Crop a picture to fit in a shape

With Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, or Excel, you can easily change the outline of a photo by turning it into a shape like a circle or a rounded rectangle. The Crop to Shape feature provides options for cropping an image to a specific shape or starting with a shape and then inserting an image within it.

This article applies to steps you can use to crop images in different Microsoft 365 applications. You can use the same steps in PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, or Excel

Crop an image to a shape

When you crop a picture to a certain shape, it'll change size to match that shape while keeping its proportions the same.

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Add an image to your Microsoft 365 file, like a PowerPoint presentation or Word document, by selecting Insert from the ribbon > Picture. There'll be different options for you to choose where to get your image.

Tip: If you want to crop the same picture into multiple shapes, first create copies of the original picture. Then, crop each copy into the shape you want.
After inserting the image, you'll see the Picture Format tab in the ribbon. You can select multiple pictures and crop them all at the same time. However, all the pictures will be in the same shape.

Note: Multi-cropping in Word can be difficult, because you can't select multiple pictures that have the default In Line with Text layout option.
In the ribbon, go to Picture Format and select the arrow under Crop .
Customize your image:
- To change the shape, select Crop Shape. The shape is immediately applied to your image.
- If you want to fill the entire shape with the picture, select Crop > Fill. Some outer edges of the picture might be cropped away. There won't be any empty space at the margins of the shape.
- To make the entire picture fit within the shape, select Crop > Fit. There might be some empty space at the margins of the shape.
  
  Note: When you select Fill or Fit, black crop handles appear on the edges and corners of the picture.
Select the picture and drag it it to adjust the position of the picture within the frame. This can help you center the most important part of the picture within the shape.
Crop the margins of the image by dragging the black crop handles inward. If you drag one of the corner handles, it crops two adjacent sides at the same time. To crop evenly on two parallel sides at the same time, hold the Ctrl key and drag inwards on the side cropping handle.
Select Crop when you're done.

Start with a shape and add an image

A picture can be used to fill a shape, and the shape can then be edited or cropped.

Add a picture to a shape

Add a shape to your Microsoft 365 file by selecting Insert from the ribbon > Shapes. Then select a shape from the gallery. For more info, see Add shapes.
After inserting the image, you'll see the Shape Format tab in the ribbon.
Go to Shape Format, and select Shape Fill > Picture.
Select your image. There'll be different options for you to choose where to get your image.
After you select the image, it's automatically added to the shape.

Resize the shape

To change the filled shape's dimensions while maintaining its basic format, select it and drag any of the sizing handles.

How to fit a picture in a shape

If your picture is skewed, cut off, or doesn't fill the shape the way you want, you can fine-tune it with the Fit and Fill tools on the Crop menu.

Select the shape that you want to edit in your Microsoft 365 file. Then go to Picture Format on the ribbon.
Select the arrow under Crop to customize your shape. To resize the picture so the entire picture area is filled, select Crop > Fill. To resize the picture so it shows in the frame and keeps its original shape, select Crop > Fit.
Adjust the crop area by using the cropping handles. See Crop a picture.
When you're finished, press Esc or select anywhere outside the picture to submit changes.

Use edit points to edit or crop a shape

While cropping tools are not available for shapes, you can use the Edit Points tool to customize a shape.

Select the shape that you want to edit in your Microsoft 365 file.
Select Shape Format, and then select Edit Shape at the upper left corner > Edit Points.
Drag the black dots (vertex points) until the shape looks the way you want.
To delete a vertex point, hold Ctrl and select it. To add a vertex point, hold Ctrl while selecting anywhere on the shape's perimeter that doesn't already have a vertex point.