Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Positioning Graphics Evenly.

Positioning Graphics Evenly

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 28, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


2

Sometimes you may need to position graphics evenly within a document. For instance, you may have four small graphics that will appear next to each other. You may want to make sure that the graphics are an equal distance from each other. To do this easily, follow these steps:

  1. Using the mouse, roughly position the graphics where you want them to appear. You should make sure that the left-most graphic is where you want it, as is the right-most graphic.
  2. Select all four graphics.
  3. Display the Format tab of the ribbon.
  4. Click the Align tool in the Arrange group.
  5. Choose Distribute Horizontally from the resulting submenu. Word positions the two inside graphics so that all four graphics are an equal distance from each other.

There is one caveat to keep in mind: Not all graphic objects can be aligned in this manner. The reason for this is not entirely clear; one would think that it would be relatively easy to adjust the distribution of graphic elements regardless of their type. But if the objects are not "alignable," the Distribute Horizontally option is grayed out. And, to make matters more circular, the only way to discover if an object is alignable is to try it and see if the option is grayed out.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11815) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Positioning Graphics Evenly.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Automatically Using Smart Quotes

As a way to make your documents look more professional, Word can utilize "smart quotes" for both quote marks and ...

Discover More

Opening a Backup File

If you have Word configured to save backup copies of your document, you may want to actually load one of those copies at ...

Discover More

Word Count for a Portion of a Document

Word doesn't provide a field that allows you to return a word count for a portion of your document, but you can create ...

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)

Graphics Marked as Changed when Comparing Documents

The tools on the Review tab of the ribbon allow you to do all sorts of markup and comparisons of documents. When ...

Discover More

Wrapping Text Around a Graphic

Place a graphic in your document, and you may want to make sure that your document text "wraps" around the edges of the ...

Discover More

Resize Graphics Outside of Word

Need your graphics to be larger or smaller than they first appear when you insert them in a document? Your best bet may ...

Discover More
Subscribe

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.

What is two more than 1?

2023-02-28 13:11:11

Janet

OR use a four-cell, single row table. Place the graphics in individual cells formatted to be inline with text. Use paragraph and cell format options to align the figures properly.


2021-03-22 11:34:19

Emi Stuemke

I think I finally figured out why the "distribute" options are grayed out sometimes. You have to select your images and choose "align to page" or "align to margin" first. If you can't distribute them, they're aligned to other objects rather than to page elements.


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.

Videos
Subscribe

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

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.