Add a border to a photo

A clean white frame, a coloured mat, or just enough padding to post the whole photo on Instagram without cropping.

  • Free
  • No watermark
  • No signup
  • Photos never leave your device
or drop a photo here

Your photo appears here with its new border.

Border type

How “pad to a shape” works

Instagram posts can be anywhere from 1.91:1 (wide) to 4:5 (tall). A 2:3 phone photo is taller than 4:5, so Instagram crops it. Padding does the opposite of cropping: instead of cutting the photo to fit the frame, it grows the frame to fit the photo. The same trade-off is shown in the “Fill vs Fit” explainer in our collage guide.

The maths is simple: add the even border first, then extend whichever side is too short until width ÷ height equals the target shape.

Questions

How do I add a white border to a photo?

Choose your photo, pick “Even border all round”, set the width and keep white selected, then download. The border is added outside the photo, so nothing is cropped.

How do I post a full photo on Instagram without cropping?

Choose “Pad to a shape” with 4:5 (or 1:1). The tool adds just enough border to make the photo that shape, so Instagram won’t crop it.

Does adding a border reduce quality?

No. The photo is kept at its original resolution and the border is added around it. The download is a high-quality JPG.

Can I use a coloured border?

Yes. Pick black, marigold, off-white or any custom colour. Tip: sample a colour from the photo itself for a cohesive look.