How to undo a crop on a photo
Updated · 2 min read
Short answer
Press Undo right after cropping. Later, most apps can still restore the picture: Edit > Revert in iPhone Photos, Reset Picture in Word and PowerPoint, and the Crop tool again in Photoshop. If an app saved over your only copy and keeps no history, the cropped parts cannot be recovered.
By app
iPhone Photos
- How to undo
- Open the photo, tap Edit, then Revert and Revert to Original. Or open the crop tool and drag the frame back out.
Mac Preview
- How to undo
- Press Command-Z right away. After saving, try File > Revert To and pick an earlier version.
Word and PowerPoint
- How to undo
- Click the picture and choose Picture Format > Reset Picture. This does not bring back parts removed with Delete cropped areas.
Google Docs and Slides
- How to undo
- Press Ctrl+Z, or click the picture, click the crop icon and drag the handles back out.
Photoshop
- How to undo
- Press Ctrl+Z (Command-Z on a Mac). If Delete Cropped Pixels was off, select the Crop tool again and drag the frame back out.
Canva
- How to undo
- Press Ctrl+Z (Command-Z on a Mac), or click the photo, click Crop and drag the handles back out.
Google Photos
- How to undo
- If you saved over the original, open the photo, tap Edit and look for Revert.
| App | How to undo |
|---|---|
| iPhone Photos | Open the photo, tap Edit, then Revert and Revert to Original. Or open the crop tool and drag the frame back out. |
| Mac Preview | Press Command-Z right away. After saving, try File > Revert To and pick an earlier version. |
| Word and PowerPoint | Click the picture and choose Picture Format > Reset Picture. This does not bring back parts removed with Delete cropped areas. |
| Google Docs and Slides | Press Ctrl+Z, or click the picture, click the crop icon and drag the handles back out. |
| Photoshop | Press Ctrl+Z (Command-Z on a Mac). If Delete Cropped Pixels was off, select the Crop tool again and drag the frame back out. |
| Canva | Press Ctrl+Z (Command-Z on a Mac), or click the photo, click Crop and drag the handles back out. |
| Google Photos | If you saved over the original, open the photo, tap Edit and look for Revert. |
When you cannot undo
If you saved the cropped picture over the only copy, and the app has no edit history, the removed pixels are gone. That is why it pays to crop a copy, or to use a Save as copy option. See how to crop a photo on Windows and on Mac.
Look for the original first
- Check the folder you took the photo from. Many apps keep the original next to the edit.
- Check cloud backups such as iCloud Photos or Google Photos. They may still hold the uncropped photo.
- Check the Recently Deleted or Trash area if you removed a file.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I uncrop a photo after saving?
- Often yes. iPhone Photos, Word, PowerPoint and non-destructive Photoshop crops keep the original. A flat JPEG saved over the only copy cannot be restored.
- Does Photos on iPhone keep my original after cropping?
- Yes. Edits do not change the original, and Revert brings it back. See how to crop a photo on iPhone.
- How do I stop losing originals?
- Crop copies, not the only file, and use Save as copy where it exists.
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