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, 2026)

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...

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What is five minus 2?

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.

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