How to Crop a Picture in Word

This wikiHow teaches you how to crop a picture that's inserted into a Microsoft Word document.

Things You Should Know

  • In your Word document, select your picture and click Crop.
  • Choose Crop for a standard crop, Crop to Shape for an irregular crop, and Aspect Ratio to choose a predetermined size.
  • Select the portion of the image you want to keep. Click the "Crop" icon and save.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Using a Standard Crop

  1. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 1
    1
    Open your Microsoft Word document. Double-click the document that contains the picture you want to crop. This will open the document in Microsoft Word.
  2. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 2
    2
    Select a picture. Scroll through your document until you find the picture you want to crop, then click once the picture to select it.
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  3. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 3
    3
    Click Crop. It's in the "Size" section on the right side of the Format toolbar. A drop-down menu will appear.
    • On Mac, it's in the toolbar at the top of the "Picture Format" tab.
  4. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 4
    4
    Click Crop. This is in the drop-down menu. Clicking it prompts a set of black bars to appear on the edges and in the corners of the selected picture.
  5. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 5
    5
    Adjust the picture's crop. Click and drag inward any of the black bars on the edges or in the corners of the picture to do so.
  6. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 6
    6
    Click the "Crop" icon. It's the box with a line through it above the Crop drop-down icon. This will remove any section of the picture that falls outside of the black bars' limits.
  7. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 7
    7
    Save your changes. Press Ctrl+S (Windows) or ⌘ Command+S (Mac) to do so.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Using a Shaped Crop

  1. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 8
    1
    Open your Microsoft Word document. Double-click the document that contains the picture you want to crop. This will open the document in Microsoft Word.
  2. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 9
    2
    Select a picture. Scroll through your document until you find the picture you want to crop, then click once the picture to select it.
  3. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 10
    3
    Click the down arrow next to the "Crop" button. It's in the "Size" section on the right side of the Format toolbar. A drop-down menu will appear.
    • On Mac, it's in the toolbar at the top of the "Picture Format" tab.
  4. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 11
    4
    Select Crop to Shape. This is in the drop-down menu. Doing so prompts a pop-out menu with shapes.
  5. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 12
    5
    Select a shape. Click the shape in which you want your picture to appear. This will immediately apply the shape to the picture.
  6. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 13
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    Adjust the shape's size. Click and drag inward or outward any of the circular points around the picture's outline to decrease or increase the picture's size.
  7. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 14
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    Save your changes. Press Ctrl+S (Windows) or ⌘ Command+S (Mac) to do so.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Using an Aspect Ratio Crop

  1. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 15
    1
    Open your Microsoft Word document. Double-click the document that contains the picture you want to crop. This will open the document in Microsoft Word.
  2. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 16
    2
    Select a picture. Scroll through your document until you find the picture you want to crop, then click once the picture to select it.
  3. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 17
    3
    Click the down arrow next to the "Crop" button. It's in the "Size" section on the right side of the Format toolbar. A drop-down menu will appear.
    • On Mac, it's in the toolbar at the top of the "Picture Format" tab.
  4. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 18
    4
    Select Aspect Ratio. This option is in the drop-down menu. Doing so prompts a pop-out menu to appear.
  5. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 19
    5
    Select a ratio. In the pop-out menu, click one of the aspect ratios you'd like to use to crop your picture.
  6. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 20
    6
    Adjust the crop selection. Click and drag your picture around until you've centered the section you want to keep in the aspect ratio's square or rectangle.
  7. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 21
    7
    Click the "Crop" icon. It's the box with a line through it above the Crop drop-down icon. Doing so will crop your picture according to your selected aspect ratio.
  8. Image titled Crop a Picture in Word Step 22
    8
    Save your changes. Press Ctrl+S (Windows) or ⌘ Command+S (Mac) to do so.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How do I make a cropped picture to fit it into another?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Double click or right click the image (depending on what computer/mouse you have), and click on the little icon that looks like a bold triangle. You can also go to the "help" tab and type in "crop" for more hands-on help.
  • Question
    What's the advanced way of cropping a picture in Word?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    If you have a Windows configuration on your laptop, just press the Windows button and then the shift button and then the S button. Do this while on the screen you want to screenshot and then drag your cursor to screenshot the section you want. Then simply press CTRL + V (PASTE). But make sure to set the pasted picture to an image format.
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About This Article

Jack Lloyd
Written by:
Jack Lloyd
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 207,111 times.
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Co-authors: 7
Updated: October 25, 2022
Views: 207,111
Categories: Microsoft Word
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