Official figures reviewed . Tool tested .
What this passport photo cropper does
Vaultaire makes one square JPEG from a photo you already have. It crops, scales, writes print resolution, removes supported source metadata, and checks the new file without sending your face to an image service.
It does not inspect the subject or predict a government decision. The State Department's own online flow permits repositioning or cropping, while its photo rules forbid changes to appearance. This route stays on the mechanical side of that line.
How to crop a 2 × 2 passport photo
- Choose a photo.Select one still JPEG, PNG, or WebP. The browser checks it before showing the frame.
- Position the square.Move or resize the 1:1 crop. Use the fixed 50% and 68.75% head-height brackets as references, not measurements.
- Choose the output side.Keep 600 × 600 for a derived 300 pixels per inch, or enter another even size from 200 to 4,000.
- Download the checked JPEG.The file stays locked until its dimensions, density, decoded pixels, and supported metadata pass.
Official US measurements used here
The U.S. State Department publishes a paper photo size of 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm). It publishes a head height of 1 to 1⅜ inches (25 to 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. Read the current State Department passport photo rules before submitting.
For online renewal, the department publishes a file-size range from 54 kilobytes to 10 megabytes and says the application lets you reposition or crop the photo. Read the current online renewal photo instructions because government rules can change.
Why 600 × 600 is a default, not a rule
The official pages reviewed for this tool do not state a pixel dimension or PPI value. A 600-pixel square at 300 pixels per inch prints as 2 inches because 600 divided by 300 equals 2. That is arithmetic, not a published requirement.
If you choose 1,200 pixels, the tool writes 600 pixels per inch for the same 2-inch size. Some print software ignores JPEG resolution fields or scales images to fit, so check the print dialog and measure the finished print.
What this tool cannot check
It cannot judge head placement, background, lighting, shadows, expression, glasses, attire, photo age, print process, or an agency review. The two brackets are fixed size references. They do not detect a chin, crown, eyes, or face.
The tool never retouches skin, sharpens, changes lighting, replaces a background, or generates missing pixels. If the source photo needs those changes, take another photo instead of altering appearance here.
Crop identity photos without an upload
A passport photo ties a face to a government identity process. Cloudflare serves this page and its static code, but after selection the image moves only between the page and a same-origin worker in your browser. No crop or face-analysis API receives it.
Fixed lifecycle analytics can report that the tool was selected, completed, or downloaded. They exclude image bytes, filenames, dimensions, crop coordinates, quality, density, metadata, file-size status, and output URLs.
Passport photo cropper FAQ
What size is a US passport photo?
The U.S. State Department publishes a 2 by 2 inch, or 51 by 51 millimetre, square for paper photos. It publishes a chin-to-crown range of 1 to 1 3/8 inches, or 25 to 35 millimetres.
Does a US passport photo have to be 600 by 600 pixels?
The State Department pages reviewed for this tool do not publish a pixel or pixels-per-inch rule. The 600 by 600 default is arithmetic: 600 pixels printed across 2 inches equals 300 pixels per inch.
Does this tool check my face or background?
No. The guides are fixed size references, not face detection. The tool cannot judge head placement, background, lighting, shadows, expression, glasses, attire, photo age, or an agency review.
What file size does the online renewal photo use?
The State Department online-renewal page reviewed for this tool states a range from 54 kilobytes to 10 megabytes. Vaultaire reports whether the new JPEG falls below, inside, or above that range.
Does the passport photo cropper upload my face?
No. The image is read, cropped, resized, encoded, and verified inside your browser. Fixed analytics record tool actions, never image bytes, filenames, dimensions, crop coordinates, settings, or results.
Does the tool retouch or replace the background?
No. It does not detect a face, retouch skin, sharpen, change lighting, replace a background, or generate pixels. It only crops the chosen square and scales that raster to the output size.