To wrap text around a picture in Word, click the picture, select the Layout Options button that appears next to it, and choose a wrapping style such as Square or Tight. You can also go to Picture Format > Wrap Text and pick a style there. Once wrapping is on, you can drag the picture anywhere and the text flows around it.
These steps follow Microsoft’s Wrap text around a picture in Word article, checked in October 2026. They apply to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016 on Windows, the Mac versions, and, with fewer options, Word for the web.
How to Wrap Text Around a Picture in Word
- Click the picture once to select it. Result: sizing handles appear around it.
- Select the Layout Options button that appears just outside the top-right corner of the picture.
- Choose a wrapping style, such as Square, Tight, Through, Top and Bottom, Behind Text, or In Front of Text. Result: the text rearranges around the picture.
- Drag the picture to where you want it. The text moves out of the way as you drag.
If the Layout Options button does not show, select the picture and go to Picture Format > Wrap Text instead. On a narrow window, Word may tuck Wrap Text under Arrange on the Picture Format tab.
Which Wrap Style Should I Use?
| Style | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| In Line with Text | Treats the picture like a large letter in the paragraph; it moves as text is added or removed | Pictures that should stay with a sentence |
| Square | Wraps text in a box shape around the picture | Most documents, newsletters, reports |
| Tight | Wraps text close to the picture outline | Pictures with a transparent or plain background |
| Through | Lets text fill open areas inside the outline | Irregular shapes |
| Top and Bottom | Keeps text above and below only | Large pictures, charts, screenshots |
| Behind Text / In Front of Text | Layers the picture under or over the words | Watermarks, logos, overlays |
How to Wrap Text Tightly Around a Shape
Microsoft recommends a picture with a transparent, white, or solid background for the best results. Select the picture, go to Picture Format > Wrap Text > Tight, then select Remove Background on the Picture Format tab so Word can follow the subject’s outline. You cannot remove the background from vector images. Click outside the picture to see the result.
Fine-Tune the Wrap
Close gaps with wrap points
Select the picture and go to Picture Format > Wrap Text > Edit Wrap Points. Drag the black points closer to or farther from the picture, and drag the red line to add more points.
Set an exact distance
Go to Wrap Text > More Layout Options. On the Text Wrapping tab, set the Distance from text for the top, bottom, left, and right, and choose whether text wraps on both sides or only one.
Keep the picture from moving
By default, a wrapped picture moves with the paragraph it is attached to. To keep it in the same place on the page as you add or delete text, select it and choose Wrap Text > Fix Position on Page.
How to Position a Picture With Text Around It
- Center of the page: select Wrap Text > Square, then Position > More Layout Options. On the Position tab, under Horizontal, choose Alignment > Centered relative to Page, and select OK.
- Top-left corner: select Position and, under With Text Wrapping, choose Top Left. The other position boxes place the picture in the other corners or edges.
Wrap Text in Word for the Web
Word for the web has a smaller set of options. Select the picture, go to the Picture tab, select Wrap Text, and choose a layout. Microsoft notes you cannot move a picture in Word for the web if it was inserted in desktop Word with text wrapping or a fixed position. To change it, select Open in Word, make your changes, and save.
Wrap Text Around a Table
Tables can wrap too. Right-click the table (Control-click on a Mac), select Table Properties, and under Text Wrapping select Around. Use Positioning to set the distance from surrounding text.
If you want the letters themselves to bend into an arc or circle, use curved text with WordArt in Word. That is a separate task from wrapping ordinary paragraph lines around a picture.
Remove the Background of a Picture in Word
Use desktop Word’s background-removal tool when you want the subject to remain visible without the original surroundings. For text to follow that subject afterward, choose Tight wrapping and refine the wrap points as described above.
- Select the picture, then choose Picture Format > Remove Background. In older Word versions, look under Picture Tools > Format.
- Inspect the preview. Word shades the proposed removed area in magenta. In versions that display a selection rectangle, adjust it to include the entire subject.
- Choose Mark Areas to Keep for parts of the subject Word would remove, or Mark Areas to Remove for leftover background. Make small marks and inspect the result.
- Choose Keep Changes when the preview is correct, or Discard All Changes to cancel. Save your document.
The tool is unavailable for vector pictures such as SVG. If the command is missing, check the file type and use desktop Word. See Microsoft’s background-removal instructions and its older selection-rectangle workflow.
Flip a Picture Horizontally or Vertically in Word
- Click the picture in desktop Word.
- Open Picture Format > Rotate (or Picture Tools > Format in older versions).
- Choose Flip Horizontal for a left-to-right mirror image, or Flip Vertical for an upside-down reflection.
- Check the result and save. Choose the same flip again, or Undo, if you need to reverse it.
A flip also mirrors any lettering inside the image. A rotation turns the whole picture by an angle instead. See Microsoft’s picture rotation and flip commands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I drag my picture?
It is probably set to In Line with Text. Change the wrap style to Square or another option, and you can drag it freely. If you would rather remove the image, see how to delete a picture in Word.
Why does my picture jump when I type?
It is moving with its paragraph. Select Fix Position on Page under Wrap Text to keep it in place.
How do I make the text hug the picture?
Use Tight wrapping, remove the background if needed, then use Edit Wrap Points to pull the text closer.
More Word Guides
- How to add or remove borders in Word
- How to fix line spacing that is too big in Word
- How to add a drop shadow to a picture in Word
- How to draw in Microsoft Word
- How to center text in Word, for a caption beside your picture
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
Read more about Matthew and how Solve Your Tech writes and updates its guides, or report a correction.