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

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 18, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

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

Getting Rid of Fields Inserted by Third-Party Programs

Third-party programs can be used to affect a document and change what is contained therein. Of course, getting rid of ...

Discover More

Changing the Way Endnotes Are Numbered

Word is flexible on how it numbers your endnotes. This tip shows how easy it is to make the changes to the numbering system.

Discover More

Adjusting Formulas when Pasting

The Paste Special feature in Excel can be used to uniformly adjust values and formulas. This tip shows how powerful this ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Keeping a Picture Title with the Picture

Pictures and their titles go together like peanut butter and jelly. (Wow, did I just say that?) Seriously, pictures and ...

Discover More

Using the Drawing Grid

One of the lesser-known drawing tools provided in Word is the drawing grid. You can easily turn this feature on and use ...

Discover More

Selecting Drawing Objects

Word allows you to create all sorts of drawings using a wide assortment of tools. When you need to take an action upon ...

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 five less than 6?

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.