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: Positioning Graphics Evenly.

Positioning Graphics Evenly

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 30, 2024)

Sometimes you may need to position graphics evenly within a document. For instance, you may have four small graphics that will appear next to each other. You may want to make sure that the graphics are an equal distance from each other. To do this easily, follow these steps:

Using the mouse, roughly position the graphics where you want them to appear. You should make sure that the left-most graphic is where you want it, as is the right-most graphic.
Select all four graphics.
Make sure the Drawing toolbar is displayed.
Click on the Draw option on the Drawing toolbar, and then choose Align or Distribute.
Choose Distribute Horizontally from the resulting submenu. Word positions the two inside graphics so that all four graphics are an equal distance from each other.

Depending on your version of Word, not all graphic objects can be aligned in this manner. The reason for this is not entirely clear; one would think that it would be relatively easy to adjust the distribution of graphic elements regardless of their type. But if the objects are not "alignable," the Distribute Horizontally option is grayed out.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (690) 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: Positioning Graphics Evenly.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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