Pixelate Image

Apply a mosaic pixelation effect to an entire image or pick specific areas to censor. All processing in your browser.

Drag an image here, or click to browse

JPG, PNG, WebP supported

How to pixelate an image

Drop, set the size, select regions if needed, download.

1

Drop your image

Drag any JPG, PNG or WebP onto the tool.

2

Choose a mode

Full image applies the mosaic effect to everything. Region mode lets you click and drag to select specific areas.

3

Set the pixel size

Bigger pixels mean more pixelation. 8 to 16 is usually enough for censoring. 32 to 64 creates that blocky retro look.

4

Download

Download as PNG. Selection rectangles are removed from the final output.

Why pixelation is better than blur for censoring

Blur can sometimes be reversed with sharpening algorithms, especially light blurs. Pixelation permanently replaces the original pixel values with averaged blocks. There is no unblur filter that can reconstruct a pixelated face. It also looks intentional. Viewers immediately understand that pixelated areas are censored on purpose.

For personal use like hiding names in screenshots or addresses in documents, pixelation at 12px or higher is plenty. For legal or journalistic use, always check with your compliance team, but pixelation is the standard approach for protecting identity in published images.

Other tools you might need

Blur / Censor →Crop Image →Add Text →

Frequently asked questions

Can I use this to censor faces or license plates?+
Yes. Use region mode and drag over the face or plate. Set pixel size to 12 or higher. The area will be unrecognisable in the output.
Is pixelation reversible?+
No. Once you download the pixelated image, the original pixel data in those areas is gone. You cannot unpixelate an image. Keep your original file.
Can I add more than one region?+
Yes, up to 10 regions. Each one is pixelated independently. You can remove regions individually by clicking the Region button.
Does this work like the Blur tool?+
Similar purpose, different effect. Blur smooths details. Pixelation replaces areas with large solid color blocks. For censoring, pixelation is generally more effective and recognisable as intentional.