Pixelate screenshots for instant privacy
Draw over any area to turn it into a mosaic. Faces, license plates, emails, account numbers â gone in one drag. Runs on your Mac. Nothing gets uploaded anywhere.
Pixel block sizes at a glance
Bigger blocks hide more. Here's what each size is good for.
| Block size | Best for | Privacy level | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4px | Subtle detail reduction â watermarks, fine print | Low | Barely noticeable unless you zoom in |
| 8â12px | Text redaction â emails, names, account numbers | Medium | Clearly pixelated, text unreadable |
| 16â24px | Faces, profile photos, identifying features | High | Strong mosaic, nothing recognizable |
| 32px | Maximum privacy â license plates, documents, IDs | Full | Heavy grid, zero detail remains |
How to pixelate 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 onto the app. Your screenshot appears on the canvas instantly â no import dialog, no file picker.
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.
Draw a pixelate region
Drag over the area you want to hide. A mosaic grid appears immediately. Each region gets its own layer with adjustable block size â small blocks for text, large blocks for faces. Add as many regions as you need.
Pro tip: Start with a medium block size (12px) and increase until the content is unrecognizable. You can always adjust after drawing the region.
Export and share
Copy to clipboard or save as PNG/JPEG. The pixelation is baked in permanently â the original pixels are destroyed in the export. There's no hidden layer underneath, no metadata to extract. What's gone is gone.
Pro tip: Use âC to copy the pixelated image directly to clipboard. Paste into Slack, email, or Notion without saving a file first.
When to pixelate
The mosaic pattern is universally understood as "this was hidden on purpose." That makes it perfect for situations where you want people to know something was redacted â not just wonder if the image is broken.
Face anonymization
Sharing a photo from an event, a street scene, or a meeting screenshot? Pixelate faces of people who didn't consent to being shared. One drag per face, done. No need to crop everyone out of the frame.
License plates
Posting car photos online? Pixelate the plate first. Takes two seconds. Whether it's a parking lot screenshot, a dashcam frame, or a listing photo, the mosaic makes it obvious the plate was intentionally hidden.
Social media screenshots
Sharing a conversation screenshot or a funny reply? Pixelate the usernames and profile photos of people who aren't part of the story. Protects their identity without ruining the context of what you're sharing.
Demo videos & walkthroughs
Recording a product demo but the test account shows real customer data? Pixelate the sensitive fields before you export the frame. Works great for thumbnails, documentation screenshots, and training materials.
Pixelate vs blur â which hides info better?
Short answer: both destroy the original data equally well. Neither can be reversed. The real difference is how the result looks and what it communicates.
Pixelate
- Universally recognized as intentional redaction
- Clean grid pattern â looks deliberate, not accidental
- Best for: faces, license plates, public screenshots
Blur
- Softer look â blends into the surrounding content
- Feels more natural in polished documentation
- Best for: help docs, presentations, internal reports
Bottom line: Use pixelate when you want to signal "this was hidden on purpose." Use blur when you want the screenshot to look clean and professional. Both are equally secure â neither can be reversed.
Tips for better pixelation
Four habits that keep your redactions clean and actually private.
Pick the right block size
Small text needs smaller blocks (8-12px) to fully destroy letter shapes. Faces need larger blocks (16-24px) because our brains are wired to recognize faces from very little data. When unsure, go one size up.
Extend past the edges
Always drag your pixelate region a few pixels beyond the content you're hiding. Tight boundaries can leave partial characters or facial features visible at the edges. Give yourself a margin.
Check at full zoom before sharing
A pixelated area might look completely hidden at 50% zoom. But at 100%, you might spot a partially visible letter or recognizable feature. Always check the exported file at actual size.
Combine with crop
Sometimes the fastest approach is to crop out the unnecessary parts of the screenshot first, then pixelate what's left. Less area to worry about, fewer regions to draw. Simple.
More than just pixelate
ScreenshotEdits packs 15+ editing tools into one fast app available on web and desktop.
Frequently asked questions
Is pixelation reversible?
No. Once exported, the original pixels are destroyed and replaced with solid color blocks. No software can reconstruct the original content from a pixelated image.
What block size should I use?
It depends on what you're hiding. For text, 8-12px blocks are enough. For faces, go 16-24px. If you want to be absolutely sure nothing is recognizable, crank it up to 32px.
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 pixelate and blur?
Pixelation replaces areas with solid color blocks in a grid pattern. Blur applies a smooth Gaussian effect. Both destroy the original data equally well â pick whichever looks better for your use case.
Can I use this for free?
Yes. All features including pixelation 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 pixelate multiple areas at once?
Yes, as many as you need. Each region gets its own pixelate layer with independent block size settings. Adjust or remove any of them before exporting.
Is pixelation better than blur for hiding faces?
Both work equally well for actual privacy. Pixelation is more commonly used for faces because people instantly recognize the mosaic pattern as intentional redaction. It's a visual convention at this point.
Hide it before you share it
Free to start. Pixelate sensitive info in seconds. No account needed.
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