How to blur part of an image on iPhone
Blur a face, a name or a number in one part of a photo on your iPhone, right in Safari. No app to install, nothing uploaded, and location data removed.
Updated · 2 min read
Do it now: free, in your browser, nothing uploaded.
Open Blur imageThe short answer
Open Blur image in Safari, pick the photo from your library, drag a box over the part you want hidden and download the result. It works in the browser, so there's nothing to install, and the photo stays on your phone.
Many photo editors on phones draw on top of the picture, and some keep the original so the edit can be undone later. That's handy for your own albums, but it's not what you want when the point is that nobody else can see what's underneath. A tool that exports a fresh image, with the covered pixels replaced, is the safer route for anything you plan to send.
Step by step in Safari
- Open Blur image in Safari and tap to choose a file. Pick the photo or screenshot from your library.
- Wait a moment while the image is read on your device. Faces, emails, phone numbers, card numbers and other details are highlighted for you.
- Accept the highlights you want covered. To hide something that wasn't found, drag a box over it with your finger.
- In the Redaction style panel, choose Blur, Pixelate or Solid, and raise the strength if the area is still recognisable.
- Download. Save the new image to Photos or Files, and share that copy, not the original.
Zoom in on the preview before downloading. Small text on a phone screen is easy to miss, and a corner left uncovered is enough to read a number.
Blur, pixelate or a solid box?
| What you're hiding | Best style |
|---|---|
| A face or a person in the background | Blur or Pixelate, strong |
| A card, account or phone number | Solid |
| A name, email or address in text | Solid |
| A logo, screen or sign you'd rather not show | Blur |
Short text such as a number is the risky case for blur, because there are only so many possibilities to try. The editor warns you when blur or pixelation covers text. See Can blurred text be unblurred? for the reasons.
What else changes in the exported photo
Photos taken on a phone often carry hidden details, such as the time, the device and sometimes GPS coordinates. The exported image is a fresh file without that metadata, so the blurred copy doesn't quietly reveal where it was taken. How to remove location from photos explains this in more detail.
If you have several photos to clean, you can add up to 20 at once and download them together as a ZIP of PNGs or as a single PDF.
Questions
Do I need to install an app to blur part of a photo on iPhone?
No. Blur Document runs in Safari or any other mobile browser. There is no app to install, and the photo isn't uploaded.
Can I blur a screenshot the same way?
Yes. Screenshots are just images. Choose one from your library, and text such as emails, numbers and keys is picked up automatically.
Will my original photo be changed?
No. You download a new copy with the blur applied. The original stays in your library, so share the new one.