How to Adjust Text Layout in Word

Microsoft Word features a tool that integrates text and images to enhance documents. To customize the default settings, you can learn how to adjust the text wrapping around images. Today, Mytour will walk you through how to use the text wrapping feature in Word to add captions to pictures.

Click on the area where you want to insert the image. Once you click, the cursor will blink at the location where you want to place the image.

• The mouse is an essential tool when working with images in Word. By clicking and dragging, you can manipulate the image's size and shape more easily.

Click on Insert (Insert). This option will appear in the top menu. A menu with various other options will pop up once you click on it.

Select Pictures (Pictures). This allows you to insert various image formats like jpg, pdf, and others from your computer (or drive) into your document.

Click on Photo Browser (Photo Browser) and select the image from the photo program on your computer.

• Choose Picture From File (Picture from file) if the image is located on your desktop or in another folder.

Select the image. Once the image insertion dialog box opens, navigate to the folder containing the image and choose the file you wish to insert into the document.

Click on Insert. This button is located at the bottom of the dialog box. After completing this step, the image will be inserted into the document at the location where the cursor was placed.

View the image. Note: The default setting in Word places the image 'in line with text'. This means Word treats the image as a large character or a tall text line.

• The text wrapping feature will allow you to place text around, over, or beside the image.

Click on the image. This action will open the Picture Formatting (Image Formatting) menu in the top ribbon of the Word interface.

• If you click outside the image, the picture formatting menu will close and revert to the text formatting menu.

Select Wrap Text. This option can be found in the Arrange group, on the Advanced Layout tab, or under Drawing Tools or SmartArt Tools, depending on the version of Word you are using.

Click on the Wrap Text button that appears at the top right corner of the image when you click on it. A dropdown menu will appear with different text wrapping options.

Choose a text wrapping option. Word offers a variety of text wrapping features, allowing you to select the one that best suits your needs:

• Select Square if your image is square-shaped and you want the text to wrap around the edges of the square image.
• Choose Top and Bottom if you'd like the image to stay within the current line while positioning the text above and below the image.
• Select Tight for the text to wrap closely around circular or irregularly shaped images.
• Opt for Through if you wish to control where the text flows around the image, without adhering to its borders. This advanced setting allows you to push or pull the image's pixels beyond its initial frame, giving you more creative flexibility.
• Select Behind Text to place the image behind the text as a watermark effect.
• Choose In Front of Text to position the image in front of the text. Consider adjusting the text color if readability becomes an issue.

Edit the image's position. After selecting a text layout, you can click and drag the image to any desired position on the page. The program allows you to move the image (along with the adjusted text) freely within the document.

Experiment with different text wrapping styles. Every image and project may require a distinct text wrapping style. Each time you insert a new image, it’s recommended to test multiple options to ensure the text flows correctly and complements the image.

Click the text box to reposition it. Marker points used to expand or move the text box will appear, and the text will revert to editing mode.

Highlight everything, except for the first letter of the text being edited. It's important to leave the first letter outside of the selected area because you'll need to press the Backspace key. If you select everything, pressing Backspace will also delete the image placed above the text, which is arranged within the document.

Press the ← Backspace. The highlighted content in the text box will be deleted. Afterward, you can erase the remaining first letter to restore the original text settings.

• Mouse
• Microsoft Word