Wrapping text around pictures, shapes, and other illustrations in Word allows you to position images precisely while maintaining an organized, professional document layout. Whether you want text flowing cleanly around a photo or white space separating text from a pull quote, Word’s wrapping options help you achieve the look you want.
Why Wrap Text Around Images?
Wrapping text around images creates visual interest and draws the reader’s eye to important elements on the page. Leaving images inline with text or letting text overlap illustrations unprofessionally clutters the page. Instead, wrapping maintains readability while neatly integrating visuals.
Benefits of wrapping text around images:
- Directs focus to images
- Prevents awkward text overlaps
- Looks more visually appealing
- Maintains easy readability
How To Wrap Text Around Images in Word
Wrapping text around images in Word is easy once you know where to find the options. Here is the step-by-step process:
1. Select the Image
Click the image you want to wrap text around to select it. Sizing handles will appear around the edges.
2. Open Layout Options
Click the Layout Options icon that appears above the image. The Layout settings will display.
3. Choose a Text Wrapping Style
Under With Text Wrapping, select a wrapping style. The most common options are:
- Square: Wraps text in a clean square around the image. Great default option.
- Tight: Wraps text tightly around the image shape. Good for irregular shapes.
- Through: Allows text to flow through the image, splitting text.
- Top and Bottom: Only allows text above and below the image, leaving sides blank.
4. Set Wrapping Settings
Configure spacing, alignment, and other wrapping settings in the Layout Options pane.
5. Reflow Text
Text will automatically rewrap around the image. Reposition if needed.
Adjusting Text Wrap Points
For more control, you can add and adjust wrap points which define where text flows around the image. This helps customize the text wrapping shape.
To add wrap points:
- Select the image
- Open Layout Options > Text Wrapping
- Select Edit Wrap Points
- Click or drag points to define text boundaries
Using wrap points, you can precisely contour text to fit irregular image shapes or create artistic wrapping effects.
Wrapping Multiple Images
You can wrap text around multiple grouped images while maintaining layout control:
- Select all images to group
- Open Layout Options > Group > Group
- Choose wrapping style to apply around grouped images
Grouping images allows you to wrap, move, resize, and format them as one unit, while maintaining individual wrap points.
Tips for Perfect Image Wrapping
Follow these tips when working with wrapped images for best results:
- Overlap Alert: Watch for text overlapping images, indicating inadequate wrapping.
- Nudge Images: Use arrow keys to nudge wrapped images pixel-by-pixel to refine position.
- Section Breaks: Insert section breaks above/below wrapped images to isolate text flow.
- Align and Distribute: Use alignment and distribution tools to align multiple wrapped objects.
- Check Margins: Make sure wrapped images don’t extend past document margins.
With practice, wrapping images in Word becomes quick and intuitive. Mastering text wrapping around illustrations will make your documents look clean, professional, and visually engaging.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I remove text wrapping from an image?
To remove wrapping from an image, select the image, open Layout Options, and choose “In line with text” under With Text Wrapping.
Can I wrap text around tables or other objects?
Yes, you can wrap text around tables, shapes, charts, SmartArt, and other objects using the same Layout Options pane.
What’s the quickest way to wrap text around a shape?
When inserting shapes like rectangles or arrows, choose “Simple text wrap” under Text Wrapping in the shape formatting options to automatically apply tight wrapping.
How should I arrange multiple images with wrapped text?
When positioning several wrapped images, use alignment and distribution tools on the Picture Format tab to align and evenly space them for consistency.
Why does my text overlap instead of wrapping?
If text overlaps an image, the image may be set In Line with Text instead of a wrapped style. Select the image, open Layout Options, and choose Square, Tight, or another wrapped style.
