How to Edit Pictures, Shapes and Text in Word

To add a drop shadow to a picture in Word, click the picture, go to the Picture Format tab, select Picture Effects, point to Shadow, and pick a shadow style. The Outer styles create the classic drop shadow behind the picture.

These steps follow Microsoft’s Add or change an effect for a picture article, which covers Word on Windows and Mac. Microsoft’s article calls the tab Picture Tools > Format, which is the label older versions of Word use.

How to Add a Shadow to a Picture in Word

1. Click the picture to select it.
2. Select the Picture Format tab. In older versions, it’s Format under Picture Tools.
3. In the Picture Styles group, select Picture Effects.
4. Point to Shadow.
5. Rest your pointer on the styles to preview them, then click a style under Outer.

Result: The shadow appears on the picture right away. Microsoft says each effect previews on the picture in your document while your pointer rests on it, so you can compare styles before you click. The Shadow menu also has Inner and Perspective styles.

How to Fine-Tune the Shadow

Microsoft says the Options item at the bottom of each effect menu lets you customize that effect. For shadows, that’s Shadow Options.

1. Select the picture, then go to Picture Effects > Shadow > Shadow Options.
2. The Format Picture pane opens beside the document.
3. Adjust the shadow settings. The options are Transparency, Size, Blur, Angle, and Distance, and you can change the color too.

Result: The shadow updates as you change each setting. Transparency makes the shadow more or less visible, blur softens or sharpens it, angle changes its direction, and distance moves it farther from or closer to the picture. Try changing one control at a time so you can see what each one does.

You can also reach the same pane by right-clicking the picture, choosing Format Picture, and clicking the Effects icon, which looks like a pentagon.

How to Remove a Shadow

Microsoft says each effect category has a No option at the top of its menu. To remove a shadow, select the picture, then go to Picture Effects > Shadow > No Shadow.

Result: The shadow is gone and the picture stays where it was.

Quick Option: Picture Styles

The Picture Styles gallery on the Picture Format tab includes ready-made styles that combine borders, shadows, and reflections. Click the More arrow to open the full gallery, rest your pointer on a style to preview it, and click one to apply it in a single step.

Tips and Fixes

• Add the same shadow to several pictures. Microsoft says to hold Ctrl while clicking each picture. In Word, the pictures need to be on a drawing canvas first (Insert > Shapes > New Drawing Canvas). You can copy them back afterward.
• Can’t see the Format tab? Microsoft suggests double-clicking the picture to make sure it’s selected.
• Effects missing in an old file? If you see [Compatibility Mode] next to the file name, Microsoft suggests saving the document as a .docx file and trying again.
• Shadow too faint? Try lowering the transparency or picking a color that contrasts with the background.

Crop a Picture in Word on Windows or Mac

Select the picture, open Picture Format > Crop, and drag the black crop handles inward to trim its edges. A corner handle trims two sides. Press Esc or click outside the picture to finish. The same Crop command is under Picture Tools > Format in older versions such as Word 2013. Microsoft’s cropping guide covers Windows and Mac.

Cropping hides the trimmed area inside the document; it does not automatically remove those pixels from the file. Do not use a crop alone to conceal sensitive information before sharing. Keep a separate original if you later choose to delete cropped areas, and use Undo immediately if you trimmed the wrong edge. Cropping changes the visible portion; resizing changes how large the picture appears.

Change the Picture Border Color or Thickness

Click the picture, then choose Picture Format > Picture Border. Select a color, use Weight for thickness or Dashes for line style. Choose No Outline to remove the border. Older Word uses Picture Tools > Format for this tab. These are picture borders, separate from page borders. Microsoft’s picture-border guide covers these controls.

Rotate the Picture Without Rotating the Page

Select the picture and open Picture Format > Rotate, or Picture Tools > Format > Rotate in Word 2013. Choose Rotate Right 90° or Rotate Left 90°; use More Rotation Options for a precise Rotation value. You can also drag the rotation handle above the selected picture. Check the result and use Undo to reverse it. Microsoft’s rotation instructions distinguish turning a picture from flipping it. These commands leave the page orientation unchanged.

Mirror a Picture Horizontally or Vertically in Word

Select the picture in desktop Word, including Word 2019, then choose Picture Format > Rotate > Flip Horizontal to mirror left and right, or Flip Vertical to invert top and bottom. Older ribbons call this Picture Tools > Format. Inspect the result, save a copy and check print preview. Choose the same flip again or Undo to reverse it. Use the picture’s controls rather than the Shape Format controls for a text box. A 90-degree rotation turns the picture; a flip reflects it, and any lettering inside a flipped photograph will also appear reversed. If the picture tab is absent, click the actual picture first.

Insert a Picture Before Formatting It in Word

In Word for Windows, place the cursor where the picture should go and choose Insert > Pictures > This Device for a file on your computer. Select the image and choose Insert. Word 2010 uses Insert > Picture for that file-selection route. Check that the intended image appears, then select it to use Picture Format or the older Picture Tools > Format tab. Resizing, cropping, and effects are separate steps; use a source image with enough detail for the intended size. Microsoft’s picture insertion guide documents adding the file.

Put a Text Box Over a Picture

For an existing picture in desktop Word, choose Insert > Text Box > Draw Text Box, draw the box and type the text. Select its outer border, then use Shape Format > Shape Fill > No Fill and Shape Outline > No Outline. Older Word 2010 uses Drawing Tools > Format. Set the text box’s wrapping to In Front of Text where needed, drag its border over the picture and adjust the text’s font and color. Check readability and print preview. These remain separate editable objects; this does not burn letters into the original image pixels.

For a new arrangement, Microsoft’s text-over-photo method starts with Insert > Shapes > New Drawing Canvas, inserts the picture in the canvas and adds the text box over it. Group compatible selected floating objects if you want them to move together. Use Undo for an unwanted placement. A caption below the picture serves a different purpose from this overlay.

Mirror or Flip Text Inside a Word Text Box

In desktop Word for Windows, choose Insert > Text Box, select Simple Text Box or draw a box, and replace its sample text. Select the box’s outer border, right-click and choose Format Shape. In the pane choose Effects > 3-D Rotation and enter 180 in X Rotation for a left-to-right mirror. Microsoft’s mirror-text instructions document this route. In the older Word 2013 ribbon, the box’s Format tab also offers Shape Effects > 3-D Rotation > 3-D Rotation Options. The text must be inside the selected box; selecting an ordinary paragraph is different.

For the older Word 2013 vertical reflection, use Y Rotation: 180 instead, leaving X at its original value. Check the result after clicking outside the box and in File > Print preview; reflection differs from simply rotating the box 180 degrees on the page. If the box acquires an unwanted background, use Shape Options > Fill & Line > Fill > No fill. Use Shape Outline > No Outline to remove its border when wanted. Preserve the original values so you can restore them, or use Undo immediately. This changes the selected text box, not the whole page or the original picture beneath it.

Remove the Background of a Picture in Word

Select the picture in supported desktop Word and choose Picture Format > Remove Background; older versions use Picture Tools > Format. The magenta area is marked for removal, not for keeping. Use Mark Areas to Keep and Mark Areas to Remove to refine the selection, then choose Keep Changes. Inspect edges, hair and small details in the result. Choose Discard All Changes before committing if the result is wrong, or use Undo immediately afterward.

This removes selected pixels around the picture’s subject; it does not change the page color or a text box’s fill. The tool is unavailable for some vector formats, including SVG. Microsoft’s background-removal guide describes the selection and format limits. Preserve the original image, and use a format supporting transparency if you later save the cutout as a separate picture.

Insert Shapes Before Grouping Them in Word

In desktop Word, choose Insert > Shapes, select the shape and click-drag in the document to draw it. Repeat for the other shapes you intend to group. Hold Shift while drawing when you want a constrained circle or square, then check each object’s placement. Microsoft’s shape-insertion guide also covers Word. Select an object to use Shape Format or the older Drawing Tools > Format controls for its fill and outline. Then follow the full grouping procedure immediately below: it explains floating wrapping, selecting all intended objects, Group and Ungroup. Do not assume dragging a selection rectangle over ordinary document text selects every shape.

Group Pictures, Shapes and Text Boxes in Word

For compatible objects in desktop Word, first set each object’s Wrap Text to a choice other than In Line with Text. Hold Ctrl on Windows or Command on Mac while selecting two or more intended objects. Choose Picture Format or Shape Format > Group > Group; some layouts place Group under Arrange. Older versions label the tabs Picture Tools or Drawing Tools > Format. Microsoft’s grouping guide documents the selection and wrapping requirements.

Check that the items share one outer selection box, then move or resize the group and inspect the layout. To make them separate again, select the group and use Group > Ungroup. Use Undo if the placement changes unexpectedly. If Group is unavailable, recheck that at least two compatible floating objects are selected rather than text inside a text box. This groups document objects, not paragraphs or the original image files; a drawing canvas can help arrange a new picture-and-text overlay as described above.

Add and Check a Picture’s Alt Text in Word

Select the intended picture and choose Picture Format > Alt Text, or right-click it and choose View Alt Text (called Edit Alt Text in some versions). In the pane, write a brief description of the picture’s meaning in this document. Microsoft’s alt-text instructions cover these version labels. Review any automatic description instead of assuming it is accurate. Mark as decorative is appropriate only for a visual that conveys no information. Close the pane, save the document, then select the picture and reopen Alt Text to check the saved description. A caption visible below a picture is separate from its screen-reader description.

Keep a Text Box Positioned or Restrict Document Editing

For a floating text box in desktop Word, select its outer border, then inspect its Layout Options and positioning controls. Use Fix position on page where offered if the box should stay at that page position while surrounding text changes. More layout options may offer Lock anchor for keeping its association with the anchor paragraph. Microsoft’s object-positioning guidance explains fixed position and anchors. Check the result after adding nearby text and use Undo if the layout changes unexpectedly. These are layout controls: they do not prevent someone from editing, dragging or resizing the box. Word does not provide the universal “Prevent resizing and moving” checkbox described in some older tutorials.

If the goal is to restrict changes to the document, first save an editable backup. In supported desktop Word, choose Review > Restrict Editing, enable Allow only this type of editing in the document, select No changes (Read only), and choose Yes, Start Enforcing Protection. Enter and confirm an optional password you can retain safely, then save and reopen the protected copy and check that edits are restricted. Microsoft’s read-only document guide describes this workflow; without a password anyone can stop protection. To restore editing when authorized, use Stop Protection and the password if requested. This protects the document broadly, not just one text box, and is not encryption or a guarantee against copying its contents.

Remove a Shadow From Text or WordArt

For ordinary document text, select the affected words and open Home > Text Effects and Typography > Shadow, then choose No Shadow when offered. Word 2013 calls the control Text Effects. Microsoft documents the Home text-effects control. For text in WordArt or a text box, use Shape Format > Text Effects > Shadow > No Shadow, as Microsoft describes. To remove the shadow from the whole shape, use Shape Effects instead; for a picture use Picture Effects > Shadow > No Shadow above. Inspect the correct object after changing it. Clear All Formatting also removes text effects but resets other text formatting, so preserve the document and use the targeted control first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a shadow to text instead of a picture?

Yes. Microsoft’s text effects guide says to select the text, go to the Home tab, select Text Effects, point to Shadow, and choose an effect.

Does a shadow change the original image file?

No. A picture shadow is formatting applied in Word, so the original image file isn’t changed. You can remove it any time with No Shadow.

Related Guides

• How to wrap text around a picture in Word
• How to delete a picture in Word
• How to add or remove borders in Word
• More Word guides