Microsoft Designer issue

Question

I have Microsoft Designer on my laptop. I've gladly been utilizing this product, for thousands of photos. Disappointingly, it stopped cropping 2 days ago. Called Microsoft Tech Support. The tech was unable to solve. The friendly Tech's efforts were time consuming, for her and me, to no avail. Any ideas? Thanks , Lew

Answer 1

Hi Lewis Goldstein,

Since the cropping feature was working previously and stopped recently, it may be worth checking whether the issue is related to the current Windows user profile or only certain image files.

1. Create a temporary local Windows account and test Microsoft Designer there.
2. Try cropping a newly created screenshot or a different image format (such as PNG if you've been using JPG files).
3. Note whether the problem affects every image or only specific photos.

If cropping works in another Windows account, that can help narrow the issue to settings or cached app data within the original profile. If the behavior occurs across all accounts and image types, collecting that information can help provide more targeted troubleshooting.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Answer 2

Try these checks in order for cropping in Microsoft Photos with Designer:

1. Open a single image first.
   • In Microsoft Photos, select one photo so it opens by itself.
   • Then use Edit > Edit with Designer.
   • Designer only appears when a single image is already open.
2. Confirm the required conditions.
   • Make sure the PC is connected to the internet.
   • Make sure the app is being used in a supported language: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese (Brazil), German, or Italian.
   • If AI editing features are involved, sign in with a Microsoft account. Microsoft Entra accounts are not supported for editing with Designer.
3. If Designer opens but cropping behavior is still problematic, use the built-in feedback path.
   • For product behavior and feature issues in Photos, the recommended route is to send feedback through Feedback Hub.
4. If the issue is specifically that Designer will not open or asks for WebView2, repair WebView2.
   • Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
   • Find Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime.
   • Select Modify > Repair.
   • Restart the PC and test again.
5. If repair does not help, reinstall WebView2.
   • Uninstall Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime.
   • Reinstall it using the official WebView2 Evergreen Standalone Installer.
   • Restart the PC and test Designer again.
   • Note: uninstalling and reinstalling system components can temporarily affect apps that depend on WebView2 until the reinstall completes.
6. If cropping is urgent, use Designer outside the Photos app as a workaround.
   • The web app at https://designer.microsoft.com/ and the mobile app provide the same editing features without depending on the local WebView2 component.

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