About the Hand Tool
The hand tool is the simplest way to explore a large picture: press on it and drag, and the picture moves with your finger or mouse, like sliding a photo across a table. Scroll the wheel or pinch to zoom in on the part you want, drag to bring another part into view, and double-click to fit the whole picture on the screen again. Use it for big maps, posters, panoramas, scans and screenshots that are too large to see at once. The picture can never be pushed completely off-screen, so you cannot lose it. When you find the part you need, save what is visible as a PNG at the picture's own resolution. Your picture stays in your browser.
Updated October 2026
How to use the Hand Tool
- 1Select an image or drop one on the page.
- 2Press on the picture and drag to move it around.
- 3Scroll or pinch to zoom in and out. Double-click to fit the picture again.
- 4Use the buttons for Zoom in, Zoom out, Fit and 100%.
- 5Press Save this view as PNG to keep the part you can see.
Exploring a large picture
Posters, floor plans, maps, long screenshots and panoramas are often far larger than the screen. Zoom in until the details are readable, then drag across the picture to follow a line, read a row of text or compare two places. Zoom out and in again to find your way back.
Controls
- Drag with a finger or the mouse to move the picture.
- Pinch with two fingers, or scroll the wheel, to zoom around the pointer.
- Double-click to fit the whole picture.
- Press 0 to fit and the arrow keys to move when the viewer has focus.
- The Zoom in, Zoom out, Fit and 100% buttons work on every device.
Why the picture stays within reach
When you drag, the viewer keeps at least a strip of the picture inside the window. This prevents the common problem of flinging a picture off-screen with no way to find it. If the picture ever seems to be missing, press Fit.
Saving a part of the picture
Move to the part you want, zoom if needed, and press Save this view as PNG. The file contains exactly what is inside the viewer, cut from the original at its own resolution. If the viewer shows empty space around a small picture, only the picture part is saved.
Phone and computer
The viewer is about 70 percent of the screen height so the buttons stay reachable. The page does not scroll while you touch the picture, so a drag always moves the picture. Moving around a picture is usually a first step before another edit. Zoom in with the Zoom Tool, resize with the Image Resizer, and trim with Crop Image. You can read camera details with the EXIF Data Viewer.
Features
- Drag to pan, with the picture kept within reach
- Scroll and pinch zoom around the pointer
- Double-click to fit
- Keyboard: arrow keys move, plus and minus zoom, 0 fits
- Save the visible part as a PNG at full resolution
- Nothing is uploaded
Frequently asked questions
What is the hand tool?
A tool that moves a picture around inside its viewer when you drag, without changing the picture itself. Photo editors have one, and this page gives you the same thing for any picture.
How do I move around when zoomed in?
Press on the picture and drag. On a phone, drag with one finger. On a computer, drag with the left mouse button, or use the arrow keys when the viewer has focus.
How do I get back to the whole picture?
Double-click, or press Fit.
Can I lose the picture off-screen?
No. The viewer always keeps a part of the picture within reach, so you can drag it back.
Does dragging change the picture?
No. It only changes what part you see. The file is never changed.
How is this different from the zoom tool?
The hand tool is for moving: a drag moves the picture. The zoom tool is for magnifying: a click zooms in and a drag draws a box to zoom to. Both can zoom with the wheel or a pinch.
Can I save what I see?
Yes. Save this view as PNG saves the visible part at the picture's own resolution.
Is my picture uploaded?
No.