How to Add a Drop Shadow to a Picture in Word

To add a drop shadow to a picture in Word, click the picture, open the Picture Format tab, click Picture Effects, point to Shadow, and choose one of the styles under Outer. The shadow appears right away, and you can fine-tune it or remove it from the same menu.

In Word 2010, Word 2013, and Word 2016, the tab is called Format and sits under a Picture Tools heading that only appears when a picture is selected. In Microsoft 365, Word 2021, and Word 2024, the same tab is called Picture Format. Everything else in these steps is the same in both layouts, on Windows and on Mac. The steps follow Microsoft’s guide to adding an effect to a picture.

Before you start, make sure the document is saved as a .docx file and opened for editing. The troubleshooting section below explains why that matters.

Add a Drop Shadow to a Picture

1. Open your document and click the picture once. A border with sizing handles appears around it.
2. Click the Picture Format tab at the top of the window. In Word 2010, click Format under Picture Tools.
3. In the Picture Styles group, click Picture Effects. A menu of effect types opens.
4. Point to Shadow. A gallery opens with Outer, Inner, and Perspective styles.
5. Rest your pointer on a style to preview it on your picture.
6. Click a style under Outer to apply it. Offset: Bottom Right (called Offset Diagonal Bottom Right in Word 2010) is the classic drop shadow that makes a picture look raised off the page.

The shadow is formatting stored in the document. It doesn’t change the original image file on your computer. If you picked the wrong style, press Ctrl + Z (Command + Z on a Mac) to undo it, or choose a different style from the same gallery to replace it.

To check the result, click outside the picture so the sizing handles disappear, then zoom in with the slider in the lower-right corner. A soft gray edge should show on the side of the picture where the shadow falls.

Which shadow style to pick

• Outer shadows sit behind the picture and make it look like it’s lifted off the page. This is what most people mean by a drop shadow.
• Inner shadows sit inside the picture’s edges and make it look pressed in.
• Perspective shadows fall away from the picture at an angle, as if light is shining on it from one side.

For most documents, a bottom-right outer shadow looks the most natural, because readers expect light to come from the upper left.

Customize the Shadow

The preset styles are a starting point. To change the color, softness, or direction:

1. Select the picture.
2. Click Picture Format > Picture Effects > Shadow > Shadow Options. The Format Picture pane opens on the right side of the window. In Word 2010, a Format Picture dialog box opens with Shadow selected.
3. Adjust any of these settings:

• Presets: switches to another built-in shadow without closing the pane.
• Color: pick a shadow color. Dark gray usually looks more natural than pure black.
• Transparency: raise it for a lighter, subtler shadow, or lower it for a stronger one.
• Size: makes the shadow larger or smaller than the picture.
• Blur: softens the shadow’s edges. A higher number gives a softer look.
• Angle: sets the direction the shadow falls.
• Distance: moves the shadow farther from the picture.

Close the pane when you’re done. Your changes apply as you make them.

You can also open the same settings by right-clicking the picture, choosing Format Picture, and clicking the Effects icon (the pentagon) at the top of the pane, then expanding Shadow.

If you want a shadow that’s easy to see on a printed page, try Transparency around 50 to 60 percent, Blur of 5 to 8 pt, and Distance of 3 to 5 pt. Adjust by eye from there.

Remove a Shadow From a Picture

1. Select the picture.
2. Click Picture Format > Picture Effects > Shadow.
3. Click No Shadow at the top of the gallery.

The shadow disappears and the picture stays in place. Picture Format > Reset Picture also removes the shadow, but it strips borders, styles, and color adjustments too, so use No Shadow if you only want the shadow gone.

Use a Picture Style for a Quick Shadow

The Picture Styles gallery on the Picture Format tab has ready-made looks that combine a border, a shadow, and sometimes a reflection or a tilt. Click the More arrow in the lower-right corner of the gallery to see all of them, rest your pointer on a style to preview it, and click it to apply. Several styles, such as Drop Shadow Rectangle, include a drop shadow. If you like a style but not its shadow, apply it and then choose No Shadow from Picture Effects > Shadow.

The Text Effects menu on the Shape Format tab can also curve WordArt text in Word for a title near your picture.

Add the Same Shadow to Several Pictures

Microsoft’s instructions say to hold Ctrl while you click each picture and then apply the effect to all of them at once. In Word, though, the pictures have to be on a drawing canvas for this to work.

1. Click Insert > Shapes > New Drawing Canvas.

2. Move or paste the pictures onto the canvas.
3. Hold Ctrl (or Command on a Mac) and click each picture.
4. Apply the shadow with Picture Effects > Shadow.
5. Copy the pictures back to their original spots if you want them outside the canvas.

For just two or three pictures, it’s often quicker to add the shadow to one picture, then select it and use Format Painter on the Home tab to copy its formatting to each of the others.

If the Shadow Option Is Missing or Doesn’t Look Right

• You don’t see the Picture Format tab. The tab only appears when a picture is selected. Double-click the picture to make sure it’s selected.
• Picture Effects is grayed out. Check the title bar for [Compatibility Mode]. Files saved in the older .doc format can’t use these effects. Click File > Save As and save the document as a Word Document (.docx), then try again.
• Nothing can be changed. If a yellow bar says the file is in Protected View or is read-only, click Enable Editing first.
• You’re in Word for the web. If you don’t see Picture Effects in the browser version, click the Editing drop-down and choose Open in Desktop App, then follow the steps above.
• You selected a shape or text box instead. Shapes, text boxes, and WordArt use Shape Format > Shape Effects > Shadow instead of Picture Effects.
• The shadow is hidden behind text. If the picture’s wrapping is set to In Line with Text, the shadow can be cramped by surrounding lines. Click Layout Options next to the picture and choose Square or Tight. The steps for wrapping text around a picture in Word explain each option.
• The shadow is too faint. Lower the Transparency in Shadow Options, or pick a darker shadow color if your page has a colored background.

Frequently Asked Questions