How to Resize an Image on Windows

To resize an image on Windows, open it in Paint, click Resize on the Home tab, enter a new size in pixels or as a percentage, and save. For a folder of pictures, Microsoft's free PowerToys adds a right-click resize to File Explorer. For an exact pixel width with a preview of the result, Resize Image runs in Edge, Chrome or any browser, and the picture is never uploaded.

How to resize an image in Paint

Paint ships with Windows. Microsoft's Paint page describes the route:

1. Open the image in Paint.
2. Select Resize on the Home tab.
3. Enter the new size, either in pixels or as a percentage of the original.
4. Save. Paint lets you pick the format when you save, including PNG, JPEG, BMP and GIF.

The simplest way to avoid a squashed picture is to use percentage and type the same number for width and height: 50 and 50 halves both sides and keeps the shape. If you type pixels, check that the second number changed with the first; if it didn't, the result will be stretched. To keep the full-size original, save the resized picture under a new name.

How to resize many images at once with PowerToys

Paint does one picture at a time. Microsoft PowerToys is a free add-on from Microsoft, and its Image Resizer works straight from File Explorer. Per Microsoft's Image Resizer utility for Windows page:

1. Install PowerToys.
2. In File Explorer, select one or more images and right-click.
3. Choose Resize with Image Resizer.
4. Pick a size. Sizes can be set in pixels, percent, inches or centimetres, and you can leave the width or height empty to keep the proportions.

Each size also has a mode, and the mode decides what happens when the picture's shape doesn't match the box:

Image Resizer saves new files named by a pattern you control. With the pattern %1 (%2), Microsoft's example example.png resized at the Small size comes out as example (Small).png. Its command-line version also has options to replace the originals and to only shrink pictures, never enlarge them.

What about the Photos app?

Photos has had a Resize tool: Microsoft's November 2023 Insider post mentions adding a 7:5 ratio to it. But Microsoft's support page Edit photos and videos in Windows covers cropping and gives no resize steps. On 15 October 2026 Microsoft also announced a new Photos editor, grouped into Crop, Enhance, Repair and Stylize, which is reaching Windows Insiders first. Where resizing sits depends on which version you have, so we don't give a menu path we can't check against Microsoft's own documentation. Paint is the reliable built-in route.

On Copilot+ PCs, Photos also has Super resolution, which enlarges images using AI. That is a different job from resizing: it generates detail rather than scaling the pixels you already have.

Which method should you use?

You want to	Use
Shrink one picture, no installs	Paint, by percentage
Resize a folder from File Explorer, regularly	PowerToys Image Resizer
Hit an exact width and see the result first	Resize Image in the browser
Resize up to 50 files without installing anything	Resize Image, batch

How to resize an image on Windows in your browser

1. Open Resize Image and drop in one image or up to 50.
2. Type a width in pixels. With "Lock aspect ratio" ticked, which is the default, the height follows the picture's proportions.
3. Check the "New size" line, which shows the output size next to the original.
4. Run the resize and download. Two or more files come back as one zip.

The result is a PNG, but the download keeps your original file name, so a resized photo.jpg holds PNG data. A PNG of a photo can be larger than the JPG you started with. If you need a real JPG back, rename the file to .png and run it through PNG to JPG. If you'd rather say "half the size" than pick pixels, Resize by Percentage scales width and height together, from 1% to 500%.

Batches of mixed shapes are covered in bulk resizing many images, and which size to pick for the web, email or a form is in how to resize an image. Enlarging a small picture only spreads the same pixels further, which resizing without losing quality explains. On a Mac instead? See resizing an image on a Mac.

FAQ

How do I resize an image on Windows without stretching it?

In Paint, resize by percentage and type the same number for width and height. In PowerToys, choose Fit or Fill rather than Stretch, or leave one dimension empty. In Resize Image, leave "Lock aspect ratio" ticked.

Does resizing in Paint change my original file?

Only if you save over it. Save with a new name to keep the original.

Can Windows resize several images at once?

Not with Paint. PowerToys Image Resizer does it from a right-click in File Explorer, and Resize Image takes up to 50 files in a browser.