Screenshots are useful because they show everything — and that is exactly the problem. The confirmation code, the home address at the top, the account number, a face in the background: all of it rides along when you tap Share. Google Photos now has a simple fix built into its Markup tools: a Redact pen that blurs or pixelates whatever you swipe over, so you can clean up an image before anyone else sees it.

How to redact a screenshot

  1. Open Google Photos and select the photo or screenshot you want to share.
  2. Tap Edit at the bottom, then choose Markup.
  3. Tap the Redact pen — it sits in the Markup tools next to the regular pen.
  4. Pick a style and size. Choose Mosaic, Mosaic Light, or Blur, and use the thickness slider so the brush fits the detail you are covering.
  5. Swipe your finger over the private areas — a code, an address, a licence plate, a name, or a face. The area turns into a pixelated block as you draw.
  6. Tap the checkmark to apply, then Save as copy. Saving as a copy is the smart move: your original stays untouched, and you share only the cleaned-up version.
Share the screenshot, not the private details hiding inside it.

What to check before you send it

  • Zoom in once at full size. Make sure no edge of a number or name is still readable, and check reflections and backgrounds too.
  • Cover more than the obvious. Order numbers, tracking links, email addresses, and partial card numbers are easy to miss.
  • Share the copy, not the original. Double-check you are sending the saved redacted copy — the original still shows everything.

Good to know

  • It works on photos, not just screenshots — use it on a licence plate, a door sign, or a face in a regular photo too.
  • The same Markup update helps with everyday edits — the pen and highlighter now have more precise thickness sliders, and the Text tool has new fonts.
  • It is an Android rollout in Google Photos — if Redact does not appear in Markup yet, update the app and check again as the rollout reaches your phone.

It takes about ten seconds, and it turns a risky share into a safe one. That is the best kind of privacy feature: not a new app to learn, just one pen, exactly where the photo already lives.

Watch the 30-second version Google Photos Just Added a Screenshot Privacy Trick Back to The Tech Drop home