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Privacy
Blur or pixelate part of an image
Drag a box over anything you want hidden. You can add several. The pixels underneath are destroyed, not covered, so there is nothing to recover from the saved file.
Applied
Covering is not redacting
Drawing a black rectangle in a document editor and exporting often leaves the original underneath, as a shape sitting on top of intact content. People have had real consequences from that. This tool overwrites the pixel data itself: once a box is applied, the values that were there are gone from memory, and the file you download never contained them.
Pixelation and blur are both destructive here, but they are not equally safe. Light pixelation of a short known string, a four digit number for instance, can sometimes be attacked by trying every possibility and comparing the result. For anything genuinely sensitive use the solid block, which leaves nothing to reason about.
Do the metadata too
Hiding a face does not hide where the photo was taken. Phone images usually carry GPS coordinates, the time, and the device. Run the result through remove image metadata before sharing it.
Common questions
Can the blur be reversed?
Not from the downloaded file, because the original pixels are not in it. Strong pixelation of predictable content is theoretically attackable, which is why the solid block option exists.
Can I blur several faces?
Yes, draw as many boxes as you need. Each is applied as you release the mouse, and undo removes the most recent one.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, drag with your finger. Boxes are easier to place accurately if you zoom the page in first.
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