Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 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: Changing the Size of a Graphic.

Changing the Size of a Graphic

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 15, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365

Once you place a graphic in your document, you can resize it using a very simple technique:

Click on the graphic. A box appears around the object (this is designated by eight handles [circles or squares], around the outside of the graphic).
Use the mouse to point to one of the handles. Click on the left mouse button.
Drag the handle to resize the graphic.
Release the mouse button when the graphic is the size you want.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13319) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Changing the Size of a Graphic.

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

Using the INFO Field

The INFO field allows you to include all sorts of information in your document. Here's a quick overview of the field and ...

Discover More

Creating Individual Workbooks

Workbooks can contain many worksheets. If you want to pull a workbook apart and create a whole series of workbooks based ...

Discover More

Standard Text before a Sequence Number

When you use fields to number items within a document, you may want to add some standard text before each field. There ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

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

Permanent Watermarks in a Document

Need to add a graphic watermark to a document? It's not that hard to do but making the watermark permanent can be a bit ...

Discover More

Changing Compression Print Resolution

The resolution at which Word compresses graphics in a document may be bothersome. If it is, your options are very ...

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 minus 1?

2022-01-15 11:24:52

Eric Jay Toll

Allen,

You should include a warning not to make a major size change to a raster (JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF or HEIC) graphic. Changing the size of an image does not change the number of pixels or its resolution. It causes pixels to be added or discarded from the image, affecting its quality. While a small change of a few tenths of an inch might not be visible on-screen or in print, once the image size shifts beyond 0.25 of an inch, quality impacts can occur.

Doing so more than a tiny change can cause the image to pixelate or overly compress. It is always better to take the raster image back to the original imaging application and resize it there so that the image sent to Word is the exact size wanted.

Pixilation causes the edges in an image to sawtooth and become ragged or stair-stepped. Reducing the image size compromises adjoining colors and affects image clarity and sharpness.

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.