How to blur or pixelate part of a screenshot on a Mac

Before you post a screenshot or send it to support, you often need to hide a name, an email address, an order number or part of a card number. The safe way is to replace those pixels, not just put a box on top of them that someone could move or remove later. Here’s how to do it in Easy Paint Pro.

Step by step

1. Take the screenshot

   Press Shift–Command–4 and drag around what you want (or Shift–Command–3 for the whole screen). macOS saves it to your Desktop.

2. Open it in Easy Paint Pro

   Drag the screenshot onto the Easy Paint Pro window, or use File ▸ Open…. It opens in a new tab. If you copied the screenshot instead (add Control to the shortcut), right-click the canvas and choose Paste from Clipboard.

3. Select the private part

   Choose Select and drag a box around the name or number. For an odd shape, use Lasso.

4. Hide it for good

   Open the Privacy menu and choose one: Pixelate Selection Permanently, Strongly Blur Selection Permanently or Solid Redaction for a solid block. These replace the pixels underneath, so there’s nothing left to uncover. Repeat for anything else you need to hide.

5. Export a clean copy

   Choose Privacy ▸ Sanitize for Sharing…. It flattens the picture and writes a fresh PNG without EXIF, location, camera or source-file information. Share that file.

Pixelate, blur or redact?

• Solid redaction is the safest for text such as names, addresses and account numbers. Nothing of the original is left.
• Pixelate looks friendlier and is fine for faces and larger areas.
• Strong blur keeps the screenshot looking natural. Use it for backgrounds and busy areas rather than short words or numbers.

Two things to watch

• Share the export, not your working file. An editable .eppworkspace or a canvas recording can keep the history of what you covered. The PNG from Sanitize for Sharing doesn’t.
• Check the whole picture. Names often appear twice, for example in a title bar and in the message itself.

Can I do this for free?

Preview, which comes with your Mac, can draw a filled shape over part of a picture with its Markup tools. It doesn’t have blur or pixelate. For a quick black box it’s fine; for anything sensitive, use a tool that replaces the pixels and exports a clean copy without hidden details.

More guides

• Is there MS Paint for Mac?
• Remove the background from a picture
• Make pixel art
• Draw and write on a picture