Save as type in word

Printed tables and graphs with text overlay "How to Save Tables & Figures as Images in Microsoft Word"

This tutorial shows how to save tables and figures as images in Microsoft Word for the PC and in Word for Mac. These steps will also work for shapes and SmartArt.

Why Would You Want to Save Tables and Figures as Images?

You may want to repurpose your tables and figures (or shapes and SmartArt) as images on social media or on a website. In addition, you can insert the image files into different file types such as PowerPoint slides, Publisher files, or PDFs.

Quick Links:

  • How to Save Tables and Figures as Images in Microsoft Word (PC)
  • How to Save Tables and Figures as Images in Word for Mac

This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 150 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365 and Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac. These steps will also work in Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013. However, your interface may look slightly different in those older versions of the software. These steps don’t apply to Word for the web.

Important Note: The following steps only save the table, figure, shape, or SmartArt as an image. These steps don’t save the corresponding title or caption added with Word’s title and caption tools. Therefore, be sure to copy that information separately if you will need it for future use.

  1. Right-click the table or figure and then select Save as Picture from the shortcut menu.

Save as Picture option in Word 365

Figure 1. Save as Picture option
  1. Select the location where you want to save your image in the Save As Picture dialog box.

Locations in the Save As Picture dialog box in Word 365

Figure 2. Location options
  1. (Optional) Type a new name into the File name text box.

File name text box in the Save As Picture dialog box in Word 365

Figure 4. File name text box
  1. Select a file format from the Save as type drop-down menu:
    • Portable Network Graphics (.png)
    • JPEG File Interchange Format (.jpg)
    • Graphics Interchange Format (.gif)
    • Tag Image File Format (.tif)
    • Windows Bitmap (.bmp)
    • Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg) (Only available in Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2021)

JPEG and PNG are the two most common file formats. There are compression differences between these formats, but for most users, the most important difference is the fact that PNGs have a transparent background, while JPEGs have a white background.

"Save as type" menu in the Save As Picture dialog box in Word 365

Figure 4. Save as type menu
  1. Select the Save button.

Save button in the Save As Picture dialog box in Word 365

Figure 5. Save button

Your table or figure should now be saved as an image in the location you chose in the Save As Picture dialog box.

How to Save Tables and Figures as Images in Word for Mac

  1. Control-click the table or figure and then select Save as Picture from the shortcut menu.

Save as Picture option in Word for Mac

Figure 6. Save as Picture option (Word for Mac)
  1. (Optional) Type a new name into the Save As text box in the Save dialog box.

Save As text box in the Save dialog box in Word for Mac

Figure 7. Save As text box (Word for Mac)
  1. Select the location where you want to save your image.

Location options in the Save dialog box in Word for Mac

Figure 8. Location options (Word for Mac)
  1. Select a file type from the Save as Type drop-down menu:
    • PNG
    • JPEG
    • PDF
    • GIF
    • BMP
    • SVG (Only available in Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac and Word 2021 for Mac)

Please see step 4 in the section above for a brief discussion about JPEGs and PNGs.

Save as Type menu in the Save dialog box in Word 365

Figure 9. Save as Type menu (Word for Mac)
  1. Select the Save button.

Save button in the Save dialog box in Word for Mac

Figure 10. Save button (Word for Mac)

Your table or figure should now be saved as an image in the location you chose in the Save dialog box.

Related Resources

How to Save Charts as Templates in Microsoft Word

How to Save Tables as Templates in Microsoft Word

How to Create and Update a List of Tables or Figures in Microsoft Word

How to Write Figure Captions for Graphs, Charts, Photos, Drawings, and Maps

How to Write Table Titles

Updated September 10, 2022

Create handler for saving event, in this event analyse type of the original document and show your own SaveAs dialog.

Details:

1. Handler

In normal template, create a class, for example clsSaveAs:

Public WithEvents appWord As Word.Application

Private Function IsMime(fileName As String)
    Dim mimeTag As String
    'open document
    Open fileName For Input Access Read As #1
    On Error Resume Next
    'read beginning of the document
    Input #1, mimeTag
    On Error GoTo 0
    Close #1
    'MHTM file starts with "MIME" string
    IsMime = Left(mimeTag, 4) = "MIME"
End Function

Private Sub appWord_DocumentBeforeSave _
 (ByVal Doc As Document, _
 SaveAsUI As Boolean, _
 Cancel As Boolean)

    'get extension
    ar = Split(Doc.Name, ".")
    ext = LCase(ar(UBound(ar)))

    'what is the document MIME type?
    If IsMime(Doc.FullName) Then
        'my own saveas dialog
        With Application.Dialogs(wdDialogFileSaveAs)
            .Format = WdSaveFormat.wdFormatXMLDocument 'docx
            .Show
        End With
        Cancel = True 'cancel saving process
    Else
        'normal saving
        Cancel = False
    End If
End Sub

2. Using handler

In normal template create a new module:

Dim csa As New clsSaveAs

Sub Register_Event_Save_As_Handler()
    Set csa.appWord = Word.Application
End Sub

'autorun for any opening document
'Note: AutoOpen could be only one in normal template
Sub AutoOpen()
    'could be run only for mht, mhtm documents, but never mind
    Register_Event_Save_As_Handler
End Sub

You need have this code in the MHTML document. You could do it this way (but I haven’t tried it):

  • create a new document in MS Word and save it as normal HTML file
  • create in this document a new class (clsSaveAs, see above) and in any module the second part of the code
  • see at saved document: there is a folder named _files and in this folder a file editdata.mso; this is the macro; you have to code it in a MHTML file (when you save it as MHTML file, you will see, how it is done)
  • in document you have to link this file, look in HTML document and find a row like

Note that all this job is non-standard and you are walking on thin ice, be careful.

Useful links:

  • Using Events with the Application Object
  • Application.DocumentBeforeSave Event

If we are saving documents for other people to open or they are reading our document using software other than Microsoft Office, or even if we intend to open the document on another computer, we have to choose the format that we need to save the document in order to be viewed. The way we save a document and the format that we save it, depends on how we plan to use the document.

In the image below I am running the Microsoft Word 2016 application and I have selected the File tab in order to move to Backstage View and then from the drop down menu that appears from the left I have selected the category Export.

Info-Export

Once the Export command is selected, the Export task pane appears where in the middle of the task pane we can either select from Create PDF/XPS Document or we can select Change File Type. For this post I have selected the command Change File Type and then from the right we can select from one of the available Formats:

Document File Types:

  • *.docx: (Word Document Format)

  • *.odt: (open document format)

  • *.doc: (Word Document 97 -2003 Format)

  • *.dotx: (Template Documents)

Other File Types:

  • *.txt: (Plain Text)

  • *.mht: *.mhtml (Single File Web Page)

  • *.rtf: (Rich Text Format)

  • Save As Another Type: The Save As dialog box appears where we have many more File Format options to save our File. By using this dialog box, we must locate also where we want to Save the File and the Name of the File also.

Save As: The Save As dialog box appears where we have many more File Format options to save our File. By using this dialog box, we must locate also where we want to Save the File and the Name of the File also.

Change File Type

In the image below I am running the Microsoft Excel 2016 application and I have selected the File tab in order to move to Backstage View and then from the drop down menu that appears from the left I have selected the category Export.

Info-Export

Once the Export command is selected, the Export task pane appears where in the middle of the task pane we can either select from Create PDF/XPS Document or we can select Change File Type. For this post I have selected the command Change File Type and then from the right we can select from one of the available Formats:

Change File Type:

  • *.xlsx: (Excel Spreadsheet Format)

  • *.ods: (Open Document Spreadsheet)

  • *.xlsm: (Macro-Enabled Workbook)

  • *.xls: (Excel 97-2003 Workbook)

  • *.xlxt: (Starting Point For New Spreadsheets)

  • *.xlsb: (Binary Workbook)

Other File Types:

  • *.txt: (Text – Tab Delimited)

  • *.prn: (Formatted Text – Space Delimited)

  • *.csv: (Comma Delimited)

  • Save As Another Type: The Save As dialog box appears where we have many more File Format options to save our File. By using this dialog box, we must locate also where we want to Save the File and the Name of the File also.

Save As: The Save As dialog box appears where we have many more File Format options to save our File. By using this dialog box, we must locate also where we want to Save the File and the Name of the File also.

Change File Type

In the image below I am running the Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 application and I have selected the File tab in order to move to Backstage View and then from the drop down menu that appears from the left I have selected the category Export.

Info-Export

Once the Export command is selected, the Export task pane appears where in the middle of the task pane we can either select from Create PDF/XPS Document, Create Video, Package Presentation For CD, Create Handouts or we can select Change File Type. For this post I have selected the command Change File Type and then from the right we can select from one of the available Formats:

Presentation File Types:

  • *.pptx: (Presentation)

  • *.odp: (Open Document Presentation)

  • *.ppsx: (PowerPoint Show)

  • *.ppt: (PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation)

  • *.potx: (Template)

  • *. pptx: (PowerPoint Picture Presentation)

Image File Types:

  • *.png: (Portable Network Graphics)

  • *.jpg: (File Interchange Format)

Other File Types:

  • Save As Another Type: The Save As dialog box appears where we have many more File Format options to save our File. By using this dialog box, we must locate also where we want to Save the File and the Name of the File also.

Save As: The Save As dialog box appears where we have many more File Format options to save our File. By using this dialog box, we must locate also where we want to Save the File and the Name of the File also.

Change File Type

So it is quite simple to Export a File in a different File Format in Microsoft Office applications in order for other people to view, edit and etc.

Below you can check out the video describing the Export Files command in Microsoft Office Programs.

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