How to change DPI in Photoshop

In Photoshop, the DPI lives in Image > Image Size. The one setting that matters is Resample: leave it off to change only the DPI, without touching a single pixel.

Change the DPI without losing quality

1. Open your image and go to Image > Image Size (Alt+Ctrl+I on Windows, Option+Command+I on Mac).
2. Uncheck Resample. Width and height in pixels are now locked.
3. Type 300 in the Resolution box, with “Pixels/Inch” selected.
4. Click OK and save the file. The document size in inches changes; the pixels do not.

Resize to an exact print size

1. In Image Size, check Resample and choose “Preserve Details 2.0” for enlargements or “Bicubic Sharper” for reductions.
2. Set Resolution to 300 Pixels/Inch.
3. Type the width or height you need in inches or centimeters.
4. Click OK. Photoshop adds or removes pixels to fit that size.

Enlarging with resample makes the image bigger, not sharper. If the result looks soft, the original was too small for that print size.

No Photoshop?

You can do the same in your browser with our free DPI changer: “Only change the DPI” works like unchecking Resample, and “Resize” works like checking it. To see the current DPI first, use the DPI checker.