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

Spell-Checking in a Protected Worksheet

When you protect a worksheet, you can't use some tools, including the spell-checker. If you want to use it, you must ...

Discover More

Using Dot Leaders in a Paragraph

Adding dot leaders to your text is easy through the application of tab stops. This tip explains the steps you need to ...

Discover More

Importing Many Files Into Excel

Importing a single file is easy. Importing a whole slew of files can be much more of a challenge.

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Reducing Document Size with Many Images

Word allows you to easily add pictures to your document. When you do, the size of your document can quickly become quite ...

Discover More

Changing the Size of a Drawing Object

Documents are often made up of more than just text. If you have drawing objects in your document, you will doubtless need ...

Discover More

Placing Many Graphics in a Document

Word documents can contain more than just text. You can even create documents that contain almost no text at all. This ...

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 8 - 6?

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.