Insert objects in word

Depending on the version of Word or Outlook you’re using, you can insert a variety of objects (such as PDF files, Excel charts or worksheets, or PowerPoint presentations) into a Word document or an email message by linking or embedding them. To insert an object, click Object on the Insert tab.

Insert a new object

To create a new file that is inserted into your Word document or email message:

1. In the Object dialog box, click the Create New tab, and then select an option from the Object type list.

   

   The default program for that file type opens, where you can enter any text or data you want. When you close the program, any added content or changes appear in your Word document or email message.

2. If you want the new file to appear as a clickable icon, rather than the first page of your new file, select Display as icon. If this check box is selected, you can choose a different icon by clicking Change Icon.

Tips: 

• The information in the Result section changes based on the selected object type and whether Display as icon is selected. Use this information to help you determine what you want to insert and how you want it to appear.

• To edit the information in your inserted object, double-click the object.

• In Outlook, the Display as icon option is only available if you format your email as RTF (Format Text > Format > Message Format > Rich Text).

Link or embed an existing file

To link or embed an object that’s already been created:

1. In the Object dialog box, select the Create from File tab, and then click Browse to find the file you want to insert.

   

2. To link to the source file, rather than embedding it into your Word document or email message, select Link to file.

3. If you want the inserted file to appear as a clickable icon, rather than the first page of the file, select Display as icon. If this check box is selected, you can choose a different icon by clicking Change Icon.

   Tip: The information in the Result section changes based on whether Link to file and Display as icon are selected. Use this information to help you determine what you want to insert and how you want it to appear.

Embedded objects vs. linked objects

Embedded objects become part of the Word file or email message and, after they are inserted, they are no longer connected to any source file.

Linked objects can be updated if the source file is modified. Linked data is stored in the source file. The Word file or email message (the destination file) stores only the location of the source file, and it displays a representation of the linked data. Use linked objects if file size is a consideration.

Depending on the version of Word or Outlook you’re using, you can insert a variety of objects (such as PDF files, Excel charts or worksheets, or PowerPoint presentations) into a Word document or an email message by linking or embedding them. To insert an object, click Object on the Insert tab.

Insert a new object

To create a new file that is inserted into your Word document or email message:

1. In the Object dialog box, click the Create New tab, and then select an option from the Object type list.

   

   The default program for that file type opens, where you can enter any text or data you want. When you close the program, any added content or changes appear in your Word document or email message.

2. If you want the new file to appear as a clickable icon, rather than the first page of your new file, select Display as icon. If this check box is selected, you can choose a different icon by clicking Change Icon.

Tips: 

• The information in the Result section changes based on the selected object type and whether Display as icon is selected. Use this information to help you determine what you want to insert and how you want it to appear.

• To edit the information in your inserted object, double-click the object.

• In Outlook, the Display as icon option is only available if you format your email as RTF (Format Text > Format > Message Format > Rich Text).

Link or embed an existing file

To link or embed an object that’s already been created:

1. In the Object dialog box, select the Create from File tab, and then click Browse to find the file you want to insert.

   

2. To link to the source file, rather than embedding it into your Word document or email message, select Link to file.

3. If you want the inserted file to appear as a clickable icon, rather than the first page of the file, select Display as icon. If this check box is selected, you can choose a different icon by clicking Change Icon.

   Tip: The information in the Result section changes based on whether Link to file and Display as icon are selected. Use this information to help you determine what you want to insert and how you want it to appear.

Embedded objects vs. linked objects

Embedded objects become part of the Word file or email message and, after they are inserted, they are no longer connected to any source file.

Linked objects can be updated if the source file is modified. Linked data is stored in the source file. The Word file or email message (the destination file) stores only the location of the source file, and it displays a representation of the linked data. Use linked objects if file size is a consideration.

While inserting a file (such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, image, etc.) as an object into a Word document, you can either create a new or use an existing file.

Create a new file and insert as an object

1.    Place the mouse cursor where you want to create the object.

2.    From the Ribbon, under the tab Insert, within the group Text, click Object. The object dialog box appears.

3.    Select an object to create from the Object Type list.

4.    Select the Display as icon check box.

5.    Word creates an icon of the selected Program at the cursor position and opens the program to create a new file.

For example, if you select  object type as “Microsoft Office Excel Worksheet”, an Excel icon is created at the cursor position and then Word opens the Excel program to create a new Excel document.

Insert an existing file as an object

1.    You can insert an existing file into your document in two different ways: either embed the file or link the file.

2.    Place your mouse cursor where you want to create the object

3.    From the Ribbon, under the tab Insert, within the group Text, click Object. The object dialog box appears.

4.    From the dialog box, click Create from File.

5.    Click the Browse button to locate the file in your system.

6.    Select the Display as icon check box.

7.    The object icon is created at the cursor position. This way you can embed a file into your document.

8.    If you want to link the file, also select the Link to File check box.

Difference between embedding and linking an existing file

If you want to update an embedded file, you have to double-click the object to open the file and then edit. Updating the source file will not update the embedded file.

However, if you are linking an existing file, then changes in the source file will be reflected in the linked file.

Word allows you to insert other files with data and functionality from another document or program directly into your Word document.

Microsoft calls these additions ‘Objects’ which makes it sound overly technical and difficult but it’s not. Don’t get fazed by all the nerd talk about ‘objects’, that’s programmer speak that’s leaked out into the real world.

Whenever you see the word ‘Object’ think ‘Another file’.

Objects are just other files or sometimes, parts of other files.  Word or text files, graphs, Excel worksheets, PDF’s, PowerPoint files or a lot more.

You can either create a new object within your Word document or insert an existing file. You can also choose to either embed or link the object.

Embedding

Embedding an object just takes a snapshot or copy of the file at the time you embedded it. If you later change the original file, the changes are not reflected in your document.

• Use this to keep a copy of the file at a particular time like end of financial year or when contract is finalized.
• Embedding can also hide files and documents from prying eyes, that’s explained in our ebook Beating Bots, Spies and Cock-ups.

Linking

Linking an object creates a live link to the original file. If you make changes to the original file, the changes will appear in the object in your Word document.   See Putting Excel into Word

To insert an object in Word, go to Insert | Object.

Insert all the Text from Another File

If you have another text document, such as another Word file, plain text file, or even a PDF file, you can easily insert all of the text from that file into your document.

To do this, select the Text from File option.

The Insert File dialog will open for you to navigate to the file that you want to insert.

NOTES:

• The content will be inserted along with all its formatting from the source file. If the original is a large, complex document, this may take some time.
• If you select a PDF document, Word will do the best it can to convert it into Word, along with all its formatting. It may not look exactly like the original file, especially if the source file contains a lot of graphics. Very complex PDF files may take excessive time or may not be able to be imported.

Insert a New Object

To insert any other kind of object other than a text file, select the Object option.

The Object dialog will open with the Create New tab selected by default. You will see that there is an extensive list of object types available to choose from. In this example we will choose to insert a new Excel worksheet in the document.

An Excel worksheet will appear in the document, and the Excel ribbon and tools will appear above it, just as if you are working in an Excel file.

You can now drag the edges to show as much of the worksheet as you wish, enter whatever data, and perform whatever functions you wish within the worksheet.

When you’re done, click anywhere outside the object, and the Excel ribbon will disappear, but the worksheet will still appear as a table in your document. You can then double-click within the object to enter and edit it again.

NOTES:

• When you insert a new object in this way, you can click within the object any time to edit it.
• If the Excel worksheet contains more data than fits in the visible window in your document, the part that you have visible when you click out of the object is what will appear in your document when you click out of the object.

Embed an Existing Object

To insert an existing object in your document, click the Create from File tab in the Object dialog and browse to the file you want to insert.

A section of the file will appear in the document, and the reader can double-click on it to open it and view the whole file. The part of the file that displays in the document varies depending on the type of file:

• A PowerPoint presentation will show the first slide only. Double-clicking will allow the reader to click through the whole presentation.
• An Excel file with multiple worksheets will display the worksheet that was open the last time the file was saved. Double-clicking will give access to all worksheets.
• A PDF file will display the first page of the document. (Unlike the Insert Text from File option, with this method the inserted object will still be a PDF file, not converted to Word.)

PowerPoint presentation embedded in a Word document

An Excel worksheet embedded in a Word document

For more see Putting Excel into Word

NOTES:

• An embedded object is just a snapshot of the file at the time you embedded it. It no longer has any link to the original file, and any subsequent changes made to the original will have no effect on the object in your document.
• If the object is an editable file, such as an Excel file, you can edit it after you have inserted it. Double-click on the object, and the interface of the original application will open within your document, just as described above for inserting a new object.

Link an Existing Object

To embed an object and maintain a live link between it and the original file, again, select the Create from File tab in the Object dialog, but this time also click the “Link to file” box.

The object will appear in the document just like an embedded object, but with one big difference. In this case, if any changes are made to the original file, those changes will be reflected in the object in your document. You also will not be able to edit the object in the document – double-clicking on, for example, an Excel object will open the original Excel document in a separate window.

Refreshing the Link

Sometimes a change to the original file will not immediately appear in the object in your document. To ensure that you are looking at the latest information, right-click on the object and select Update Link.

Displaying an Icon Instead of the Object

There is one more choice in the Object dialog that we have not touched on yet. Whether you are inserting a new object, or embedding or linking an existing object, you have the option to just display an icon in your document rather then the object itself. The reader or editor can then click on the icon to open the file to view or edit it.

By default, the icon for the program the file is created in will show, but you can click Change Icon and choose your own icon file to use instead. The Change Icon button also allows you to edit the caption that appears under the icon in your document.

Inserted objects displayed as icons

Microsoft Word allows you to embed objects created in other programs into one document. Inserting objects in MS Word can offer data and other resources to support your document’s objectives and create a visually pleasing layout for your recipients’ view. For example, you can include an Excel chart and an image in one Word document to share with your clients and minimize the number of files sent as attachments.

Insert a File into Word

You can insert an existing file into a Word document and insert text in Word around it.

1. Open Document and Click «Insert»

2. Open the Word document and click the “Insert” tab on the ribbon menu at the top of the screen.

3. Click the «Object» Button

4. Click the «Object» button in the Text group to open the Object dialog box.

5. Open the Browse Dialog Box

6. Click the “Create from File” tab and then click “Browse” to open the Browse dialog box.

7. Click on Preferred File

8. Navigate to the preferred file, click this file and then click the “Insert” button on the Browse dialog box to close.

9. Click «OK»

10. Click the “OK” button on the Object dialog box to close. The file opens as an embedded object in a frame in your Word document.

11. Resize and Move as Desired

12. Click the frame border to display the pull handles. Click the handle and drag on the document to resize the object. Click in the object and drag to move the object around your Word document.

13. Return to Word Document

14. Double-click in the object to display the program’s command ribbon and editing tools. Click outside the embedded object to return to the Word command ribbon.

Creating a New Embedded Object

To create a new embedded object, click the “Create New” tab in the Object dialog box, scroll to view the options and then click the file type. For example, click “Microsoft Excel Worksheet” and then click “OK” in the Object dialog box to insert a worksheet.

Microsoft Excel, or whatever the usual program is to create and edit that type of file, will pop up for you to design the embedded object as you see fit. When you close the program, your changes will be reflected in the embedded file.

Linking Versus Embedding Files

You can either link or directly embed a file in a Word document.

To link the original source file and the inserted object, select the “Link to File” check box in the Object dialog box when you’re inserting the object. Updating the source file will display the changes in the Word document. The two files must be transferred together for the inserted object to show up properly.

If you embed the object, it will be included in the Word file and you won’t have to transfer the two objects separately. Note that this will make the Word file take up more disk space.

You can also choose to display the embedded object as an icon rather than directly by checking the «Display as Icon» checkbox in the «Object» dialog box.

Deleting an Unwanted Object

If you embed or link a document in Word, you may later decide you no longer wish to have it present in the file. You can delete the object an save the Word document to remove it. If an object is embedded rather than linked and you need to update its contents, you may wish to delete it and newly embed a revised version.

To delete an unwanted object, simply click the object within the Word document and then press the “Delete” key on your keyboard. Save the file under the same or a new name using the «Save» or «Save As» on the «File» tab of the ribbon menu when done.

Insert Word Document into Word

In some cases you might simply want to insert text in Word, importing the contents of one Word document into another without embedding it.

To do so, click the «Insert» tab on the ribbon menu. Then, click the downward-facing arrow next to «Object» and select «Text from File.» Browse to the file you want and double-click it. Its text will appear in the Word document.

If the document has headers and footers, they will be transferred to the new document or to the current section of the document if it is divided into sections.