Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Cropping Graphics.
Once you place a graphic in your document, you may decide to crop it. Cropping means to cut off part of the graphic so it doesn't show in your document. To crop a graphic, follow these steps:
You should realize that cropping a graphic in Word does not make any changes to the actual graphic. Instead, cropping means that you are simply telling Word how much of the original graphic you want displayed. If the graphic is embedded in the document, then cropping it is not a way to reduce file size because the full, complete graphic is still saved with the document. If you want to crop a graphic and reduce file size, then you will need to crop it in a graphics program (outside of Word) and insert the edited graphic in the document.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (393) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Cropping Graphics.
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2018-12-18 16:44:28
Dan
Howdy Allen,
The cropping procedure you describe above used to work with my MS Word 2000, but it doesn't any more. With the Pictures Toolbar visible and the picture selected the cropping handles are visible. However, upon clicking the crop tool on Pictures toolbar, the handles disappear, and the picture cannot be cropped.
A bug somewhere? Any ideas?
Many thanks!
dan
2012-03-29 07:59:44
mevr. voerman
Alas, I work with office 2000 and there is no compress possibility on the picture tab...
2012-02-06 09:54:20
Jennifer Thomas
Another way to delete the cropped areas is to right-click the picture | choose Format Picture. On the Picture tab, click Compress | ensure the option "Delete cropped areas of pictures" is checked.
At the top, choose whether to apply this to the selected picture or all pictures, then click OK.
This can result in siginicant file size reduction, depending on how much you cropped.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: 
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