Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 31, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Patricia wants to know how she can I get a photo that she's inserted into a Word document to show up immediately when opening the document. When she copies a photo or attaches a scanned photo to a Word document, she notices a delay before the photo appears when later opening the document. She often has to scroll past the photo to get it to appear.
This seems to be rather common behavior for Word. More properly, one could say that it is common behavior for Windows. Why? Because Word needs to call upon the operating system to display graphic images on the screen, and delays in presenting those images can, more often than not, be traced to the speed at which the operating system responds to such requests.
There is very little you can do to speed things up, short of getting more memory, faster memory, and (perhaps) a more powerful graphics card. You could, however, make it easier for Word and Windows to display the pictures by making the pictures more simplistic. For instance, resize them so that they are closer to the size you want them in the document. You could also reduce the number of colors in the picture or reduce its resolution in some way.
Of course, all of these manipulations of the pictures should be done outside of Word. The idea is to make the pictures simpler for Word to process. If they are simpler, then they will display quicker.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (443) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!
The way that you choose to add pictures to your document can have an effect on the file size of those documents. It is ...
Discover MoreIf you need to make sure that the graphics in a document are all scaled similarly, you'll love the macros presented in ...
Discover MoreDo you have documents that contain objects? Understanding how Word handles objects and the way they are anchored can make ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments