Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Cropping Graphics.

Cropping Graphics

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 3, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365

Once you place a graphic in your workbook, you may decide to crop it. Cropping means to cut off part of the graphic so it doesn't show in your workbook. To crop a graphic, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure that the Format tab of the ribbon is displayed. (This tab is only visible if you first click on a graphic.)
  2. Click on the Crop tool in the Size group.
  3. Click on one of the graphic's corner or side handles with the mouse pointer.
  4. Drag the handle towards the center of the graphic, stopping when you have cropped the desired amount.
  5. You can turn off cropping by clicking on the Crop tool again or by pressing Esc.

You should understand that while cropping a graphic makes it look smaller, none of the original graphic is actually lost, it is only hidden. Cropping a graphic will not decrease the amount of storage space required by that graphic in your workbook.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12236) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Cropping Graphics.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Converting to Lowercase and Small Caps

Word has a powerful Find and Replace capability. If you want to change the case of what is found, however, then Find and ...

Discover More

Leaving a Cell Value Unchanged If a Condition Is False

Ever want the IF function to only return a value if the condition it is testing is true, and not if the condition is ...

Discover More

Quickly Adjusting Paragraph Spacing

Need to easily adjust the vertical spacing that follows a paragraph? You can do it using dialog boxes or you can create ...

Discover More

Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2019 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Resize Graphics Outside of Excel

Graphics are a common addition to almost any workbook. If you need to change the size of your graphics (which Excel lets ...

Discover More

Creating Venn Diagrams with Excel Data

A common way of representing data is to use a Venn diagram. Unfortunately, Excel doesn't have a precise way of creating ...

Discover More

Using the Camera in VBA

The camera tool allows you to capture dynamic "pictures" of portions of a worksheet. If you want to use the camera tool ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is four less than 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.