How to Embed a Document in Word

To embed a document in Word, go to Insert > Object (in the Text group), select the Create from File tab, select Browse, pick the file and select Insert, then choose Display as icon or Link to file if you want either, and select OK.

You want a spreadsheet, a PDF or another Word file to travel inside your document as one file. These steps are for the Word desktop app (Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2016 through 2024).

Embed, Link or Insert the Text: Which Do You Need?

“Putting a document in Word” can mean three different things, and they behave very differently once you save and share the file.

• Embed: a full copy of the file is stored inside the Word document. Microsoft’s explanation of linked and embedded objects says embedded objects become part of the Word file and are no longer part of the source file once inserted.
• Link: Word stores only the location of the source file and shows a representation of its data. The content stays in the original file.
• Insert the text: the words and formatting of another Word document are copied into your document as normal editable text, with no object or icon.

Your goal	Best choice	Why
Email one file that contains everything	Embed	The recipient gets the attached file inside the document
Always show the latest numbers from a file you keep updating	Link	Linked objects can be updated when the source file changes
Keep the Word file small	Link	Word keeps a pointer, not a copy
Combine chapters or reports into one document	Insert the text	The text becomes part of the document and can be edited and formatted directly

Embed a File as an Object

These steps follow Microsoft’s insert an object in Word page. Save a copy of your document first if it is important, so you can compare before and after.

1. Click where you want the embedded file to appear.
2. On the Insert tab, in the Text group, select Object. If you see a small arrow next to it, select the main part of the button, or choose Object from its menu.
3. In the Object dialog box, select the Create from File tab.
4. Select Browse, find the file you want, and select Insert. The file’s path appears in the File name box.
5. Decide how the file should look. Leave Display as icon clear to show the first page of the file, or check it to show a clickable icon instead. Leave Link to file clear to embed.
6. Select OK.

With Display as icon checked, a Change Icon button becomes available, so you can pick a different icon or change the caption under it. A caption such as “Budget workbook (double-click to open)” helps the reader know what to do.

The Create New tab in the same dialog box is for building a new object from scratch, such as a blank worksheet, by picking a type from the Object type list. Use Create from File when the file already exists.

Link to a File Instead

Follow the same steps, but check Link to file before you select OK. Microsoft says linked objects can be updated if the source file is modified, which makes linking useful for a monthly report that pulls in a spreadsheet you keep editing.

Linking has a catch: because the Word file only stores the source file’s location, the link depends on that file staying where it was. If you move or rename the source, or send the Word document to someone who can’t reach that location, the link may not be able to update its data. Linking works best when everyone opens the files from the same shared location. For email, embed instead.

Insert the Text of Another Word Document

When you want the other document’s content to become part of yours, not a separate object, use Text from File. Microsoft covers this on its insert a document in Word page.

1. Click where you want the content to go.
2. Go to Insert and select the arrow next to Object.
3. Select Text from File.
4. Find the file and double-click it.
5. Repeat for any other documents you want to add.

If the inserted pages need their own header and footer, insert a section break first and put the text in the new section. Microsoft recommends this so the header and footer apply only to those pages.

For example, Ravi is assembling a fictional project proposal from three files: intro.docx, budget-notes.docx and timeline.docx. He uses Text from File for all three so he can format the whole proposal with one set of styles, and he embeds the budget spreadsheet itself as an icon at the end so the reviewer can open the full numbers.

Open, Edit or Remove an Embedded File

• Open or edit it: double-click the object. Microsoft’s example is embedded Excel cells: double-clicking them runs Excel so you can work on the data. The recipient needs a program that can open that file type.
• Update an embedded copy: an embedded file doesn’t follow changes to the original. If the source changes, delete the object and embed the new version.
• Remove it: click the object once to select it and press Delete.
• Move or resize it: drag it, or drag a corner handle. An object shown as its first page can be resized like a picture.

Embedding Excel, PowerPoint and PDF Files

The same Create from File steps work for most common file types, but the result differs. An Excel workbook embedded without the icon shows its sheet in the page, and double-clicking lets you edit the cells. A PowerPoint file can appear as its first slide. A PDF can appear as its first page or as an icon, and only that one page shows in the document. For the PDF specifics, including how to show every page and whether to convert instead, see embedding a PDF in Word.

If you only need the reader to reach a file and don’t need it inside the document, a link may be simpler than an object; making a hyperlink in Word shows how to link to a file or web page.

Word for the Web and Other Limits

Word for the web can’t insert embedded objects. Microsoft’s feature comparison of Word for the web and desktop lists Embedded Objects as a desktop-only feature, and its differences page says embedded files are preserved in the document but appear as placeholders in the browser. Do the embedding in the desktop app; the objects stay intact if someone later opens the file online.

Embedding also makes the document bigger, because the whole file is stored inside it. Several embedded workbooks or PDFs can push a document past an email attachment limit. If that happens, link instead, display fewer files, or share the document through a cloud link; emailing a Word document covers what to do when a file is too large to send.

How to Check It Worked

1. Save the document and close it.
2. Reopen it and double-click the object. For an embedded file, it should open even if you temporarily rename or move the original file.
3. Compare the file size before and after embedding (right-click the file in File Explorer and select Properties). A big jump confirms the copy is inside.

Embedding Questions

Does the person I send it to need the original file?

Not for an embedded file, because the copy is inside the document. They do need software that can open that file type to edit it. For a linked file, they need access to the original location.

Can I embed a file on a phone or tablet?

Plan to use the Word desktop app on a computer. Microsoft’s object instructions are written for the desktop versions of Word, and Microsoft lists embedded objects as unavailable in Word for the web, so do the embedding on a computer and then open the finished file anywhere.

Why does my embedded PDF show only one page?

An embedded object displays its first page or an icon. The whole PDF is still stored inside; double-click it to open every page in your PDF reader.

Pick the method that matches how the file will be shared, embed one file, and run the save-and-reopen check before you send the document.