How to Stop a Microsoft Word Image From Moving Around

Learn how to easily edit your documents without having to rearrange the images every time you add or remove text.

When you add or delete text in Microsoft Word, the images will automatically change their position. If you are getting close to your deadline, the last thing you want to do is rearrange the entire Word document.

Fortunately, Microsoft Word has plenty of tools you can use to keep the images in place.

1. Insert the Image in Header or Footer

If you want to insert your school or business logo and don’t want to rearrange it on every page of your document, you should insert it in the header or footer. For this example, we’ll add a logo to the header.

1. Double-click on the top of the page to enable the Header section.
2. Go to Insert > Pictures.
3. Select the picture you want to use and click Insert.
4. After you resize and position the image, press Esc to leave the header.

If you want to edit or replace the image, double-click on the Header section.

2. Fix Position on Page

This is the easiest way to stop an image from moving, even if you don't insert it in the doc's header. While it will keep the image in its position when you add or remove text, you can still use your mouse to rearrange it anytime you want.

1. Click the Layout Options icon next to the image and select one of the options. You can choose any option except for In Line with Text, which is the default setting for all images.

   
2. Open the Layout tab.
3. Select the image.
4. From the Arrange menu, click Wrap Text.

5. Select Fix Position on Page.

   

3. Add the Image as a Watermark

If you want to use an image as a background for your Word document, you can easily place the text over it. All you have to do is right-click the image and select Wrap Text to Behind.

But the image might change its position as you edit the document, so a better idea would be to add the image as a watermark to your Word document.

Related: How to Insert a Watermark in Microsoft Word

4. Restrict the Editing Options

This is the best method if you want to stop other people from editing your Word documents. Once you have enabled it, your content is password protected. Here is how you can set it up:

1. From Word’s ribbon, open the Review tab.
2. Click the Protect icon.

3. Select Restrict Editing.

   
4. In the Restring Editing panel, check Limit formatting to a selection of styles.

5. From Editing restrictions, select Allow only this type of editing in the document and use the drop-down menu to select how other users can edit the document. If you don’t want anyone to add or remove anything from the doc, select No changes (Read only).

   
6. You can use the Exceptions field to allow other people to edit certain parts.
7. Once you have customized the settings, click the Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.

8. In the Start Enforcing Protection window, set the password to protect the content.

   

When someone tries to edit the document, Word will display the “You can’t make this change because the selection is locked” message in the bottom-left corner.

If you received a protected document, and you want to check which regions you can edit, go to the Review tab. There click Protect > Restrict Editing.

To find which parts you can edit, click the Find Next Region I Can Edit or Show All Regions I Edit buttons. To make it easier, check the Highlight the regions I can edit option.

To disable the document’s protection, click the Stop Protection button, enter the password.

Edit With Ease

There are plenty of solutions if you want to stop an image from moving. As discussed, you can insert the image in the header or footer, set it as a watermark, or use the Fix Position on Page tool.

If you plan to share your work but don’t want someone to make any changes, use the last presented solution to create a password-protected document.

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