Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Scaling Graphics in a Macro.

Scaling Graphics in a Macro

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 8, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


You may have a need to routinely scale graphics in your document by a certain percentage. Using the ribbon tools to do the scaling can get tiresome, so you may want to do the scaling by using a macro you can assign to the Quick Access Toolbar button or to a shortcut key. The following macro will handle doing the scaling very nicely:

Sub PictSize()
    Dim PercentSize As Integer

    PercentSize = InputBox("Enter percent of full size", _
      "Resize Picture", 75)

    If Selection.InlineShapes.Count > 0 Then
        Selection.InlineShapes(1).ScaleHeight = PercentSize
        Selection.InlineShapes(1).ScaleWidth = PercentSize
    Else
        Selection.ShapeRange.ScaleHeight Factor:=(PercentSize / 100), _
          RelativeToOriginalSize:=msoCTrue
        Selection.ShapeRange.ScaleWidth Factor:=(PercentSize / 100), _
          RelativeToOriginalSize:=msoCTrue
    End If
End Sub

The macro first asks for a percentage by which you want to scale the selected image, offering 75 (75%) as the default. When you specify a percentage, the macro then checks to see if the selected graphic is an inline or a floating graphic. The reason for doing this is that the object specification is different in each case, as well as how the scaling is specified. Inline objects belong to the InlineShapes collection, while floating objects are set using the ShapeRange object.

If you want to resize all the graphics in your document by the same percentage, then you only need to modify the above macro so that it steps through each of the inline graphics and then each of the floating graphics.

Sub AllPictSize()
    Dim PercentSize As Integer
    Dim oIshp As InlineShape
    Dim oshp As Shape

    PercentSize = InputBox("Enter percent of full size", _
      "Resize Picture", 75)

    For Each oIshp In ActiveDocument.InlineShapes
        With oIshp
            .ScaleHeight = PercentSize
            .ScaleWidth = PercentSize
        End With
    Next oIshp

    For Each oshp In ActiveDocument.Shapes
        With oshp
            .ScaleHeight Factor:=(PercentSize / 100), _
              RelativeToOriginalSize:=msoCTrue
            .ScaleWidth Factor:=(PercentSize / 100), _
              RelativeToOriginalSize:=msoCTrue
        End With
    Next oshp
End Sub

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (7069) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Scaling Graphics in a Macro.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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