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: Moving Object Anchors.

Moving Object Anchors

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated August 18, 2020)

An object anchor is an indicator that shows the document paragraph with which a floating object is associated. You can see where object anchors are located by following these steps:

Make sure you are viewing your document in Print Layout view. (This view is called Page Layout view in Word 97.)
Choose Options from Tools menu. Word displays the Options dialog box.
Make sure the View tab is displayed.
Make sure the Object Anchors check box is selected.
Click on OK.

Once you place a picture or other object in your document, you may want to change the paragraph to which it is anchored. To move the object anchor, follow these steps:

Click once on the object whose anchor you want to move. You should be able to see the object anchor icon as well.
Click on the object anchor icon and drag it either up (towards the beginning of the document) or down (towards the end of the document).
Release the mouse button when the mouse pointer is next to the paragraph where you want the object anchored.

Moving an object anchor doesn't necessarily move the object associated with the anchor. Instead, Word adjusts the paragraph with which the object is associated, which doesn't mean that the object itself has to move. (It only moves if the object anchor is associated with a paragraph on a different page.) If you want to actually move the object's position, you need to displays the object's Format dialog box and change the settings on the Position tab. Remember, as well, that object anchors only apply floating objects, as mentioned in the first paragraph of this tip. There are many types of objects that Word understands, but if you are working specifically with graphics, they can be either inline or floating. If they are inline (or if you convert a floating graphic to an inline graphic), then there is no object anchor associated with it.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1440) 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: Moving Object Anchors.

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...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Quickly Removing Table Borders

Insert a table in your document and Word assumes that you want borders around the table and its cells. Here's a shortcut ...

Discover More

Setting the Number of Default Worksheets

Excel allows the user to determine how many default worksheets are in a new workbook.

Discover More

Displaying Blanks when Summing to Zero

If you use fields to sum the information in your table columns, you might want to display a blank when the sum is zero. ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!

More WordTips (menu)

Changing Compression Print Resolution

The resolution at which Word compresses graphics in a document may be bothersome. If it is, your options are very ...

Discover More

Dragging and Dropping Pictures in a Document

Do you like to add pictures to your document just by dragging and dropping? What are you to do if it appears the ...

Discover More

Wrapping Text Around a Graphic

Place a graphic in your document, and you may want to make sure that your document text "wraps" around the edges of the ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is eight more than 4?

2021-02-15 12:27:35

Pierre

Thanks, useful!

2017-06-27 15:20:36

Heather M

What can I check for if the anchor won't move? I drag and drop it where I want it and it pops back to where it was. I tried creating a new paragraph above where I wanted it and it moved to the paragraph I wanted but as soon as I deleted the extraneous paragraph, the anchor pops back in the wrong place! MOST of my images are inline, but I need these handful as floating (but "Move with Text") and I want them all positioned the same, of course. But when the anchor doesn't behave, I have to eyeball positioning for the ones that don't behave... HELP!! (Using 2013, btw)

This Site

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.