Working with images and text often requires adjusting the size of the image to squeeze it into a small area or expand it to fill the available space, to cropping the image to make it more appealing, or adjusting the size of multiple images to the same height or width.
Microsoft Word allows you to do all the above and more. We will explain the several methods available, in simple steps:
6 Ways to Resize Image in MS word
- Resize an image by cropping it
- Resize an image by stretching, shrinking, or changing its size
- Resize an image maintaining its aspect ratio
- Resize an image to an exact height and width
- Resize an image in percentages
- Resize multiple images quickly
Method #1: Resize an image by cropping it
Step #1: Open the Word document
Open the Word document containing an image you want to change.
Step #2: Use the Crop tool
Click on the image, and then click on the Format tab on the top menu bar to change the ribbon. Click on the Crop icon in the Size section. Word introduces several straight and circular handles on the sides and corners of the image.
Step #3: Crop the image
Using the mouse, drag any of the straight handles towards the center of the image. The straight handles move inwards to cut off or crop some part of the image.
When you are satisfied with the result, release the mouse, and click anywhere outside the image. Word keeps the cropped part of the image and discards the rest.
Method #2: Resize an image by stretching, shrinking, or changing its size
Step #1: Open the Word document
Open the Word document containing an image you want to change.
Step #2: Select the image
Click on the image to select it. Several circular handles appear all around the image on its sides and corners.
Step #3: Resize the image
Using the mouse:
- Drag one of the side handles away from the image to stretch it, or
- Drag one of the side handles inwards to shrink the image, or
- Drag one of the corner handles to change the size of the image, and
Word changes the shape of the image accordingly.
Click anywhere outside the image, and Word retains the changes you made.
Method #3: Resize an image maintaining its aspect ratio
Step #1: Open the Word document
Open the Word document containing an image you want to change.
Step #2: Enter any one dimension
Click on the image to select it. Click on the Format tab on the top menu bar to change the ribbon. In the Size section, Word displays the present height and width of the image in the document. Click on the dimensions and change any one of them to your requirement. Note that Word maintains the height-to-width or aspect ratio while changing the dimensions.
Method #4: Resize an image to an exact height and width
Step #1: Open the Word document
Open the Word document containing an image you want to change.
Step #2: Open the Layout dialog
Right-click on the image to open several choices.
Click on Size and Position to open the Layout dialog.
Under the Size tab, Word displays the current Height and Width of the image in the document in absolute measurements.
Step #3: Change the dimensions
Under Scale, click on Lock aspect ratio to remove the tick mark from the box on its left. Click on Relative to original picture size to remove the tick mark from the box on its left.
Click on the absolute figures of the Height and Width and change them to your requirement.
Step #4: Return to document
Click on Ok to return to document. Word has resized the image to the measurements you had entered.
Method #5: Resize an image in percentages
Step #1: Open the Word document
Open the Word document containing an image you want to change.
Step #2: Open the Layout dialog
Right-click on the image to open several choices.
Click on Size and Position to open the Layout dialog.
Under the Size tab, Word displays the current height and width of the image in the document in absolute measurements. Note that under Scale, Word shows Height and Width as 100%, meaning original size.
Step #3: Change the scale
Under Scale, click on Lock aspect ratio to place a tick mark in the box on its left. Click on Relative to original picture size to place a tick mark in the box on its left.
Under Scale, click on and change either the Height or the Width in percentage to your requirement. Word changes the other dimension keeping the aspect ratio of the image. Note that 100% means no change in size. Also note that changing any one of the parameters changes all the dimensions the dialog is displaying.
If you do not want Word to maintain the aspect ratio while changing the percentages, click on Lock aspect ratio to remove the tick mark in the box on its left.
Step #4: Return to document
Click on Ok to return to document. Word has resized the image to the percentages you had entered.
Method #6: Resize multiple images quickly
Step #1: Open the Word document
Open the Word document containing multiple images you want to change.
Step #2: Resize one image
Select one of the images and resize it using any one of the methods above.
Step #3: Resize the other image/images
Select the next image, and press F4 on your keyboard. Word resizes the other image to the same dimensions as that of the first image. Repeat this for other images in the document.
Conclusion
Word offers many ways to resize images embedded in documents.
Here, we have covered only the simplest methods for resizing images, Follow the methods and steps we have shown, and you can resize images easily.