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There are a variety of reasons why you may find your document is too large. The most likely culprit, however, is that it contains pictures. In this case, the way to reduce the file size of a Word document is to compress the pictures. Read on to find out how and which settings to choose for the best results.
When compressing pictures, you can elect to compress all pictures in the one go, or the selected picture only.
You also have the option to delete cropped areas of pictures. This is a good idea, especially where those cropped areas contain sensitive information. Otherwise, others may potentially see that information. Note that you won’t be able to restore the cropped areas of pictures if choosing yes for this option.
There are then several resolution options to choose from. The options available to you will vary depending on the picture(s) included in your document. Options (along with Word’s suggested usages) include:
- High fidelity: preserves quality of the original picture;
- HD (330 ppi): good quality for high-definition (HD) displays;
- Print (220 ppi): excellent quality on most printers and screens;
- Web (150 ppi): good for web pages and projectors;
- Email (96 ppi): minimize document size for sharing; and
- Use default resolution.
Note: the default resolution is set in the Word Options dialogue box. To see and/or change these default settings for all documents, go to File > More > Options > Advanced.
As you may have gathered from the list above, the higher the PPI, the better pictures will display on screen and in a printed document. It’s important to note, however, that a lower PPI results in a smaller file size. So you’ll need to balance these factors together with the purpose of your document when making a choice.
In most cases, the Web (150 ppi) and Print (220 ppi) options (where available) provide a good compromise between picture quality and file size. Microsoft recommends a resolution of 150 ppi (or lower)
How to compress pictures in a Word document
To compress pictures in your document:
- Select a picture;
- Click the Compress Pictures button (Picture Format > Adjust);
- Change the Compression and Resolution settings, as required;
- Click OK.
