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: Inserting from the Clip Art Gallery Doesn't Work.

Inserting from the Clip Art Gallery Doesn't Work

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 20, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365

Have you ever tried to place clip art into your document from the Clip Art Gallery, only to have it not be visible? If you have this problem, try this solution:

Display the Word Options dialog box. (In Word 2007 click the Office button and choose Word Options. In Word 2010 and later versions, click the File tab of the ribbon and click Options.)
Click Advanced at the left side of the dialog box.
Scroll through the options until you can see the Show Document Content section. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Excel Options dialog box.

Make sure the Show Picture Placeholders check box is cleared.
Make sure the Show Drawings and Text Boxes on Screen check box is selected.
Click on OK.

Now you should be able to place your clip art as desired. These settings are normally cleared and selected (respectively) by default, but another user might have changed them on your system.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8519) 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: Inserting from the Clip Art Gallery Doesn't Work.

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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Direction Arrows Confused

What do you do if you open a document, only to find that the arrow keys don't work the way that they should? The first ...

Discover More

Searching for Non-Black Text

Searching for text having (or not having) specific formatting is generally pretty easy. It is more difficult to search ...

Discover More

DOS From Macros

Need to run a DOS command from within one of your macros? The answer is the Shell command, described in this tip.

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Pictures Move on their Own

Insert some pictures into a document and you may be in for a surprise--they don't necessarily stay where you put them. ...

Discover More

Rotate a Graphic Using the Keyboard

Rotating a graphic using the mouse is rather easy. Rotating a graphic using the keyboard is a bit trickier. This tip ...

Discover More

Vertical Lines in Word

Lines can help to organize the data on a page or make certain points clearer. Word provides several different ways you ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is nine more than 7?

2019-08-13 16:30:36

Sheri Sager

I have Word 2007, but just got a new computer and now my Insert Clip Art button doesn't go any where. I followed the directions above:
Office, Word Options, Advanced, show document content, picture placeholders NOT selected, Show drawings and text boxes on screen. clicked on OK. Nothing different. Still nothing comes up when I select Insert clip Art.

2018-04-27 14:40:31

Gabriel

For those who all updated your office software to 2013 or 2016 versions, you don't need a Clip Art Gallery. Office has built in way to download clipart online. For more info step by step guide here: https://wp.me/p7QQWB-2u8

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.