Regardless of the type of project you're working on with Word, inserting images into a document can add value to the final result. This article explains how to insert an image into a Word document using both a PC and a Mac.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Windows
Step 1. Click on the place in the document where you want to insert the image
The text cursor, a small blinking vertical bar, will appear at the point in the Word document you have chosen. When you insert the image, the upper left corner of the photo will be positioned at the point indicated by the cursor.
The procedure described in this article works for all modern versions of Word starting with Word 2016. You can follow these instructions for older versions of the program as well, however you will have fewer tools and features available than more modern versions
Step 2. Click on the Insert tab
It appears at the top of the Word window between the "Home" and "Drawing" tabs (or "Home" and "Design" in some versions of Word) of the program's ribbon.
Step 3. Click the Pictures button
It is listed in the "Illustrations" group of the Word ribbon. A list of options will be displayed. If you are using Word 2019 or later, a new menu will appear. If you are using Word 2016 or an earlier version, a dialog box will appear that will allow you to select the image file to insert into your document.
Step 4. Select where the image to insert into the document is stored
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Word 2019 and later:
- Click on the item This device if the image is stored on the computer.
- Click on the option Archive images to be able to choose images from a Microsoft archive.
- Click on the item Images online to be able to use the Bing search engine to search for images and photos on the web.
- If the image you want to use is saved to your OneDrive account, select the option Images online, then click the tab OneDrive listed in the lower left of the window that will appear.
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Word 2016:
- If the image is stored on your computer, simply use the "File Explorer" dialog to navigate to the folder where the file is located.
- If you want to search for the image online or if you want to use a web service such as Facebook, Flickr or OneDrive, close the "File Explorer" window and click on the button Images online of Word located next to the "Pictures" button on the toolbar. At this point you will be able to select an image by searching for it with Bing, from Flickr or from Facebook.
- If the image you want to use is saved to your OneDrive account, select the option Images online, rather than Images, then click the button Browse and choose the tab OneDrive.
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 5 Step 5. Select the image you want to insert into your document
After locating the image, click on the corresponding icon to select it.
- If you have chosen to use images from the Microsoft archive or online, you can perform a multiple selection to insert multiple images into the document at the same time.
- If you have chosen to use a file stored on your computer and want to insert multiple images at the same time, hold down the key Ctrl as you click on each image file to include in the selection.
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 6 Step 6. Click the Insert button
It is visible in the lower right corner of the dialog, regardless of the type of image you have chosen to use.
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 7 Step 7. Resize the image
If you need to enlarge or reduce the size of the image, click on any point to select it, then drag any of the anchor points, characterized by small dots, to resize it (if you want to preserve the original aspect ratio use the points present in one of the corners).
If you wish, you can also specify a precise size. Double-click on the image to display the "Image Format" tab at the top, then enter the dimensions the image should be using the "Height" and "Width" text fields
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 8 Step 8. Use the curved arrow displayed at the top of the image to rotate it
It is positioned above the top center anchor point of the image. To rotate, place the mouse pointer over the curved arrow, then hold down the left button on the pointing device while dragging it left or right until you have reached the angle you want.
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 9 Step 9. Double click on the image to access a wider range of editing tools
You will see the "Picture Format" (Word 2019 and later) or "Format" (Word 2016) tab at the top of the program window. Within this tab, several options will be available:
- Within the "Arrange" group, visible on the right side of the Word ribbon, you can click on the icon Go to text wrap to choose how to align the image based on the text within the document. You can also set the image alignment within the page.
- To crop the image, click on the icon Cropping located in the "Dimension" group visible on the right side of the Word ribbon.
- In the "Adjust" group, located on the left side of the ribbon, there are additional tools to change the image background, color effects and to correct brightness and contrast.
- To add borders or graphic effects to the image outline, select one of the options in the "Image Styles" group of the "Format" tab of the ribbon or choose one of the other items listed in the same group to better manage the style it should have the image.
Method 2 of 2: macOS
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 10 Step 1. Click on the place in the document where you want to insert the image
The text cursor, a small blinking vertical bar, will appear at the point in the Word document you have chosen.
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 11 Step 2. Click on the Insert tab
It appears at the top of the Word window between the "Home" and "Design" tabs (or "Home" and "Drawing" in some versions of Word) of the program's ribbon.
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 12 Step 3. Click the Pictures button
It is listed within the Word ribbon visible at the top of the program window. It features an icon depicting a small stylized yellow sun and green mountain. You can find it between the "Table" and "Shapes" icon.
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 13 Step 4. Click on the Photo Browser option or Image from file.
If you need to use an image from the Photos app on your Mac use the option Photo browser. To select an image stored on your Mac using the Finder window, choose the option Image from file.
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 14 Step 5. Insert the image into the document
If you have chosen the "Photo Browser" option, you will simply have to drag the chosen image into the document. If you have chosen the "Image from file" option, you will need to select the image and click on the button insert.
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 15 Step 6. Resize the image
If you need to increase or decrease the size of the image, click on it to select it, then follow these instructions:
- To preserve the original aspect ratio so that the photo is not deformed, hold down the key Shift as you select and drag one of the anchor points (the small dots visible along the image broths).
- To keep the image centered as you resize it with the mouse, hold down the key Option.
- If you wish, you can also specify a precise size. Double-click the image to display the "Image Format" tab, then enter the size the image should be using the "Height" and "Width" text fields.
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 16 Step 7. Use the curved arrow displayed at the top of the image to rotate it
It is positioned above the top center anchor point of the image. To rotate, place the mouse pointer over the curved arrow, then hold down the left button on the pointing device while dragging it left or right until you have reached the angle you want.
Add Images to a Microsoft Word Document Step 17 Step 8. Double-click the image to access a wider range of editing tools
The "Format Picture" tab will appear at the top of the program window. Within this tab, several options will be available, including the ability to remove the background and change the style of the image.
- Click on the icon Corrections visible on the left side of the Word ribbon in order to correct brightness, contrast and coloring problems.
- Click on the icon Artistic effects to be able to use the graphic filters or use the option Transparency to change the transparency level of the image.
- If you want to crop the photo, click on the icon Create cutout located next to the "Height" and "Width" text fields.
- Click on the icon Wrap text to choose how to position the image within the document based on the text. Alternatively, you can manage the location of the photo using the options Align And Position.
- Click on the icon Styles to choose one of the predefined styles for borders, shadows, and other visual effects.
Advice
- In more modern versions of Word there are other features that allow you to edit images, such as the ability to add borders, crop a section, add a shadow, beveled edges, change the brightness or contrast of the image.
- Remember that inserting images into a Word document increases the file size on disk.
- When you crop an image in Word, the part of the photo that is excluded from the selection is not deleted, only hidden. To remove this data from the document, select the "Delete cropped areas of images" check button in the "Compress images" dialog box. Images with cropped areas removed can no longer be restored to their original appearance.
