Blur what matters. Keep the rest sharp.
Blur Image
Blur an entire photo, a face or just a line of text. Draw the areas you want to hide, fine-tune the strength, and save a full-resolution copy. Your image never leaves this device.
Drop an image here, paste it, or open a file
JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP or AVIF. The image stays on your device.
What is an online image blur tool?
An image blur tool softens selected pixels so that details become unreadable while the rest of the picture stays clear. It's the quickest way to hide faces, names, addresses and screen contents before sharing a photo, or to create a soft-focus background behind a subject.
This blur tool applies a Gaussian blur to any area you draw, or to everything except the areas you select. You can also switch any area to pixelate or a solid box for stronger redaction. All processing happens in your browser with the HTML canvas, so there is no upload, account or watermark.
How to blur an image online
- 1
Open your image
Choose Open image, drop a file on the editor or paste a screenshot with Ctrl/⌘ + V. JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP and AVIF are supported.
- 2
Choose the effect
Keep Blur selected and set the strength. For a soft background, switch What to hide to Outside shapes.
- 3
Draw over the areas
Drag a rectangle or ellipse, or paint with the brush. Add as many areas as you need. Click an area to change or delete it.
- 4
Check and download
Press and hold “Hold to see original” to compare, then download as PNG, JPG or WebP at full resolution, or copy the result to the clipboard.
Benefits of blurring images in your browser
- Private by design
- Your photo is decoded, edited and exported locally. It is never uploaded, so screenshots of bank statements or ID cards stay on your device.
- Precise, flexible selections
- Draw rectangles for text, ellipses for faces and brush strokes for irregular shapes. Each area keeps its own effect and strength.
- Full-resolution output
- Export at the original size as PNG, JPG or WebP, with quality control for lossy formats. There is no watermark.
- Fast on phones and laptops
- Effects are GPU-accelerated canvas filters. Nothing needs to be installed, and it works with touch.
Blur, pixelate or solid box: which should you use?
| Effect | Looks like | Best for | Reversible? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blur | Soft, smooth | Backgrounds, faces in casual photos, a gentle look | Light blur can sometimes be partly reversed |
| Pixelate | Square mosaic blocks | Faces, licence plates, screenshots | Large blocks are very hard to reverse |
| Solid box | Flat colour bar | Passwords, numbers, legal or ID redaction | No, the pixels are replaced |
Common uses
- Screenshots for support tickets
- Hide email addresses, API keys, order numbers and customer names before you post a screenshot.
- Social media and marketplaces
- Blur faces of bystanders, children or house numbers before you publish a photo or listing.
- Documents and IDs
- Redact passport numbers, dates of birth and signatures in photos of documents you need to share.
- Vehicles and dashcam footage
- Pixelate licence plates in car photos, accident reports and street scenes.
- Portraits and product shots
- Use Outside shapes mode to blur a busy background and keep the subject in focus.
- Spoilers and puzzles
- Pixelate an answer or a spoiler so people can reveal it later by opening the original.
How to hide sensitive information safely
Light blur and small pixel blocks can sometimes be reversed or guessed, especially for short, predictable text such as card numbers, dates and licence plates. Research has shown that low-strength mosaics can be matched against candidate text.
- For passwords, account numbers, addresses and ID numbers, use Solid box. It replaces the pixels completely.
- If you prefer a softer look, use Pixelate with a pixel size of 60 or more, so each block covers several characters.
- Cover the whole value, including the edges of the characters. Partial redaction can still reveal the number of digits.
- Check the downloaded file, not just the preview, before you share it. This tool saves a new image, so the original pixels and EXIF metadata are not included.
How this tool compares with other online blur tools
We tested the image blur and pixelate tools that rank on Google's first page. Most are good at one job: blurring a whole photo, pixelating a rectangle or selling a larger editor. Several upload your photo to a server for processing. This tool puts the privacy-focused features in one place.
| Feature | This tool | Typical online tools |
|---|---|---|
| Image stays on your device | Yes, processed in your browser | Often processed on a server |
| Blur, pixelate and solid box in one image | Yes, set per area | Usually one effect at a time |
| Rectangle, ellipse and freehand brush | All three | Usually rectangle only |
| Blur the background, keep the subject sharp | Yes (Outside shapes mode) | Sometimes, in a separate tool |
| Undo, redo and before/after view | Yes | Varies |
| Account, watermark or size limit | None | Some cap file size or add a watermark |
| EXIF location data removed on export | Yes | Rarely mentioned |
5 frequently asked questions about blurring images
Is it safe to blur private photos with this tool?
Yes. The image is opened and edited inside your browser. It isn't uploaded to a server, and nothing is stored after you close the tab. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads.
How do I blur only part of an image?
Keep What to hide set to Inside shapes, then drag a rectangle or ellipse, or paint with the brush over the part you want to blur. Each area can have its own strength or effect.
How do I blur the background of a photo?
Switch What to hide to Outside shapes, then draw an ellipse or brush over your subject. Everything outside your selection is blurred, and the subject stays sharp.
Can a blurred image be unblurred?
Strong blur destroys detail, but light blur on text may be partly reconstructed. For anything sensitive, use Pixelate with a large pixel size or Solid box, which replaces the pixels completely.
Will the image lose quality?
Unblurred areas keep their original pixels. PNG export is lossless. JPG and WebP let you choose the quality. The output has the same dimensions as the original.