How to Resize, Rotate, Flip, and Crop Images in Google Docs

Working with images is an important part of creating professional documents, presentations, and more in Google Docs. Whether you want to adjust the size, orientation, or composition of an image, Google Docs has handy built-in tools to help you customize images without needing additional software.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll cover how to:

• Resize images
• Rotate images
• Flip images both vertically and horizontally
• Crop images

Follow along below to learn how to take full advantage of Google Docs’ image editing capabilities.

Resizing Images

When inserting images into your Docs file, you may find the default size is too large or small for your needs. Resizing an image allows you to adjust its dimensions to better fit your document.

Here is how to resize images in Google Docs:

1. Click on the image to select it. Sizing handles will appear around the edges.
2. Hover your mouse over any of the sizing handles. The mouse cursor will change to a two-way arrow.
3. Click and drag the sizing handle to increase or decrease image size.
4. Release the mouse when the image reaches the desired size.

Alternatively, you can resize images via the sidebar menu:

1. Right-click the image and choose Resize image from the context menu.
2. In the sidebar that appears, enter custom dimensions in pixels for the desired width and height.
3. Click Apply to resize the image.

The aspect ratio will be maintained as you resize, so the image will not become distorted.

Rotating Images

Rotating images allows you to adjust their orientation by turning them to landscape or portrait positioning. Here are the steps to rotate images in Google Docs:

1. Select the image you want to rotate.
2. Click the Rotate counterclockwise or Rotate clockwise options in the toolbar.
3. The image will rotate 90 degrees with each click.
4. Click the buttons as many times as needed to get the desired rotation angle.

Alternatively, you can set a custom rotation angle through the sidebar menu:

1. Right-click the image and select Rotate image.
2. In the sidebar, use the angle selector or enter a custom angle from -180 to 180 degrees.
3. The image preview will update in real-time as you adjust the angle.
4. When you have the desired rotation, click Apply.

Flipping Images

In addition to rotation, you can flip images vertically or horizontally to adjust their orientation:

Flip Horizontally

1. Select the image.
2. Click Flip horizontal in the toolbar.
3. The image will now be reversed from left to right.

Flip Vertically

1. Select the image.
2. Click Flip vertical in the toolbar.
3. The image will now be reversed from top to bottom.

Use flip actions in combination with rotation to gain full control over the image orientation.

Cropping Images

Cropping allows you to cut out and remove sections of an image, focusing on key areas you want to feature. Here is how to crop images in Google Docs:

1. Select the image you want to crop.
2. Click Crop image in the toolbar. Cropping handles will appear around the image.
3. Click and drag the cropping handles to remove any edges or sections.
4. Click Apply in the toolbar or press Enter to complete the crop action.

The sidebar also has advanced cropping options:

1. Right-click the image and choose Crop image.
2. Select a common aspect ratio like 1:1 or 16:9. Or, check Custom to set specific dimensions.
3. Click and drag the cropping area to focus on the key area you want to feature.
4. Click Apply to complete the crop.

Cropping is useful for removing unwanted background areas or drawing attention to important elements in your images.

Putting It All Together

With the resize, rotate, flip, and crop tools above, you have tremendous flexibility when working with images in your Google Docs files. You can craft images to perfectly fit your documents and presentations.

A few key tips:

• Use cropping and resizing together to hone in on key focal areas and adjust image dimensions
• Rotate portraits to proper orientation if inserted sideways
• Flip images to balance layouts and compositions
• Layer edits by cropping first, then rotating, flipping, and resizing

Don’t be afraid to experiment with these image editing tools in Google Docs. Having full control over image orientation, size, and composition helps you produce professional, polished documents.