Blur screenshots in seconds
Select any area, apply a blur, and export. Hide emails, passwords, personal info, or anything you don't want others to see. Works in your browser or runs locally on Mac & Windows â nothing gets uploaded.
Blur types at a glance
Three ways to hide information â pick the one that fits.
| Type | Best for | Strength | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaussian blur | General redaction â emails, names, addresses | Medium to high | Smooth, natural-looking obscuration |
| Pixelate / mosaic | Faces, license plates, screenshots for social | Medium | Blocky grid that's clearly intentional |
| Solid fill | Complete redaction â passwords, API keys, tokens | Full cover | Nothing visible beneath â total privacy |
How to blur a screenshot
Three steps. No learning curve.
Open your screenshot
Paste with âV or capture directly with the built-in screenshot tool. You can also drag an image file from Finder straight onto the app. Your screenshot appears on the canvas instantly â no import dialog, no waiting.
Pro tip: Use âV right after taking a Mac screenshot (ââ§4). The image goes from your screen to the editor in under a second.
Select the area to blur
Drag over any region â emails, names, prices, whatever needs hiding. Each selection becomes its own blur layer with adjustable intensity. Need to blur something else? Just drag another region. There's no limit on how many blur areas you can add.
Pro tip: Hold Shift while dragging to create a perfectly square blur region. Great for avatar photos and profile pictures.
Export and share
Copy to clipboard or save as PNG/JPEG. The blur is baked in permanently â the original pixels are destroyed in the export. No one can reverse-engineer or 'un-blur' the hidden content, even with image editing software.
Pro tip: Use âC to copy the blurred image directly to clipboard. Paste straight into Slack, email, or Notion without saving a file first.
Why blur your screenshots?
Every screenshot has something you didn't mean to include. An email address in the corner. A password field that was open. A customer's name on a dashboard. You don't notice until you've already hit send. Blur it first.
Bug reports
Blur the customer's email and name before attaching the screenshot to Jira. Your dev team sees the bug. Nobody sees the user's personal data. GDPR stays happy, triage doesn't slow down.
Documentation
Product docs need real-looking screenshots, but with fake-looking data. Blur the names, emails, and account numbers so readers can follow the workflow without your compliance team losing sleep.
Social sharing
You want to share that dashboard screenshot on Twitter. But there's a client name in the sidebar and your email in the top-right. One blur region on each and it's safe to post.
Customer support
Show the customer exactly where to click, but blur out the account number and other PII that happens to be on the same screen. Visual instructions minus the liability.
Gaussian blur vs pixelate â when to use each
Both methods hide sensitive information effectively. The difference comes down to how the result looks and what context you're sharing in.
Gaussian blur
- Looks natural and professional in documentation
- Blends smoothly with surrounding content
- Best for: help docs, internal reports, presentations
Pixelate / mosaic
- Makes redaction visually obvious and intentional
- Familiar pattern â everyone recognizes pixelation
- Best for: social media, blog posts, public screenshots
Bottom line: Use Gaussian blur when you want the screenshot to look clean. Use pixelate when you want to signal "this was intentionally hidden." Both are equally secure â neither can be reversed.
Tips for better blurring
Getting blur right takes a bit of care. These four habits keep your redactions clean and secure.
Match strength to sensitivity
An email preview in a sidebar? Light blur is fine. An API key or password? Max intensity or solid fill. When in doubt, go heavier. You can't un-share a screenshot.
Blur wider than the text
Extend a few pixels past the text edges. Tight blur boundaries can leave partial characters visible, especially with thin fonts like SF Pro or Inter. You'd be surprised how much a half-visible 'g' gives away.
Blur for context, solid fill for secrets
Gaussian blur says "something was here, but it's not important." Solid fill says "this was sensitive and it's gone." Pick the one that matches your intent.
Check at 100% before sharing
What looks fully blurred at 50% zoom might reveal partial text at actual pixels. Especially on retina exports. Always zoom to 100% on the exported file before you send it anywhere.
More than just blur
ScreenshotEdits packs 15+ editing tools into one fast app available on web and desktop.
Frequently asked questions
Is the blur permanent?
Yes. Once you export, the blurred area is flattened into the image. The original content beneath is gone â no one can un-blur it.
Can I blur multiple areas at once?
Yes, as many as you need. Each region gets its own blur layer that you can adjust or remove before exporting.
Does my screenshot get uploaded anywhere?
No. ScreenshotEdits runs in your browser or locally on your desktop. Your screenshots never leave your computer â no cloud, no servers, no tracking.
What's the difference between blur and pixelate?
Blur applies a smooth Gaussian blur that softens the area. Pixelate creates a mosaic grid effect. Both hide info effectively â it's a visual preference.
Can I use this for free?
Yes. All features including blur are free. The free version adds a small watermark to exports. Free in your browser with 3 exports/day. Desktop app €19 one-time to remove watermark.
Can I undo a blur before exporting?
Yes. Every blur layer is non-destructive until you export. You can move, resize, adjust intensity, or delete any blur region. Full undo/redo support with âZ.
What file formats can I export blurred screenshots in?
Export as PNG (lossless, best for screenshots with text) or JPEG (smaller file size). You can also copy directly to clipboard for instant pasting into Slack, email, or docs.
Hide it before you share it
Free to start. Blur sensitive info in seconds. No account needed.