Microsoft Word's improved cropping tools make it possible to crop and hide parts of the image that will not be saved in the final file. With them, it is possible to crop the images to a specific shape, in a common aspect ratio or to fit them to a certain format.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Cropping the Image
Step 1. Open the Microsoft Word document containing the image to be cropped
Step 2. Click on the image that will be cropped and the “Format” tab will be displayed on the top toolbar of Word
Step 3. Click on the “Crop” option located on the “Format” tab and the crop handles will be displayed around the selected image
Step 4. Click, hold and drag any of the handles to crop the image the way you want
For example, to remove the right side of the image, click, hold, and then drag the right crop handle to the left until the desired portion is removed.
- To crop both sides of the image equally, press and hold the “Ctrl” (Control) key and drag a center crop handle into either side of the image.
- To evenly crop all four sides of the image, hold down the “Ctrl” (Control) key, then drag any of the corner crop handles inward toward the center of the image.
Step 5. Press “Esc” key or click “Crop” again to finish cropping the image
Method 2 of 4: Cropping the Image into a Specific Shape
Step 1. Open the Microsoft Word document containing the image to be cropped
Step 2. Click on the image that will be cropped and the “Format” tab will be displayed on the top toolbar of Word
Step 3. Click the arrow located below “Crop” on the “Format” tab, then select “Cut to Draw Shape”
Step 4. Select a shape for the image to be cropped
Choose from a variety of basic rectangles or shapes, such as oval, square, cylinder, rainbow, and more. After selecting it, the image will automatically be formatted to fill the shape, maintaining its own shape and aspect ratio.
Step 5. When finished press “Esc” key and the image will be cropped in the selected shape
Method 3 of 4: Cropping the image to a common aspect ratio
Step 1. Open the Microsoft Word document containing the image to be cropped
Step 2. Click on the image that will be cropped and the “Format” tab will be displayed on the top toolbar of Word
Step 3. Click the arrow located below “Crop” in the “Format” tab and select “Ratio of Aspect Ratio”
Step 4. Select the desired aspect ratio for your image
For example, if you plan to print a photo to display in a frame, select the frame dimensions to ensure the image fits properly in the space.
Step 5. Press the "Esc" key when finished for the image to be cropped to the selected aspect ratio
Method 4 of 4: Cropping the Image to Fit or Fill a Shape
Step 1. Open the Microsoft Word document containing the image to be cropped
Step 2. Click on the image that will be cropped and the “Format” tab will be displayed on the top toolbar of Word
Step 3. Click the arrow located below “Crop” on the “Format” tab and select “Fill” or “Fit” as desired
The “Fill” option allows you to remove part of the image, filling the selected shape with as much of the image as possible. The “Fit” option allows you to fit the entire image into the selected shape, while maintaining the image's original aspect ratio.
