You can fill text with a color, but the feature for filling text with an image was removed in Microsoft Word 2013. However, with a little workaround, you can still do this in Word for Microsoft 365. Here’s how.
If you want to fill your text with an image in Word, you can’t simply type the text and fill it like you could in Word 2010, or even in the latest version of PowerPoint. But you can fill the text of a SmartArt graphic with an image.
RELATED: How to Get a Picture Behind Text in PowerPoint
First, open the Word application. In the “Illustrations” group of the “Insert” tab, click “SmartArt.”
The “Choose a SmartArt Graphic” window will appear. In the left-hand pane, choose an option that provides a type of SmartArt graphic that you can type text within. We’ll use “List” in this example.
Next, choose the SmartArt graphic that you’d like to use from the available options within the selected tab. We’ll use the “Basic Block List” SmartArt graphic. Once it’s been selected, click “OK.”
The SmartArt graphic will now appear in the Microsoft Word document. Now, delete all but one of the items within the graphic by clicking each item and pressing the Delete key.
Next, type the desired text in the remaining graphic.
To better see the image inserted in the text, format your text to be larger. You can do so in the “Font” group of the “Home” tab.
Here are the font specs we’ll use:
- Font type: Cooper Black
- Size: 82 pt.
- Format: Bold
This is what our text looks like now.
Next, highlight the text by clicking and dragging your cursor over the text.
In the “WordArt Styles” group of the “Format” tab that appears, click the “Text Fill” option.
Toward the bottom of the drop-down menu that appears, click “Picture.”
The “Insert Pictures” window will now appear. Here, choose where you’d like to locate an image:
- From a File: Choose an image from your computer.
- Stock Images: Choose an image from a stock image library.
- Online Pictures: Search for an online image.
- From Icons: Choose an icon from Word’s icon library.
We’ll use a stock image.
Select your image from the location that you chose, then click “Insert.”
The text will now be filled with the image.
Next, you’ll need to remove the background of the SmartArt graphic. Select the box and then, in the “Shape Styles” group of the “Format” tab, click “Shape Fill.”
In the drop-down menu that appears, click “No Fill.”
The SmartArt background will now be removed, leaving only the text behind.
Though not as convenient as it used to be, with this little trick, you can still insert an image inside your text.
READ NEXT
- › How to Add Blur or Transparency to an Image in Microsoft Word
- › 8 Microsoft Word Tips for Professional Looking Documents
- › HoloLens Now Has Windows 11 and Incredible 3D Ink Features
- › Google Chrome Is Getting Faster
- › BLUETTI Slashed Hundreds off Its Best Power Stations for Easter Sale
- › The New NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Is Like an RTX 3080 for $599
- › This New Google TV Streaming Device Costs Just $20
- › How to Adjust and Change Discord Fonts
How-To Geek is where you turn when you want experts to explain technology. Since we launched in 2006, our articles have been read billions of times. Want to know more?
on
May 21, 2021, 8:21 AM PDT
How to fill text with a picture in Word
Using this simple technique for filling text with an image, you can create unique textual designs in Microsoft Word. Here’s how.
Microsoft Word isn’t a desktop publishing app, but it has a lot of design features that anyone can use to create professional looking documents, flyers, brochures and more. For instance, when you have a fun message, you might try filling text with an image. Doing so lets you create unique content with an eye toward design, instead of ordinary text. In this article, I’ll show you how to use a SmartArt text shape to achieve this look—text filled with an image.
SEE: 69 Excel tips every user should master (TechRepublic)
I’m using Microsoft 365, but you can use older versions. You can create your own document or work with the demonstration downloadable .docx file. The browser version will display filled text, but you can’t create it in the browser.
1. Add SmartArt shape
When working with shapes, you can use the Fill property with just about any photo or drawing. Ordinary text doesn’t have a Fill property as shapes do.
Instead of using ordinary text, we’ll use a SmartArt text shape. You don’t need to put a lot of thought into which shape, though. We need only one shape that displays text. We will end up deleting some pieces and resizing the one that’s left. The demonstration document uses Landscape orientation, but that’s not necessary.
SEE: Windows 10: Lists of vocal commands for speech recognition and dictation (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
Now, let’s insert a SmartArt text shape as follows:
- Click the Insert tab and in the Illustrations group, click SmartArt.
- Choose the first or second List shape, as shown in Figure A. Stay away from shapes with lots of bells and whistles because that’s all stuff you’ll have to delete anyway. The resulting shape is also shown. As you can see there are five shapes that you can use to display text. We only need one.
- Select four of the shapes and delete them. The remaining shape will fill the shape (Figure B).
- At this point, you have a larger shape box and a text box. Resize so they both stretch from the left to the right border.
Figure A
Figure B
Now that we have the SmartArt text shape, let’s add and format the text. Remember, we’re working with a text shape or box, not ordinary text.
2. Add and format the text
This step gives you lots of opportunities to be as creative or subtle as you like. The document’s mood will help dictate your choices. To follow along, enter TechRepublic into the text shape. Select the text and set the font size to 110 and click Bold. You can change the font if you like, but I didn’t. As shown in Figure C, you now have formatted text, ready to fill with a picture or drawing.
Figure C
3. Fill the text
Filling text is simple. The bigger issue is choosing the right picture. The sky really is the limit, but let the picture enhance your document’s content. Now, let’s fill the text with a picture as follows:
- Select the text.
- On the contextual Format tab, click the Text Fill dropdown in the WordArt Styles group.
- In the resulting dropdown, choose Picture.
- In the resulting dialog, enter “Bubbles” as a search term.
- From the picture files, choose anything—I choose the circled graphic in Figure D.
- Click Insert.
Figure D
The picture fills the text, as you can see in Figure E, but it’s not effective because of the background. Let’s get rid of it. With the shape (not the text) selected, click the Shape Fill dropdown in the Shape Styles group (on the contextual Format tab). Choose No Fill. Figure F shows the filled text with no background.
Figure E
Figure F
I chose a colorful pattern, just for the fun of it. You’ll want to experiment a bit until you get the hang of it. The technique is easy to implement, but make sure the filled text enhances your document instead of distracting viewers.
Also See
-
How to make fewer mistakes and work more efficiently using predictive text in Microsoft 365
(TechRepublic) -
How to use the many text wrapping options in Microsoft Word
(TechRepublic) -
Microsoft 365: A cheat sheet
(TechRepublic) -
Zoom vs. Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Cisco WebEx and Skype: Choosing the right video-conferencing apps for you (free PDF)
(TechRepublic) -
Checklist: Securing Windows 10 systems
(TechRepublic Premium) -
Everything you need to know about the Microsoft Exchange Server hack
(ZDNet) -
Must-read coverage: Windows 10
(TechRepublic on Flipboard)
-
Microsoft
-
Software
Download Article
Step-by-step guide to inserting pictures in Word
Download Article
- Windows
- Mac
- Web App
- Video
- Q&A
- Tips
|
|
|
|
|
Whether you’re working on a hefty research project or a friendly holiday greeting card, adding images to your Word document can really add value to your project. Whether you want to insert a picture from your computer or find one online, it’s easy to add photos in Word. This wikiHow teaches you how to insert an image into a Microsoft Word document using Windows, a Mac, and the free web version of Word.
Things You Should Know
- Use the Insert tab on Windows, Mac, and the web app to add a picture.
- Select Pictures > This Device to use an image on your computer.
- Click the image to resize and reformat it.
-
1
Click the place in your document where you want to insert the picture. Word’s insertion cursor, a vertical blinking bar, will appear at this point. When you insert the image, its bottom-left corner will be at this point.
- This method works for all modern versions of Word beginning with Word 2016. You can also use it as a guide for earlier versions of Windows, although there will be fewer tools and features.
- Changing the background is done through a different method, using the Design tab.
-
2
Click the Insert tab. It’s near the top of Word between «Home» and «Draw» (or «Home» and «Design» in some versions).
Advertisement
-
3
Click the Pictures tool. It’s in the «Illustrations» section of the toolbar running along the top of Word. Some location options will appear. If you’re using Word 2019 or later, a menu will expand. If you’re using Word 2016 or earlier, your file browser will appear.
-
4
Select the type of image you want to insert. You can choose an image on your computer, a stock image from Microsoft, or an image from the internet.
- Word 2019 or later:
- Click This Device if the picture is on your computer.
- Click Stock Images to select a free stock image from Microsoft’s collection.
- Click Online Pictures to use Bing’s image search to find photos on the web.
- If the photo is on your OneDrive, select Online Pictures and click OneDrive at the bottom-left corner.
- Word 2016:
- If the picture is on your computer, simply navigate to it in the file browser.
- If you want to search for a photo online or insert one from Facebook, Flickr, or your OneDrive, close the file browser and click the Online Pictures icon next to the «Pictures» in the toolbar. You can then select an image from Bing image search, Flickr, or Facebook.
- If the picture is on your OneDrive, click Online Pictures instead of Pictures and click Browse next to «OneDrive.»
- Word 2019 or later:
-
5
Select the image you want to insert. When you find the picture, click it once to select it.
- If you’re selecting from stock images or online images, you can click multiple pictures to add more than one.
- If you’re choosing files from your computer and want to add more than one picture, hold the Ctrl button down as you click each image.
-
6
Click Insert. It’ll be near the bottom-right corner of the window no matter where you’ve selected your image(s). You’re done! Continue to the next steps for formatting information, or print the document when you’re ready.
-
7
Resize the picture. If you want to change the picture’s size, click it once to select it, and then drag any of the corner circles in or out.[1]
- You can also specify the size if you want. Double-click the picture to open the Picture Format tab at the top, and then set your desired measurements next to «Height» and «Width.»
-
8
Use the curved arrow at the top of the picture to rotate it. It’s above the dot at the top-center part of the picture. To rotate, place the mouse cursor over the curved arrow, and then click and drag the cursor left or right until you’re satisfied.
-
9
Double-click the picture to access more editing tools. This opens the «Picture Format» (2019 and later) or «Format» (2016) tab at the top of Word. On this tab, you can:
- In the «Arrange» panel in the top-right area, click Wrap Text to choose how to situate the picture in blocks of text. You can also set alignment preferences here. Wrapping the text is a good way to get your document formatted exactly the way you want.
- To crop the picture, click the Crop tool in the «Size» panel at the top-right corner.
- The «Adjust» panel near the top-left corner has additional tools for background removal, color effects, and corrections.
- To add a border or effect around the picture, select one of the «Picture Styles» at the center of the Format bar, or choose any of the other options in the section to have more control over the style.
Advertisement
-
1
Click the place in your document where you’d like to insert a picture. This places the cursor at that location.
-
2
Click the Insert tab. It’s at the top of Word between the «Home» and «Design» or «Home» and «Draw» tabs.
-
3
Click the Pictures icon. It’s on the toolbar that runs along the top of Word. Look for an icon of a green mountain with a yellow sun between «Tables» and «Shapes.»
-
4
Click Photo Browser or Picture from File. If you want to browse images in your Mac’s Photos app, use Photo Browser. To select an image file using Finder, choose Picture from File.
-
5
Insert the picture into the document. If you’re using the Photo Browser option, simply drag the photo into your document. If you’re using Picture from File, select the image and click Insert.
-
6
Resize the picture. If you want to increase or reduce the picture’s size, click the image to select it, and then do one of the following:
- To maintain the picture’s proportions so it doesn’t stretch or warp, hold down the Shift key as you drag any of the sizing handles (the circles) inward or outward.[2]
- To keep the image’s center in place as you resize, hold down the Option key as you drag the handles.
- You can also specify a size. Double-click the Picture to open the Picture Format tab, then enter your desired measurements next to «Height» and «Width.»
- To maintain the picture’s proportions so it doesn’t stretch or warp, hold down the Shift key as you drag any of the sizing handles (the circles) inward or outward.[2]
-
7
Drag the curved arrow at the top of the picture to rotate it. It’s above the dot at the top-center edge of the picture. Just place the mouse cursor over the curved arrow, and then click and drag it left or right until it’s correct.
-
8
Double-click the picture to access more editing tools. This opens the «Picture Format» tab at the top of Word, which has a bunch of editing features, including the ability to remove the background and add styles.
- Click Corrections near the top-left corner to correct lighting and color problems.
- Click Artistic Effects to play around with filters, and Transparency to make the picture more see-through.
- To crop the picture, click the Crop tool next to the height and width controls.
- Click Wrap Text to choose how to situate the picture in blocks of text, and use Align and Position to ensure correct placement.
- Click Quick Styles to choose pre-styled borders, shadows, and other options.
Advertisement
-
1
Click the place in your document where you’d like to insert a picture. This places the cursor at that location.
- If it’s your first time using Office Online on the web, go to https://www.office.com, sign in with your Microsoft account, and select Word to get started.
-
2
Click Insert. This opens the Insert tab.
-
3
Click Pictures. This opens a drop down options menu.
-
4
Select a picture type. There are four options to choose from:
- This Device — choose a picture on your computer
- OneDrive — choose an image from your OneDrive
- Stock Images — insert a stock image or sticker
- Bing Pictures — search Bing for an image
-
5
Select an image. If you choose the This Device option, you’ll be prompted to select an image from your computer. Click it to select it.
-
6
Click Open. This is in the bottom right corner of the image selection window. This will confirm your selected image and insert it into the document.
-
7
Resize the picture. If you want to change the picture’s size, click it once to select it, and then drag any of the corner circles in or out.
- You can also specify the size if you want. Double-click the picture to open the Picture tab at the top, and then set your desired measurements next to «Height» and «Width.»
-
8
Use the curved arrow at the top of the picture to rotate it. It’s above the dot at the top-center part of the picture. To rotate, place the mouse cursor over the curved arrow, and then click and drag the cursor left or right until you’re satisfied.
-
9
Double-click the picture to access more editing tools. This opens the «Picture» tab at the top of the Word web app. On this tab, you can:
- In the «Arrange» panel in the top-right area, click Wrap Text to choose how to situate the picture in blocks of text. You can also set alignment preferences here.
- To crop the picture, click the Crop tool in the «Image Size» panel at the top-right corner.
- To add a border or effect around the picture, select one of the «Picture Styles» at the center of the bar, or choose any of the other options in the section to have more control over the style.
Advertisement
Add New Question
-
Question
How do I take screenshots?
On a Mac, shift command 3 to screenshot the whole screen. If you want to take a screenshot of a certain area on the screen, press shift command 4. On a Windows PC, press control and print screen at the same time, then you can paste the image into Paint or Microsoft Word.
-
Question
When I insert several photos on an age in a Word document, the photos often won’t stay in place. How do I stop the photos from bumping each other around?
You can right-click the image, hold the cursor over the «Wrap Text» menu option, and select an option from the list that is NOT «In Line with Text» (usually selected by default), such as «Tight» or «Behind/In Front of Text.» Then you should be able to move the image freely around the page.
-
Question
How do I format images in a Word document?
Try double-tapping the photo. A photo format menu should come up on the right side.
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Video
-
Adding photos to your Word document increases its size.
-
Other photo modification features available in newer versions of Microsoft Word include the ability to add borders, cutout styles, shadows, beveled edges, glows, and drop shadows.
-
When you crop a picture, the actual cropped part of the picture is hidden, not removed; unless you check the «Delete Cropped Areas of Pictures» box in the «Compression Settings» dialog box. Any compressed pictures with their cropped areas deleted cannot be restored to their original appearance.
Show More Tips
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
About This Article
Article SummaryX
1. Click the place you want to insert the image.
2. Click the Insert tab.
3. Click Pictures.
4. Choose a location.
5. Select the image and click Insert.
6. Double-click the picture to open editing and format tools.
Did this summary help you?
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 650,203 times.
Is this article up to date?
Have you ever wondered (and I just know you have) how all those bloggers, graphic designers, Etsy shop owners, and others create printables or graphics with images or words that are filled with a cute picture? I mean, not just a word that’s colorful, but one that is filled in with an actual picture, like glitter, wood grain, a watercolor doodle, or some other cool design?
Well, you’re in luck because I’m sharing all the details on how to quickly and easily create this effect using one of Photoshop’s most powerful but often overlooked tools: the clipping mask!
Sounds fancy, I know, but don’t be intimidated!
[There are affiliate links below, and big thanks to FontBundles.net for sponsoring today’s post!]
Used in This Tutorial:
- Photoshop Elements
- Fonts from The Majestic Font Bundle
- Twenty Nine Regular: “love”
- Twenty Nine Ornaments (dingbat font): drawn heart shape
- Watercolor picture file
Step 1: Create New File
First, open up Photoshop (I use Photoshop Elements because it’s the cheaper but just as awesome version of the full non-Element variety). Create a new file by going to File > New > Blank File, and designate your desired specifications. Also make sure you’re on Expert mode at the top.
TIP: If you are planning on printing out your creation, make sure you have a large (i.e. at least 300 pixels/inch) resolution….bigger is better! If you’re going to use your design solely online for things like blogging graphics or Etsy shop listings, a resolution of 72 should be fine.
Step 2: Add Text and/or Image
Next, add your text or image/dingbat/shape (whatever you want to be filled). Simply click on the Text Tool (the green ‘T’) from the left menu, choose your font from the menu at the bottom, click anywhere on your work zone to create a text box, then type away.
You’ll notice a new layer will pop up over on the right in the Layers Menu.
I like to go ahead and add all my elements at the beginning then get to fine tuning later (just a personal preference), and with this particular design, I’ll be using an image from a dingbat font too. It is actually what will be filled with my upcoming picture, and the ‘love’ text will be added on top. I know, a tad confusing, but stay with me!
Once added, the ‘love’ word and the newly added heart dingbat are now separate text layers on the right.
NOTE: The layer on the right for the heart shape shows its name as ‘q’. That’s because this is a dingbat font, and the letter q is the keystroke I used to get the heart. You can rename the layer if you’d like, but I usually don’t bother unless I’m making a birthday chalkboard poster and have dozens of dingbat layers….that can get quite confusing! For more on dingbats and how to use them, check this or this out!
Speaking of Fonts….The Majestic Font Bundle!
If you’re a faithful reader, you know I’m a HUGE font addict. I have literally thousands (thousands!) of them. Few things make my crafty heart happier than scoring awesome premium fonts at great savings. Who doesn’t like high quality at a good deal, amiright?
Well, the folks over at FontBundles.net are back with another amazing package this month: The Majestic Font Bundle!
This bundle includes all of the following:
- 40 premium fonts for only $29 (that’s over a 95% savings!)
- Over 10,300 extra glyphs!
- All fonts work with any software on Macs or PCs (Photoshop, Illustrator, Silhouette Studio, and more)
- Full commercial license….so you’re free to sell all those creations you knock out!
- Lifetime download guarantee and quick email support
As you can see in the screenshots from above, I’m using a font from The Majestic Font Bundle called Twenty Nine. I love that hand-drawn, scribbly, marker look.
The ‘love’ word is in the regular Twenty Nine font, while the heart shape is part of the bonus Twenty Nine Ornaments dingbat font….gotta love a bonus!
{Pssst, see above how ‘C’est La Vie’ is in pink watercolor and ‘Heavenly’ is filled in with gold glitter?? That was done using clipping masks, just like we’re going over in this tutorial!}
Ok now, back to it!
Step 3: Add Picture You Want to Use as Filler & Adjust Layer Arrangement
Next, add a new layer with the picture that you want to use as the filler for your word or image. I’ll be using a peachy watercolor file, but you can use pretty much any picture you’d like….so many options!
IMPORTANT: Pay attention to your layer arrangement here because you need your filler (picture) to be directly ON TOP of your word/image. The filler layer needs to be above the fillee layer (yes, I make up my own words).
Since I wanted the watercolor to fill the heart, I made sure my layers were arranged appropriately (watercolor on top).
Step 4: Create Clipping Mask & Adjust Placement/Scale
Now comes the fun part….the clipping mask! Sounds really fancy, huh?
To make things easier, I first turned off my ‘love’ layer and made it hidden by clicking on its tiny little eye-ball (you can see it above the pink arrow). Once it’s turned off, the eyeball will have a red slash line through it. We’ll come back to it in just a moment.
To create a clipping mask:
- Make sure your layer arrangement is correct (picture layer directly above word/image layer)
- Click on and select your picture layer at the top
- Right-click on the layer and select ‘Create Clipping Mask’
That’s it! Once you’ve done that, all the parts of your picture that were outside of your word/image will now be clipped, or no longer visible, but the inside portion will remain. As you can see, my heart is now filled with the watercolor picture.
And don’t worry….our next step is to make sure the entire shape gets filled in, so the remaining black portions will soon vanish. I won’t leave ya hanging!
NOTE: Looking back at your Layers Menu, you can easily tell if a clipping mask has been applied to a layer. The preview image will now be indented a smidgeon to the right and a tiny downward blue arrow and white box will appear to the left of it. Also, the layer it’s applied to will now be underlined. And if you ever want to remove a clipping mask, just right-click the layer again and select “Release Clipping Mask.”
Step 5: Make Final Layer Adjustments
Sometimes the clipping mask will leave parts of your word/image unfilled, depending on your picture and initial sizing. Fear not!
This can easily be remedied by adjusting the size or scale of your picture. Just click on and slide one of the tiny boxes along the edge of the picture’s bounding box, or move the entire layer around until you’re happy with its placement. You can of course alternatively change the size of the word/image too.
After increasing the size of my watercolor layer, my (digital) heart is now completely filled with peachy goodness.
To start finalizing my design, I then selected both the watercolor and heart layers at the same time, adjusted their sizes, and rotated them a tad to the left.
Almost finished, promise!
Remember the very first thing I added to my design, the ‘love’ word? Well, I haven’t forgotten about it.
This last remaining element was finished by first clicking on its little eyeball so it became visible again (no more red slash). Then I changed the text color from black to white in the Text Menu, and moved the layer to the top in the Layers Menu. This would place the word above the watercolor heart.
The Final Design
And here’s how my design looks once printed and framed! Pretty nice, huh? And it was so easy to knock out too.
Another {Simpler} Example
Here’s another, more straight-forward example. This time I just applied a clipping mask to a word, sans dingbat or other shape.
I used a super cool font called Ipsum, also part of The Majestic Font Bundle….the hand-scripted, rough around the edges look is so great with watercolor.
In Photoshop, you can see how easy it is by looking at the Layers Menu on the right. It’s just the text layer with the watercolor picture layer above it, and the clipping mask applied. That’s it!
Another cute, colorful, and simple (but still interesting) design. Can’t beat it.
There are countless ways to play around with the clipping mask tool. Use the Shape Tool with basic shapes, have fun creating custom gifts with kids’ photos, display vacation or other memorable keepsakes, personalize your home decor, make 100% custom blog or Etsy shop mockups or graphics, etc. It’s so versatile and you can create some truly stunning designs!
Oh, and don’t forget to check out The Majestic Font Bundle to score some awesome fonts at a huge deal….but you only have until the end of June, so hurry!
FontBundles.net also offers great FREE premium fonts, but just like with the monthly bundles, you gotta grab them while they’re available!
If You Enjoyed This….
Make sure you check out my Project Gallery for lots of other tutorials and crafty creations, including more posts where I share my love for fonts, as well as a whole section dedicated to Photoshop and other kinds of digital fun!
Here’s just a sampling:
Thanks so much for stopping by! Stay crafty!
This article is for people with visual or cognitive impairments who use a screen reader program such as Microsoft’s Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with the Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support home or Fixes or workarounds for recent office issues.
Use Word with your keyboard and a screen reader to insert a picture or image from your computer or an online source. We’ve tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You’ll also learn how to add alt texts to the pictures to make them more accessible.
Need instructions on how to insert pictures to a Word document, but not using a screen reader? See Insert pictures.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
In this topic
-
Insert an image or picture from your computer
-
Insert an image from an online source
-
Place a picture in line with text
-
Add alt text to an image
Insert an image or picture from your computer
-
In your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert an image.
-
Press Alt+N, P, D. The Insert Picture dialog box opens. The focus is on the File name text field.
-
Use the Tab key and the arrow keys to navigate to the location of the picture on your computer. When you hear the name of the picture, followed by «Selected,» press Enter. The original picture is embedded into your document.
Tip: If your picture has a large file size, it can make your document too large. To reduce the size of your document, you can link to the picture instead of embedding it. In the Insert Picture dialog box, press the Tab key until you hear with Narrator and NVDA: «Insert, split button.» With JAWS, you hear: «Leaving menus, Insert button.» Press the Down arrow key until you hear «Link to file,» and then press Enter.
Insert an image from an online source
If you don’t have the perfect picture on your computer, you can search for and insert a picture from a web location straight from Word.
-
In your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert an image.
-
Press Alt+N, P, O. The Bing image search dialog box opens. The focus is on the search text field.
-
Type your search words to describe the picture you’re looking for, and then press Enter. The search results are listed, and the focus is on the first matching image.
Tip: To browse for more images from your OneDrive, press the Tab key until you hear «OneDrive,» and press Enter.
-
Use the arrow keys to browse the search results. Your screen reader describes each image as you move through the search results.
-
To select an image, press Spacebar.
-
To insert the selected image, press the Tab key until you hear «Insert,» and press Enter. Word downloads and inserts the image into your document.
Place a picture in line with text
To be read correctly by a screen reader, the picture has to be in line with the text. By default, Word inserts a picture in line with text, but you can check it to make sure that the screen readers can read the pictures.
-
In your Word document, move the focus to the picture you want. When the focus is on the picture, you hear the file name or number of the picture, followed by «Image.»
-
Press Shift+Right arrow key once to select the picture. Then press Shift+F10. The context menu opens.
-
Press the Up arrow key until you hear «Wrap text,» and then press the Right arrow key once. You hear: «In line with text.» Press Enter. If you don’t hear «In line with text,» press the Up arrow key until you reach the In line with text button, and press Enter.
Add alt text to an image
Add alt text to the images to make your document accessible to all audiences. For more information on alt text, refer to Everything you need to know to write effective alt text.
-
In your Word document, move the focus to the picture that you want to add alt text to. When the focus is on the image, you hear the page you’re on, the file name or the number of the image, followed by «Image.» Press Shift+Right arrow key once to select the image.
-
Press Shift+F10 to open the context menu.
-
Press the Up arrow key until you hear «Edit alt text,» and press Enter.
-
The Alt Text pane opens, and the focus is on the alt text field. Type alt text for the image.
-
When you’re ready, press Esc to return to the body of the document.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert a hyperlink in Word
Use a screen reader to align text and paragraphs in Word
Keyboard shortcuts in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word
What’s new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel
Use Word for Mac with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in MacOS screen reader, to insert a picture or image into a document. You’ll also learn how to add alt texts to the pictures to make them more accessible.
Need instructions on how to insert pictures to a Word document, but not using a screen reader? See Insert pictures.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.
In this topic
-
Insert an image or picture from your computer
-
Insert an image from an online source
-
Place a picture in line with text
-
Add alt text to an image
Insert an image or picture from your computer
-
In your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert an image.
-
Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab on the ribbon, for example, «Home, selected, tab.» Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear «Insert tab,» and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear «Pictures, menu button,» and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear «Picture from file,» and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
A dialog box opens with the focus on a recent images folder. To access the images in this folder, press Control+Option+Right arrow key. To browse to another location, use the Tab key, Shift+Tab, and the arrow keys.
-
When on the correct location, use the Up or Down arrow key to browse the files or subfolders. To open a subfolder, press the Right arrow key.
-
When you’ve located the correct image file, press Return. The picture is inserted into the document.
Insert an image from an online source
If you don’t have the perfect picture on your computer, you can search for and insert a picture from a web location straight from Word for Mac.
-
In your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert an image.
-
Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab on the ribbon, for example, «Home, selected, tab.» Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear «Insert tab,» and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear «Pictures, menu button,» and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear «Online pictures,» and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
The Bing image search pane opens. The focus is on the search text field. Type your search words to describe the picture you’re looking for, and then press Return. The search results are listed, and the focus is on the first matching image.
-
Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key to browse the search results. VoiceOver describes each image as you move through the search results.
-
To select an image, press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
To insert the selected image, press the Tab key until you hear «Insert,» and press Control+Option+Spacebar. Word downloads and inserts the image into your document.
Place a picture in line with text
To be read correctly by a screen reader, the picture has to be in line with the text.
-
In your Word document, move the cursor before the picture you want, press and hold Shift, and then press the Right arrow key once to select the picture. You hear: «Grouped object, you’re currently on a grouped object.»
-
Press F6 until you hear: «Picture format.»
-
Press the Tab key until you hear «Position button,» and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
Press Control+Option+Left arrow key until you hear «In line with text,» and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
Add alt text to an image
Add alt text to the images to make your document accessible to all audiences. For more information on alt text, refer to Everything you need to know to write effective alt text.
-
In your Word document, select the picture that you want to add alt text to. To select a picture in Word, place the cursor before the image, hold down Shift, and then press the Right arrow key. You hear: «Grouped object, you’re currently on a grouped object.»
-
Press Control+Option+Shift+M. The context menu opens. Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear «Edit alt text,» and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
The Alt Text pane opens, and the focus in on the alt text field. Type alt text for the image.
-
When you’re ready, press Shift+Tab until you hear «Close alt text button,» and press Control+Option+Spacebar. The Alt Text pane closes, and the focus moves back to your document.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert a hyperlink in Word
Use a screen reader to align text and paragraphs in Word
Keyboard shortcuts in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word
What’s new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel
Use Word for iOS with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to insert a picture or image into a document. You’ll also learn how to add alt texts to the pictures to make them more accessible.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.
-
We recommend you read and edit documents in Print Layout View. VoiceOver might not work reliably in other view modes.
In this topic
-
Insert an image or picture from your phone
-
Insert a picture from the camera
-
Place a picture in line with text
-
Add alt text to an image
Insert an image or picture from your phone
-
While editing your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert an image.
-
Tap near the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear «Show ribbon,» and double-tap the screen. You hear the currently selected tab, for example, «Home tab.»
-
Double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear “Insert tab,” and double-tap the screen. You hear: “Insert tab.”
-
Swipe right until you hear “Insert pictures button,” and double-tap the screen. The Photos app opens.
-
Swipe right until you hear the image location you want, and then double-tap the screen to select.
-
To browse the images, swipe right or left. As you move, VoiceOver announces the images by the image types and dates.
-
When on the picture you want to insert into the document, double-tap the screen. The picture is inserted and the focus returns to your document with the image selected.
Insert a picture from the camera
You can open the device camera straight from Word for iOS, take a photo, and then insert the photo into the document.
-
While editing your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert a picture.
-
Tap near the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear «Show ribbon,» and double-tap the screen. You hear the currently selected tab, for example, «Home tab.»
-
Double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear “Insert tab,” and double-tap the screen. You hear: “Insert tab.”
-
Swipe right until you hear “Insert pictures button,” and double-tap the screen. The Photos app opens.
-
Swipe right until you hear “Insert picture from camera, button,” and then double-tap the screen. The Camera app opens.
Note: If you hear «Word would like to access the camera,» swipe right until you hear «OK, button,» and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear «Take picture, button,» point the camera in the right direction, and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right or left until you hear «Use photo, button,» and then double-tap the screen to insert the photo. The focus returns to your document.
Place a picture in line with text
To be read correctly by a screen reader, the picture has to be in line with the text.
-
While editing your Word document, slide one finger around the document body until you hear the image you want. When the image is in focus, VoiceOver announces the image file name, followed by «Image,» and the image layout. Double-tap the screen. You hear: «Selected.»
-
Tap near the bottom of the screen with four fingers, swipe left until you hear «Show ribbon,» and double-tap the screen. You hear: «Picture tab.»
-
Swipe right until you hear «Wrap text button,» and double-tap the screen. Swipe left until you hear «In line with text,» and double-tap the screen.
Add alt text to an image
Add alt text to the images to make your document accessible to all audiences. For more information on alt text, refer to Everything you need to know to write effective alt text.
-
While editing your Word document, to select a picture, slide one finger around the document body until you hear the image you want to add alt text to. When the image is in focus, VoiceOver announces the image file name, followed by «Image,» and the image layout. Double-tap the screen. You hear: «Selected.»
-
Tap near the bottom of the screen with four fingers, swipe left until you hear «Show ribbon,» and double-tap the screen. You hear: «Picture tab.»
-
Swipe right until you hear «Alt text button,» and double-tap the screen.
-
To add alt text, swipe right until you hear «Description, text field,» double-tap the screen, and then use the on-screen keyboard to type alt text for the image.
-
When you’re ready, tap near the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear «Done button,» and double-tap the screen. The focus moves back to the document body.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to set line spacing and indenting in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word
What’s new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel
Use Word for Android with TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to insert a picture or image into a document. You’ll also learn how to add alt texts to the pictures to make them more accessible.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.
In this topic
-
Insert an image or picture from your phone
-
Insert a picture from the camera
-
Place a picture in line with text
-
Add alt text to an image
Insert an image or picture from your phone
-
While editing your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert an image.
-
Swipe left until you hear «More options button,» and double-tap the screen. You hear the currently selected tab, for example, «Home tab.» Double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear “Insert tab,” and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear “Pictures menu,” and double-tap the screen. The Pictures menu opens.
-
Swipe right until you hear “Photos button,” and double-tap the screen. The default gallery app opens.
Note: If you’re signed in and using your organization’s phone and account, you might have to switch to your personal account or select a gallery app before you can insert an image into a document.
-
Do one of the following:
-
To navigate through the pictures in the currently selected image storage location, swipe right until you hear the image you want.
-
To navigate to another storage location, for example, Downloads or Images, swipe left until you hear «Show roots button,» and then double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear the location you want, and then double-tap the screen. Swipe left or right until you hear the image you want.
TalkBack announces the images by their filenames, sizes, and dates.
-
-
When on the image you want to insert, double-tap the screen. The image preview opens.
-
Swipe right until you hear «Done,» and then double-tap the screen. The image is inserted and the focus returns to your document with the image selected.
Insert a picture from the camera
You can open the device camera straight from Word for Android, take a photo, and then insert the photo into the document.
-
While editing your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert a picture.
-
Swipe left until you hear «More options button,» and double-tap the screen. You hear the currently selected tab, for example, «Home tab.» Double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear “Insert tab,” and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear “Pictures menu,” and then double-tap the screen. The Pictures menu opens.
-
Swipe right until you hear “Camera button,” and then double-tap the screen. The Camera app opens.
Note: If you hear «Allow Word to take pictures and record video, Allow button,» double-tap the screen.
-
To take a picture, swipe right until you hear «Capture,» point the camera to the right direction, and then double-tap the screen.
-
The image is captured, and the editing view opens. Swipe right until you hear «Confirm,» and double-tap the screen.
-
The image preview opens. Swipe right until you hear «Done,» and then double-tap the screen. The image is inserted and the focus returns to your document with the image selected.
Place a picture in line with text
To be read correctly by a screen reader, the picture has to be in line with the text.
-
While editing your Word document, slide one finger around the document body until you hear the image you want. When the focus is on the image, you hear the file name or number of the image, followed by «Image.» Double-tap and hold the screen with one finger. You hear: «Cut button.»
-
Swipe down-then-left. Then slide one finger near the lower-right corner of the screen until you hear «Not checked, More options switch,» and double-tap the screen. The focus moves to the Picture tab on the ribbon.
-
Swipe right until you hear «Wrap text menu,» and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear «In line with text,» and double-tap the screen.
Add alt text to an image
Add alt text to the images to make your document accessible to all audiences. For more information on alt text, refer to Everything you need to know to write effective alt text.
-
While editing your Word document, slide one finger around the document body until you hear the image you want to add alt text to. When the focus is on the image, you hear: «Selected, Image.» Double-tap the screen.
-
Slide one finger near the lower-right corner of the screen until you hear «Not checked, More options switch,» and double-tap the screen.
-
The focus moves to the Picture tab on the ribbon. Swipe right until you hear «Alt text menu,» and double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear «Edit box, for, describe this object for someone who is blind,» and double-tap the screen. Use the on-screen keyboard to type alt text for the image. To close the on-screen keyboard, swipe down-then-left.
-
To move the focus back to the document body, swipe down-then-left.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to set line spacing and indenting in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word
What’s new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel
Use Word for the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to insert a picture or image into a document. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge and JAWS and NVDA in Chrome, but it might work with other screen readers and web browsers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You’ll also learn how to add alt texts to the pictures to make them more accessible.
Need instructions on how to insert pictures to a Word document, but not using a screen reader? See Insert pictures.
Notes:
-
If you use Narrator with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you have to turn off scan mode in order to edit documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Microsoft 365 for the web. For more information, refer to Turn off virtual or browse mode in screen readers in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
-
When you use Word for the web with a screen reader, switch to the full screen mode. Press F11 to toggle the full screen mode on and off.
-
When you use Word for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Word for the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not Word for the web.
In this topic
-
Insert a picture from your computer
-
Insert a picture from the web
-
Place a picture in line with text
-
Add alt text to an image
Insert a picture from your computer
-
In your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert the picture.
-
Press Alt+Windows logo key+N, P, P. The Windows Open dialog box opens. The focus is on the File name text field.
-
Use the Tab key and the arrow keys to navigate to the location of the picture on your computer. When you hear the name of the picture, followed by «Selected,» press Enter. The original picture is embedded into your document.
Insert a picture from the web
If you don’t have the perfect picture on your computer, you can search for and insert a picture from a web location straight from Word for the web.
Note: When using photos, images, or clip art, you’re responsible for respecting copyright. For images, the license filter in Bing can help.
-
In your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert the image.
-
Press Alt+Windows logo key+N, P, F.
-
The Bing image search dialog box opens. The focus is on the search text field. Type your search words to describe the picture you’re looking for, and then press Enter. The search results are listed, and the focus is on the first matching image.
-
Use the arrow keys to browse the search results. Your screen reader describes each image as you move through the search results.
-
To select an image, press Spacebar.
-
To insert the selected image, press the Tab key until you hear «Insert,» and press Enter. Word downloads and inserts the image into your document.
Place a picture in line with text
To be read correctly by a screen reader, the picture has to be in line with the text.
-
In your Word document, move the focus to the picture you want. When the picture is in focus and selected, you hear: «Image.»
-
Press Shift+F10. The context menu opens.
-
Press the Up arrow key until you hear «Wrap text,» and then press the Right arrow key once. You hear: «In line with text.» Press Enter. If you don’t hear «In line with text,» press the Up arrow key until you reach the In line with text button, and press Enter.
Add alt text to an image
Add alt text to the images to make your document accessible to all audiences. For more information on alt text, refer to Everything you need to know to write effective alt text.
-
In your Word document, move the focus to the image that you want to add alt text to. When the image is in focus and selected, you hear: «Image.»
-
Press Alt+Windows logo key+J, P, E. The Format Picture pane opens, and the focus moves to the Alternative Text section.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear «Description,» and then type alt text for the image.
-
To return the focus to document body, press Esc.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Word
Keyboard shortcuts in Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word
What’s new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.