Word: Paste Text Only and Insert Pictures

Word: Paste Text Only and Insert PicturesIn this lesson, we want to insert pictures or images in our document, but to do that we need a document full of text. Instead of jumping into inserting an image, let’s create a few pages first.

Insert Photos And Paste Text Only Features On MS Word

Paste Text Only

If you are typing in a document and you want to copy a few words from another source, such as the internet or Excel, what do you do? We talked about basic Cut/Copy/Paste in a previous lesson but each MS Office product usually has a special type of paste. In our last lesson, we set specific formatting for our Word document: a different font in a specific size, indented paragraphs and double-spaced. If I want to quote an internet article, I want to keep that same document formatting, right?

For this lesson, set up a Word document with your favorite font and double spacing, just like we did in our last lesson. Now click on this website in your browser, and drag through all the words in this lesson. Copy those words with right-click>Copy or Ctrl-C.

When you go back to your Word document, right-click, and you will have a new menu with multiple Paste options.

Paste Text Only | Word Paste Text Only and Insert Pictures
The first one is just a plain clipboard, which is the basic, simple Ctrl-V Paste. Instead of your formatting, it will use the formatting from the original when you paste with Ctrl-V. You can see a preview by hovering your mouse over the plain clipboard, just don’t click.

The Paste clipboards will vary depending on what you copy and yours may look different from mine, so we will just worry about the left-hand Ctrl-V Paste and the right-hand “Keep Text Only” Paste, that’s the little clipboard with the letter “A.”

Paste Text Only | Word Paste Text Only and Insert Pictures
Hover over the “Keep Text Only” Paste icon, and the copied text will show up on your document, keeping most of your font and paragraph formatting. Notice I said “most.” You always want to check your work after any paste to make sure it looks the way you want it. Go ahead, use the right-click>Paste Keep Text Only command by clicking on the little clipboard with the “A.” You should now have more than a page of double-spaced text in your document showing up in your favorite font.
Paste Text Only | Word Paste Text Only and Insert Pictures

Save a Chrome Photo

We want to add some pizzazz to our story, so we are going to insert a picture. We inserted an Online picture in our Word: Insert Image lesson; this time we are going to add our own photo.

How do you get a photo? If you take photos with your phone, you can email them to yourself. Or you can use a USB cable to connect your phone or camera to your computer. The basics for this are in the USB Drive lesson, but every phone and camera is different.

Let’s borrow a photo from the internet. Go to the Google search bar in your internet browser; I’m using Chrome. Type something you like, such as puppies, flowers, or trees. Be as specific as you’d like. I’ll use “Aspen trees.”
Save a Chrome Photo | Word Paste Text Only and Insert Pictures

Google gives me lots of results, but I’m looking specifically for images. Click the Images tab under the search bar in your results. Now I have lots and lots of images of Aspen trees. There are even colorful subheadings near the top for more choices.
Save a Chrome Photo | Word Paste Text Only and Insert Pictures

Never work with the “thumbnails” or small images. Click one that you like to make the image bigger. Now right-click that image and select “Save image as” from the pop-up menu. Using the Save window, select the same folder as your document. Give the image a name that fits, such as “Aspen Trees” for mine.
Save a Chrome Photo | Word Paste Text Only and Insert Pictures

Now we have an image we can use in our document. Feel free to use your own photo instead.

Insert Pictures

For our lesson, find the beginning of the second paragraph in your document. It is always best to insert an object at the beginning or end of a paragraph instead of the in the middle of a sentence. Click to the left of the first word of the paragraph.

Insert Pictures | Word Paste Text Only and Insert Pictures
Click the Insert tab>Illustrations section>Pictures. The Insert Pictures window will appear. Use it just like a File Explorer window to point to your picture. Then click Insert button at the bottom.

Click the Insert tab>Illustrations section>Pictures. The Insert Pictures window will appear. Use it just like a File Explorer window to point to your picture. Then click Insert button at the bottom.

Your photo is now a part of your document.

Resize Photo

For more details on resizing or moving a picture, you can read through our lesson Insert Online Pictures. Word treats all photos and images the same. We’ll review the steps here.

Resize Photo | Word Paste Text Only and Insert Pictures
When Word inserts the photo, it keeps it “selected” which means it is ready for your commands. It has eight little white square handles on the edges and corner for you to resize. Let’s shrink it a bit. Hold down the Shift key and drag one of the corner handles towards the center of the photo. Holding down shift keeps the photo in proportion; it won’t stretch. In some programs, using a corner handle will keep the proportions, in others it doesn’t. It’s always a good idea to hold down the Shift key just in case.

Wrap Text Around Photo

Do you see the little box next to the top right of your image? Click on that to give yourself some layout options. The default is “Keep in Text.” That will keep the little box with the first word of your paragraph. Instead, click on “Top and Bottom.” This keeps the picture on the line between the paragraphs.
Wrap Text Around Photo | Word Paste Text Only and Insert Pictures

We are changing the way the words “wrap” or fit around your image, so let’s try another wrap style. Select one of my favorites, “Square” or “Tight.” This puts the image right into your words. Click on your image and move it around the screen. Do you see how the words wrap around it? I’d recommend never putting an image in the middle of a paragraph as your words will be hard to follow. Instead, move it all the way to the right or left of the page. A faint green vertical line will appear when the picture is nestled against a margin.

Picture Tools/Format>Crop

Do you want to trim the edges or “crop” your photo? Be sure your picture is still selected and the handles are still there. If not, click the photo. When you select an image, a new “secret” tab appears on the ribbon called “Picture Tools/Format.” If you click on your words, this tab disappears. Try it! Now click the photo again, and it appears.

Picture Tools/Format>Crop | Word Paste Text Only and Insert Pictures
In my opinion, the most important tool on this menu is Picture Tools/Format>Size section>Crop. Click on the Crop tool, and your picture’s handles will turn into black bars. As you move these bars, it trims away the sides or top and bottom of the photo – just as if you were cutting with scissors. This is very different from resizing your photo. Go ahead and crop your photo. If you mess up, you can always use Ctrl-Z to go back. You can also change your mind and pull the crop handle back to reveal more of your original photo.

Once you have your photo just right, click anywhere in your document to save your cropped edges.

Picture Tools/Format>Picture Border or Artistic Effects

Now is the time to explore the other features of the Picture Tools/Format tab. Experimenting is stress free when you can always undo with Ctrl-Z. Add a border, change the coloring. After you are finished, you can even right-click Save As Picture with your new modifications. I would give a new name to your modified image so you don’t lose your original. The more you play with these settings now, the more of an expert you will be when you are in a hurry! Have fun!

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