Inserting Images in Word Documents

To use an image, also called a graphic, in a Word document, the image must be stored digitally in a file.

Files that contain images are available from a variety of sources:

 The web has images available, some of which are free, while others require a fee. These images
may be drawings or photos.
 You can take a digital picture with a camera or smartphone and download it, which is the process
of copying the digital picture from the camera or phone to your computer.
 With a scanner, you can convert a printed picture, drawing, or diagram to a digital file.

If you receive an image from a source other than yourself, do not use the file until you are certain it does
not contain a virus or other malware.

To Insert an Online Image

Microsoft Office applications can access a collection of online, royalty-free images and animations. The

following steps explain how to insert an online image, such as the world continents shown below.

1. Position the insertion point where you want to insert the image.
2. Display the Insert tab.
3. Click the Pictures button (Insert tab | Illustrations group) and then click Online Pictures to display
the Online Pictures dialog box.
4. Type the search text in the Search box (Online Pictures dialog box) to specify the type of image
you want to locate.
5. Press ENTER to display a list of online images that matches the entered search text.
6. If necessary, scroll through the list of images and then click the desired image to select it.
 7. Click the Insert button to insert the selected image in the document at the location of the insertion
point.

To Insert a Picture from a File

The following steps explain how to insert a picture from a file, such as the one shown below that was

taken with a digital camera of a sunflower field.

1. Position the insertion point where you want to insert the picture.
2. Display the Insert tab.
3. Click the Pictures button (Insert tab | Illustrations group) and then click This Device to display the
Insert Picture dialog box.
4. Navigate to the location of the picture on your media (Insert Picture dialog box) and then select
the file of the picture to be inserted.
5. Click the Insert button (Insert Picture dialog box) to insert the picture at the location of the
insertion point in the document.

To Insert a Shape
Word has a variety of predefined shapes, which are a type of drawing object, that you can insert in

documents. A drawing object is an image that you create using Word. Examples of shape drawing objects

include lines, rectangles, circles, triangles, arrows, mathematical operators, flowcharting symbols, stars,

banners, and callouts. The following steps explain how to insert a shape, such as the cloud shown below.
 1. Display the Insert tab.
2. Click the Shapes button (Insert tab | Illustrations group) to display the Shape gallery.
3. Click the desired shape in the Shape gallery, which removes the gallery and changes the pointer
to the shape of a crosshair in the document window. (If you are using a touch screen, skip Step 4
because the shape is inserted in the document window automatically.)
4. Position the pointer (a crosshair) in the document window at the approximate location for the
upper-left corner of the desired shape and then drag the pointer to define the boundaries of the
shape.
5. If desired, change the wrapping style of the shape from floating to inline by clicking the Layout
Options button attached to the graphic to display the Layout Options gallery and then clicking ‘In
Line with Text’ in the Layout Options gallery.

To Insert a Screenshot
A screenshot is a duplicate image of the contents of your screen. You can insert a screenshot of any

program running on your computer, provided the program window has not been minimized. The

following steps explain how to insert a screenshot of a Word Help window.

1. In a separate window, display the contents you wish to capture in a screenshot.

2. Switch to the Word document that will contain the screenshot and then position the insertion
point where you want to insert the screenshot.
3. Display the Insert tab.
4. Click the Screenshot button (Insert tab | Illustrations group) to display the Screenshot gallery.
5. Click the desired available window in the Screenshot gallery to insert the selected screenshot in
the Word document at the location of the insertion point.