Pixelate Image Online Free: Mosaic Effect Tool
Apply pixelated mosaic effects to photos and animated GIFs directly in your browser. Choose block sizes from 2 to 64 px with instant preview and 100% privacy.
100% private. Nothing is uploaded.
How to Pixelate an Image in 3 Steps
Upload Your Image
Add a JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF by dropping it here or picking it from your device. Pixelation runs on your device, so the file is never uploaded.
Set the Pixel Block Size
Drag the Pixel Block Size slider from 2 to 64 px. It starts at 12 px, and bigger blocks hide more detail.
Download Your Image
Press Download. The file keeps the format you uploaded, with -pixelated added to its name. Animated GIFs keep every frame.
Key features
- Block Size From 2 to 64 px
- Files Stay on Your Device
- Preview Updates as You Drag
- Keeps JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF
- Animated GIFs Stay Animated
- Free With No Watermark
When to Pixelate a Whole Image
Hiding & Censoring
- Hide a whole photo, such as a close-up of a face or a car's plate
- Turn a full screenshot into blocks to show its layout, not its content
- Make a censored version of an image for a thumbnail or preview
- Hide a spoiler image behind a mosaic
Pixel Art & Crafts
- Give a photo a retro, pixel-art look
- Make a blocky reference for crochet or cross-stitch patterns
- Create pixelated avatars and profile pictures
- Make blocky backgrounds for posters and slides
GIFs & Social Posts
- Pixelate every frame of an animated GIF
- Pixelate an animated WebP and keep it moving
- Make pixel-style memes and reaction images
- Post a "guess the picture" mosaic and reveal it later
What Is a Pixelated Image?
A pixelated image shows areas as large square blocks, each filled with a single color, so faces, text and other fine detail are hard to make out. Pixelating does this on purpose. It can also happen by accident when a small image is stretched too big. Blurring is different: it smears detail into soft shading, not squares.
Pixelate a Picture for Free: Block Size, Areas and Formats
The block size slider does most of the work, but the image size and file type change the result too. These answers cover the questions people ask most.
What Block Size Should I Use?
Block size is in pixels, so the effect depends on the image width. A 1200 px wide photo at 12 px gives about 100 blocks across; at 48 px, about 25. As a starting point:
- 2–6 px: a fine grain. Faces and large text may still be recognizable.
- 8–20 px: the classic mosaic look. On most photos, shapes show but details don't. The slider starts at 12 px.
- 24–64 px: big blocks that leave little more than color.
Can I Pixelate Only Part of an Image?
No. This tool pixelates the whole image evenly. For one face or name, the redact image tool lets you draw a solid box over just that spot. If you only need the pixelated part, crop the image first and then pixelate it.
Can a Pixelated Image Be Unpixelated?
Not back to the original. The saved file keeps one color per block, and the detail inside each block is gone. Even so, pixelation isn't safe for every secret. Short text like a PIN can sometimes be guessed by testing candidates until the blocks match, so cover passwords and account numbers with a solid box instead.
How Do I Pixelate an Image for Crochet or Cross-Stitch?
Pick a block size that gives one block per stitch: divide the image width by the stitches you want across. For 60 stitches on a 1200 px wide image, use 20 px. Blocks go up to 64 px, so shrink a large image first if you need fewer stitches. Colors aren't reduced, so you still match each block to a yarn or thread.
Which Formats Can I Pixelate?
You can pixelate JPG, PNG, WebP and GIF files, and the download keeps the format you uploaded:
- Still JPG and WebP images save at 92% quality. PNG saves with no quality loss.
- Animated GIF and WebP files are pixelated frame by frame and stay animated. The preview shows only the first frame.
- Some browsers can't save WebP. There, a still WebP downloads as a PNG, and a note tells you before you download.
- Other files, such as HEIC or AVIF, are turned away with a message. Convert them to JPG first.
More Privacy & Image Tools
Blur, redact and strip metadata, all in your browser.
Blur Image
Soften a whole photo with a Gaussian blur from 1 to 25 px.
Redact Image
Cover names, numbers and faces with solid black boxes.
Bulk EXIF Stripper
Remove GPS and camera metadata from multiple images in one batch.
Image Metadata Viewer
See what GPS, camera, and author data is embedded in your images.
Pixelate Image — Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about pixelating images online
How do I pixelate a face in a photo?
This tool pixelates the whole photo, so it works when the face fills most of the frame, as in a close-up. For one face in a group photo, box that face out in the redact image tool instead. If you do pixelate a face, larger blocks hide more. Small blocks can leave a familiar face recognizable.
How can I pixelate a picture for free?
Pick a JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF, then choose a Pixel Block Size between 2 and 64 px. Bigger blocks give a chunkier, less recognizable picture. The download keeps the format you uploaded, and animated GIFs stay animated. There's no account and no watermark.
What is the difference between pixelation and blur for privacy?
Pixelation turns areas into hard square blocks, which reads clearly as censored. Blur smears detail into soft shading, which looks more natural and suits backgrounds. Neither is as safe as a solid black box for text, because both keep some trace of what was there. For a soft effect, use the blur image tool.
Will pixelation remove EXIF data from my image?
Yes. JPG, PNG and still WebP files are redrawn by your browser into a new file, so EXIF data is not copied. GIF and animated WebP files are rebuilt with their metadata stripped. Either way, GPS location, camera model and the date taken are left out.
How do I pixelate text in an image?
This tool pixelates the whole image, so use it for text only when the text fills the picture, such as a cropped screenshot. Pick large blocks, because small blocks over short text, like a PIN, can sometimes be decoded. For passwords, account numbers and addresses, a solid black box from the redact tool is the safer choice.
Can I pixelate an image on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari and Chrome on phones. Pick a photo, set the block size with your finger and save. HEIC files aren't accepted, so if a photo is turned away, convert it to JPG first.