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How to blur a face in a photo
Open Docmend’s free Blur image tool, choose the photo and drag over each face. Pick Blur, Pixelate or Black box, then click “Download the hidden version.” The photo never leaves your device. For text such as names or numbers, use a black box, because the Depix project has recovered text from some pixelated screenshots.
Docmend (docmend.app), a Chrome extension and free document tools site, makes the Blur image tool used below.
Blur a face in your browser
- Open Blur image and choose the picture.
- Pick Blur, Pixelate or Black box, then drag over each face or detail you want to hide.
- Click “Download the hidden version.”
The tool replaces the covered parts in the saved picture, so people who get the new file can’t undo the edit. Your original stays on your device as it was, and nothing is uploaded.
Blur, pixelate or black box?
- Blur softens the area. It looks natural for faces in the background of a photo.
- Pixelate turns the area into large color blocks. GIMP’s manual compares this to the effect TV uses to hide a person’s face.
- Black box covers the area with solid black. Nothing of the original is left.
For faces in a crowd, blur or pixelate usually works. For text, use a black box. A project called Depix showed it can recover plain text from some pixelated screenshots, so pixelating a password, an account number or an address isn’t enough.
What to hide before you post
- Faces of people who didn’t agree to be shared, especially children
- License plates and house numbers
- Names, addresses and barcodes on mail, tickets or ID cards
- Screens and whiteboards in the background
Blur a face with GIMP
If you already use GIMP, the free image editor, select the face with a selection tool, then choose Filters > Blur > Pixelize. GIMP lets you set the block width and height in pixels; bigger blocks hide more. Export the result as a new file.
Don’t forget the hidden details
Hiding a face doesn’t remove the information stored inside the file. Phone photos can include the place where you took them. Read how to remove the location from a photo, or use Remove location and hidden info. If you only need part of the picture, crop it instead.
Common questions
How do I blur a face in a photo for free?
Open Docmend’s Blur image tool, choose the picture, drag over the face and click “Download the hidden version.” It’s free, runs in your browser and doesn’t upload the photo.
Can someone unblur a face I blurred?
Not from the file Docmend saves, because the tool replaces the covered parts in the saved picture. Light blur or small pixel blocks can still leave clues, especially for text, so use a black box for anything sensitive.
Is pixelating safer than blurring?
Not for text. The Depix project showed it can recover text from some pixelated screenshots. Use a black box to cover names, numbers or passwords.
Does blurring change my original photo?
No. Docmend saves a new copy with the parts hidden, and your original file stays as it was. Share only the new copy.
Can I blur more than one face?
Yes. Drag over each face or detail you want to hide before you download the hidden version.
Sources
- GIMP Documentation: Pixelize filter, checked 2026-10-21
- GitHub: Depix, recovering text from pixelized screenshots, checked 2026-10-21
- Docmend image tool: Blur image
- Docmend homepage: tools and pricing