Image Editor Help

Open an image from your computerTop ↑

Images from your computer are read directly in the browser. They aren't uploaded to an Image Editor server, and you don't need to sign in.

How to open an image

• Use the start page. Select Open Image From Computer and pick a file.
• Use the toolbar. Choose Open from computer... in the toolbar's Open menu, or press Ctrl/Cmd + O.
• Drag and drop. Drag an image from your desktop or a folder window onto Image Editor.
• Paste an image. Copy an image in another app, return to Image Editor, and paste it.
• Open a recent image. Recent files are listed on the start page and at the bottom of the Open menu; select one to reopen it.

What you can open

Image Editor supports JPEG, PNG, WebP, BMP, GIF, HEIC/HEIF, TIFF/TIF, and supported static SVG files. JPEG, PNG, and WebP can be edited and saved in the same format. Other inputs are converted to PNG for editing, and the app explains anything the conversion won't preserve.

Open an image from Google DriveTop ↑

Select Open From Google Drive on the start page, or choose Open from Google Drive... in the toolbar's Open menu. Sign in with the account that can access the image, then choose it in the Google file picker.

Good to know

• Access is limited. Image Editor can work with files you select or create with the app, not everything in your Drive.
• Shared files are supported. You can open an image from a shared drive or a file shared with your account. If you only have view access, save your own copy instead of overwriting it.
• Use the same Google account. If the picker shows the wrong files, close it and make sure you're signed in with the account that has access.

Create a new imageTop ↑

Select Create New Image on the start page, choose New image in the toolbar's Open menu, or visit imageeditor.app/new. A blank canvas opens right away: a transparent 1600 by 1200 pixel PNG. To change the size or background, open Image properties on the toolbar.

Choose the canvas

• Use a preset. Pick a common size from the Image dimension menu and swap the orientation if needed.
• Enter a custom size. Set the width and height in pixels.
• Choose a background. Start transparent for a logo or cutout, or use a solid color for a ready-made background.

Very large dimensions need much more browser memory than the final compressed file. Image Editor warns before applying unusually large dimensions.

Edit the imageTop ↑

Choose a tool beside the preview. You can switch tools at any time, and your earlier changes stay in place. The toolbar above the image adds zoom and fit-to-view controls, rotate and flip buttons, Image properties, and an Aspect ratio menu for the crop.

What each tool does

• Crop: Reframe, straighten, rotate, flip, or scale the image.
• Filter: Apply a ready-made color style. Choose Default to remove the filter.
• Finetune: Adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, exposure, temperature, gamma, clarity, and vignette.
• Annotate: Add text, lines, arrows, shapes, and drawings that stay attached to the image.
• Decorate: Add text, shapes, and drawings positioned over the final crop.
• Fill: Set the color behind transparent pixels.
• Frame: Add a finished edge around the image.
• Redact: Obscure visible information in the exported pixels.
• Resize: Set the exported width and height in pixels.

See the visual tool guide for examples and practical tips.

Undo, redo, and revert

Use the Undo and Redo toolbar buttons or the standard keyboard shortcuts. Revert all changes, next to them, returns to the image state loaded at the start of the editing session. Use Undo when you only want to step back once.

Full screen and themes

Choose Full screen at the right end of the toolbar, or press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + F, for a focused editing layout. The theme button in the header cycles the System, Light, and Dark themes without discarding your edits. The workspace also adapts to phones and tablets, though detailed drawing and text placement are often easier on a larger screen.

Save and exportTop ↑

An image opened from Google Drive with edit access autosaves as you edit. An image from your computer is written only after your first manual save, which grants file access or picks the destination; from then on it autosaves too. The status beside the filename shows what has been saved.

Save to the current file

• A local PNG, JPEG, or WebP. Press the Save button or Ctrl/Cmd + S. In Chrome, Edge, Opera, and other supported Chromium browsers, approve the write-permission prompt the first time it appears.
• A Google Drive image. Save writes back to that Drive file when you have edit access.
• A converted image. BMP, GIF, HEIC/HEIF, TIFF, and SVG need a new PNG, JPEG, or WebP file because Image Editor can't preserve every feature of the original format.

Choose a different destination

• Save as..., on the toolbar next to Save, creates a new local file and sends future saves to it.
• Edit in Drive, on the app bar, creates a Drive file and sends future saves to it.
• Make a copy, in the More actions menu, creates another file in Drive.
• Download, on the app bar, downloads the current image while keeping you in the file you were already editing.

If a local save or download fails

Check that the device has free space, approve any browser permission prompt, and confirm that downloads are allowed for imageeditor.app. If saving the current file keeps failing, use Save as... on the toolbar or Download on the app bar to create a separate file.

If the original changed somewhere elseTop ↑

The same file can change while you have it open: another person edits the Drive file, or another program updates the local file. Image Editor checks before overwriting and pauses if it finds a newer version.

Your choices

• Keep your version. Confirm that you want your edited image to replace the other version.
• Use the newer version. Load the file that changed elsewhere instead of overwriting it.
• Keep both. Use Save as..., Make a copy, or Download before deciding.
• Decide later. Dismiss the warning and keep editing. Autosave stays paused for that file, and nothing is overwritten until you decide.

Autosave and recovery draftsTop ↑

Image Editor protects your work in two ways: by autosaving to the image's own file once that is safe to do, and by keeping a recovery draft in this browser on this device.

When the file autosaves

• A Google Drive image you can edit autosaves as you work; no first manual save is needed.
• An image from your computer autosaves after your first manual save, which grants file access or picks the destination.
• Autosave pauses if the file changed somewhere else, and a converted format always needs a new file first. The status beside the filename shows what has been saved.

How recovery drafts work

• A separate safety copy. When browser storage is available, Image Editor records the original image and your current edits after a short pause. A draft never overwrites your files.
• Restores after an interruption. If the tab reloads, crashes, or closes unexpectedly, the app can offer or restore the latest unsaved draft.
• Uses a new Undo baseline. The restored image and edits return, but the full step-by-step Undo history doesn't.

Important

Draft saved to this device means the browser safety copy is current; it doesn't mean the file was saved. Browser data can be cleared, blocked, or run out of space. If recovery is unavailable, keep the tab open and save the image before leaving.

Keyboard shortcutsTop ↑

On a Mac, use Cmd where this list shows Ctrl. For the full list, open More actions > Keyboard shortcuts in the app, or press Ctrl + /.

• Open from your computer: Ctrl + O
• Open from Google Drive: Ctrl + Shift + O
• Save: Ctrl + S
• Save as: Ctrl + Shift + S
• Undo: Ctrl + Z
• Redo: Ctrl + Shift + Z (on Windows and Linux, Ctrl + Y also works)
• Rename: F2
• Full screen: Ctrl + Shift + F
• Close a menu, a dialog, or an untouched new image: Esc

With the image area or toolbar focused (click the image first), single keys work too:

• Zoom in / out: + / -
• Fit to view: 0; Actual size: 1
• Rotate right / left: R / Shift + R

Privacy and your filesTop ↑

Opening, decoding, editing, and rendering happen in your browser.

When data leaves your device

• Google Drive. A Drive file travels directly between your browser and Google when you choose a Drive action.
• Recovery drafts. Drafts stay in this browser on this device.

See the Privacy Policy for complete details.

TroubleshootingTop ↑

The editor does not load

Reload the page once. If the workspace still doesn't appear, a network filter, ad blocker, or security extension may be blocking a file served by imageeditor.app. Try a private window to rule out extensions, then update or try another current browser.

HEIC or TIFF does not open

Very large, damaged, or unsupported variants may be refused. BigTIFF, RAW, and DNG aren't supported. Export a JPEG or PNG copy in another app and open that copy. If you contact Support, include the exact error text, file size, and approximate pixel dimensions.

The image opens but cannot overwrite

BMP, GIF, HEIC/HEIF, TIFF, and SVG need a new PNG, JPEG, or WebP file because their original structure can't be reproduced. Choose Save and follow the prompts, or use Save as... on the toolbar, or Edit in Drive or Download on the app bar.

The editor is slow or runs out of memory

Close other memory-heavy tabs and apps, then try again. A compressed photo can expand to several times its file size during editing. If needed, make a smaller JPEG or PNG copy in another app before opening it.

If a Google Drive request failsTop ↑

A Drive open, save, copy, or file-management request can fail because the connection dropped, the sign-in session expired, the wrong account is active, you lost permission, Drive storage is full, or Google returned a temporary error.

What you can do

• Check your connection and try the action again.
• Make sure Image Editor is using the Google account that has access to the file.
• Reload the app and sign in again if the session may have expired.
• Use Download on the app bar to keep a local result if saving to Drive is unavailable.

Google Drive download quota exceededTop ↑

Google temporarily limits downloads when a file has been downloaded too many times in a short period. Image Editor can't override that limit.

What you can do

Wait and try again later, ask the owner to make another copy, or open a different copy of the image if one is available. The limit belongs to the Drive file, so changing browsers usually won't help.

Download disabled by the file ownerTop ↑

The owner of a shared Drive file can prevent viewers and commenters from downloading or copying it. Image Editor respects that setting.

What you can do

Ask the owner for edit access, a downloadable copy, or permission to download. Signing in with another account helps only if that account already has the required access.

File flagged by Google DriveTop ↑

Google may block an image it has flagged as malware, spam, or abusive content. Image Editor doesn't bypass Google's warning or download policy.

What you can do

Open Google Drive directly and review Google's message. If you own the file and believe the flag is wrong, follow Google's available review or download steps. Don't open a file you don't trust.

Local file changed, moved, or became unavailableTop ↑

A recent-file entry can stop working if the image was renamed, moved, deleted, or changed by another app, or if the browser lost permission to read it.

What you can do

• Select Open Image From Computer and choose the file again.
• Approve the browser's permission prompt if one appears.
• If another app changed the file, reopen it to load the latest version or save your current edit under a new name first.
• Remove a broken recent entry; this doesn't delete the file itself.

View-only imagesTop ↑

A Google Drive image can be view-only when your account has viewer or commenter access but not edit access. You can still inspect and edit the image in the workspace, but Image Editor won't overwrite the shared source.

Keep your own version

Use Make a copy in the More actions menu when it's available, or Save as... on the toolbar or Download on the app bar. If the owner disabled downloads and copies, ask them for permission.