How to Reduce a Microsoft Word File Size
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Travis Boylls. Travis Boylls is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Travis has experience writing technology-related articles, providing software customer service, and in graphic design. He specializes in Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux platforms. He studied graphic design at Pikes Peak Community College.
The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work.
This article has been viewed 111,388 times.
This wikiHow teaches you how to reduce the file size of a Microsoft Word document. If your Word file is too big, it's often because the images in your document weren't inserted properly or aren't compressed enough. You can reduce the size of a Word document by inserting images properly (not using copy and paste), compressing the images, deleting any auto-recovery versions, turning off thumbnails, and turning off embedded fonts.
Method 1 of 5:

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
- It's better to use the "Insert" option to add images to a Word document instead of using Copy & Paste. When you copy and paste an image you lose compression, change the file type, and bring in extra data that can increase the file size. [1] X Research source

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Microsoft Word Insert Picture" width="460" height="460" />
- On Mac, this opens a small drop-down menu. Select Picture from File. in the menu.
Advertisement

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Select the image you want to insert. Use the file browser window to navigate to the location of an image and click the image file to select it.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click Insert . It's the button on the bottom-right corner of the file browser window. This will insert the image into the Word document in a format that works best with Word documents, without copying any unnecessary extra data.
Advertisement
Method 2 of 5:
Compressing Images

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>

- On older versions of Word, click Format at the top and select Compress Image from the drop-down menu.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
- If you've cropped any images in Word you can also check the box for "Delete cropped areas of pictures" which will delete the cropped areas permanently. This will reduce the file size, but you'll no longer be able to adjust the cropping.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
- Some options may be unavailable if the images in your document are already compressed below the higher PPI resolutions.
- Lower PPI resolutions are designed to be viewed on a computer screen. The image may look fuzzy in print format.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click Ok . It's at the bottom of the window. This compresses the images in your document which will reduce the file size of your Word file. [2] X Research source
Advertisement
Method 3 of 5:
Deleting Auto-Recovery Versions

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click File . It's the first option in the top-left of the blue menu bar at the top of Word.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click Info . It's the first option at the top of the blue column on the left.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click Manage Document

. It's the icon with several yellow pages and a magnifying glass. This will open a drop-down menu.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click Delete All Unsaved Documents

. It's the option on the bottom with the icon of three yellow pages and a red "X." This will delete all the recent copies of any unsaved auto-recovery versions of your document.
Advertisement
Method 4 of 5:
Turning Off Thumbnails

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click File . It's the first option in the top-left of the blue menu bar at the top of Word.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click Info . It's the first option at the top of the blue column on the left.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click Properties

. It's at the top of the right side of the page. This opens a small drop-down menu with one option.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click Advanced Properties. It's the only option that appears next to the icon of a small bullet-point list. This will display the Properties window for your document.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click the Summary tab. It's the second tab at the top of the window.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Uncheck the box

Public Domain
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
for "Save Thumbnails for All Word Documents." It's at the bottom of the "Summary" page. If your document has a lot of images, disabling this feature will reduce the file size of your Word document even more.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click OK . This will save the changes to your document.
Advertisement
Method 5 of 5:
Turning Off Embedded Fonts

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click File . It's the first option in the top-left of the blue menu bar at the top of Word.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click Options . It's the last option at the bottom of the blue column on the left. This will open the main settings for Microsoft Word.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Click the Save tab on the left. Click the "Save" tab on the left-side column to open all the settings to customize how Word saves your documents in the pane on the right.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
Uncheck the box

Public Domain
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
for "Embed Fonts in the file." When this option is turned off, fonts that are not on the computer will not be used in the document, which can reduce the file size of your Word document if you used uncommon fonts.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">"smallUrl":"https:\>
- When this option is disabled, use only the standard common fonts in your Word document so other users will not have problems viewing your document correctly.
Advertisement
Expert Q&A
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Advertisement
Tips
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
You Might Also Like

3 Easy Ways to Create Borders in Microsoft Word

3 Easy Ways to Adjust the Page Margins in Microsoft Word

3 Simple Ways to Insert a Hyperlink in Microsoft Word

Easily Add Page Numbers to a Word Document on Any Platform

How to Add Check Boxes to Word: 10 Simple Steps

How to Add Backgrounds in Microsoft Word: Watermarks, Images, & Colors

How to Alphabetize in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac)

Create an Index in Word

Check a Word Count in Microsoft Word

3 Easy Ways to Delete a Horizontal Line in a Word Document

Remove a Blank Page in Word

3 Quick Ways to Insert a File into a Word Document

4 Simple Ways to Rotate Text Direction & Position in Word

Easily Delete a Header from the Second Page in Word