Pasting image does not replace Selected image in Word 2013

Question

I inserted an image (copied from Paint, but the same problem occurs using any copied image) into a Word 2013 document. Then I decided I wanted to edit that image a bit more. I went back to Paint, made my image edits, copied the image again and went back to the Word document, selected the previous image, and clicked Paste. But, instead of Replacing the old image with the new one, it simply pastes the new image beside the old one.

I fired up my ancient Word 2003 and verified that pasting a new image onto a selected existing image always results in the image being replaced (just like pasted text replaces/overwrites selected text).

How do I make this Pasted image replace the selected image? Do not tell me to use "Change Picture". Using "Change picture" requires far too many steps for such a simple procedure - AND completely does not work when the image is not saved but is an image simply "copied" from the Net or from Paint etc.

Thank you for solving this.

Answer 1

I inserted an image (copied from Paint, but the same problem occurs using any copied image) into a Word 2013 document. Then I decided I wanted to edit that image a bit more. I went back to Paint, made my image edits, copied the image again and went back to the Word document, selected the previous image, and clicked Paste. But, instead of Replacing the old image with the new one, it simply pastes the new image beside the old one.

I fired up my ancient Word 2003 and verified that pasting a new image onto a selected existing image always results in the image being replaced (just like pasted text replaces/overwrites selected text).

How do I make this Pasted image replace the selected image? Do not tell me to use "Change Picture". Using "Change picture" requires far too many steps for such a simple procedure - AND completely does not work when the image is not saved but is an image simply "copied" from the Net or from Paint etc.

Thank you for solving this.

I haven't been noticed this until today, because I'm used to write in 2003 DOC format instead of DOCX, although I have Office 2007 installed for years and recently upgraded to 2013.

My reasons for classic instead of XML file format was purely compatibility related. Yesterday, I switched to DOCX and recognized the problem with picture replacement on paste command.

As the problem appeared when I converted my old document to DOCX, I tried to revert it to 2003 DOC format and - guess what - that fixed the problem. I'm aware that some of functions probably doesn't work as it meant to be, if we use DOC instead of DOCX, but I couldn't care less.

I just can't understand this sort of issues, which obviously depends on file format, rather than application itself. Therefore, it is incomprehensible why the options related to this functionality isn't available in the Word settings?

Answer 2

If you have the image inserted inline with text, insert an empty paragraph before the image and the select that and the image and then paste.

Thank you for taking time to reply.

You can imagine that my reason for hoping that this glitch can be fixed with changing some setting in "Cut, Copy, Paste" or the like is that I'm trying to make my time using Word 2013 more efficient. (There's nothing like saying that Word 2003 was more efficient but, so far, that has been my entire experience - I'd go back to Word 2003 in a flash if I could. Stupid ribbons etc.)

And so I must say that having to do ANY extra steps to achieve the same result from "Select and Paste" as I do with text (or as I always did with any selection in Word 2003), is, well, ridiculous and frustrating.  But, out of curiosity, I tried your suggestion even though the number of steps required for your solution exceeds simply "Selecting and Deleting" (which I realize is an option, however poor).  What I learned from this experiment has actually only added to my frustration. In trying to get to the immediate Left of my image, for years I would click on the image and then hit a back arrow - Voila - the place right before the image and then, as per your suggestion, I would hit Enter to make the new paragraph. To my utter disbelief now, in Word 2013, clicking on the image to Select it, locks me onto that image and I cannot get off of it with the cursor keys.  If I have clicked on the image, I'm stuck on it until I click somewhere else (or hit delete). This is crazy! Why make it hard to accurately and quickly get to the space immediately before the image?!

Wow. I thought I was frustrated before. Now I realize this is even more poorly designed than I had thought.

I'm sure Microsoft couldn't care one bit what lowly customers have to say, but I'm the sort of person to try to convince them anyway. Does anyone know how you go about giving feedback about stupid design?

Answer 3

You could always select and delete the existing picture before adding the new one.

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, I do realize that I could 'select and delete' but why is even this extra step necessary? Why be forced to take my hand off the mouse to hit delete and then back to do the paste?

Really my question is why does this no longer function like any other action on a 'selection' (ie like when you type or paste onto selected text)? When the result of "Select and Paste" varies depending on what you're "selecting and pasting" it interrupts logical work flow - and frankly just makes no sense.

This is especially true since this is how it has worked for decades. It is completely illogical to make new software regress to a less functional state.

Answer 4

You could always select and delete the existing picture before adding the new one.

Answer 5

If you have the image inserted inline with text, insert an empty paragraph before the image and the select that and the image and then paste.