://www.uwrf.edu/CMSTraining/Documentation/ResizeImageInPaint.cfm
      6. ↑ https://condor.depaul.edu/gandrus/130/docs/Paint.htm

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      If you want to resize an image in Microsoft Paint, first, make a copy of the image you want to resize so you still have it in the original size. To resize the copy, open the image in Microsoft Paint and click the “Resize” button in the middle-right section of the toolbar at the top of the window. When the Resize window opens, make sure “Percentage” is selected at the top so your image’s changes will be measured in percentages. For example, changing your image’s values to 75 will result in it becoming ¾ of its original size. Also, check the “Maintain aspect ratio” box to make sure your image doesn’t get distorted. Finally, type a percentage between 1 and 500 into the “Horizontal” text box to shrink or expand your image when you press “OK”. For more help, including how to crop an image in Microsoft Paint, scroll down!

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        Feb 15, 2022

        "I loved using Paint in WIndows 10 to resize photos quickly and easily. Paint in Windows 11 does not offer the same ..." more
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