How to Edit, Reposition, and Compress Images in Microsoft Word

Martin Hendrikx is a former Lifewire writer and an instructor with a background in technology whose work has been published by How-To Geek and other outlets.

• Western Governors University

Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions.

When you insert an image in a Microsoft Word document, resize and position it to customize the document layout and choose how the text appears around the image, for example, have it seamlessly wrap around the photo. An image with a large file size can be compressed so that the document downloads quickly from a web page or is suitable for an email attachment. And, for images that need more explanation, add a caption.

Instructions in this article apply to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010. For Microsoft Word Online, disable the Simplified Ribbon.

How to Insert a Picture in Word

The easiest way to insert a picture is to drag the photo from Windows File Explorer to the Word document. However, if you want more control over the image placement, use the Word Insert menu.

1. Place the cursor where you want the image to appear.

Go to the Insert tab, then select Pictures. In Word 2010, select Picture. In Word Online, select Picture or Online Pictures.

How to Edit the Picture Size in Word

Ideally, pictures should be enhanced in a photo editing program, but Microsoft Word contains a few simple editing tools. To quickly resize a photo in Word, select the image, then drag a sizing handle in or out to make the picture smaller or larger.

To set a specific size for the image:

1. Right-click the image, then select Size and Position.

To change the height and width by percentage, go to the Scale section and change the Height or Width value. For example, make the image 75% or 120% of the size it was.

How to Compress an Image in Word

Compressing photos in Word reduces the file size of documents that contain images.

Images cannot be compressed in Word Online.

1. Select the picture you want to compress.

Cropped areas are hidden so that you can undo the crop. When cropped areas are deleted, file size is reduced because cropped pieces are permanently removed.

How to Edit the Picture Layout in Word

Word provides a variety of options that change the layout of pictures. For example, have the text wrap around the photo or insert the picture inline with the document text.

To change how the image appears in the document, select the image, then go to the Layout tab. In Word 2013 and 2010, go to the Format tab. In the Arrange group, you'll find options that allow for more precise placement of the image and the content that surrounds it.

• Select Position, then choose where the image should appear on the page.
• Select Wrap Text, then choose how the text should flow around the image.

Hover over an option to see a preview of how the layout or text wrapping will appear in the document.

In Word Online, you can only customize the wrap text options, not the image layout. To make this adjustment, select Format > Wrap Text.

How to Add a Caption to a Photo in Word

A caption clarifies your picture to readers. It can be used to attribute the photo to a specific source or to reference a picture in another part of the document.

Captions are not supported in Microsoft Word Online.

To add a caption, right-click the image and select Insert Caption. In the Caption dialog box, enter a caption, then choose the type of label and the position of the caption. Select Numbering to configure automatic captioning based on a specific number style or chapter number.

To edit the caption, highlight the text and type a new caption.

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