Cannot use text wrap in Word. Have tried every solution I have seen. Ideas?

Question

Cannot use text wrap in Word. Have tried every solution I have seen. Ideas?

Lance Arnt 20

Cannot make text wrap work around a photo or graphic. Have tried it inside and outside a text box. Have tried all solutions I see posted, including going to Word Options-Advanced-Cut, Copy, and Paste-Insert/paste pictures as:

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Lance Arnt 20 Reputation points

2026-01-18T01:41:57.15+00:00

AI answer:

If you're having trouble getting text to wrap around a photo or graphic in Word, here are some steps you can try: Change the Wrapping Style: Ensure that the graphic is set to a wrapping style that allows text to wrap around it. You can do this by:

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AI solution included steps that are no longer available.

Moderator note: AI response rejected by the OP

3 answers

Lance Arnt 20 Reputation points

2026-01-18T01:41:57.15+00:00

AI answer:

If you're having trouble getting text to wrap around a photo or graphic in Word, here are some steps you can try: Change the Wrapping Style: Ensure that the graphic is set to a wrapping style that allows text to wrap around it. You can do this by:

[---]

AI solution included steps that are no longer available.

Moderator note: AI response rejected by the OP

Answer 1

Suzanne S Barnhill 279.6K MVP Volunteer Moderator

Text cannot be wrapped around a graphic in a text box, so you can give up on that. To wrap text around a graphic in the main text layer, select the graphic and change the wrapping style from In Line with Text to some other style: usually you want Square or Tight.

Lance Arnt 20 Reputation points

2026-01-18T01:59:58.04+00:00

I regret to say you are correct. As they are getting rid of MS Publisher, it seems they should add some of that functionality to Word.
Suzanne S Barnhill 279.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-01-18T13:43:06.6433333+00:00

I'm afraid that's unlikely, as the object model of the two applications is very different. Your best bet would be to join the lobby against Microsoft to prevent deprecating Publisher. I'm not sure MS realizes how many people depend on it.
Ruth B 0 Reputation points

2026-08-16T16:54:01.54+00:00

I have managed to do that twice but further copy pastes into text box stubbornly refuse. I fail to understand how I did it twice if it's not permitted... I really hate Word sometimes!
Stefan Blom 353.9K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-16T18:39:52.9766667+00:00

I have managed to do that twice but further copy pastes into text box stubbornly refuse. I fail to understand how I did it twice if it's not permitted...

@Ruth B

You can add a shape or image inside a table cell and have text in the cell wrap around the shape (or image). If you set the text wrapping for the table to "Around," text outside the table will wrap around the table in turn. See the screen shot below.

In the current thread, this possibility was first mentioned by WordWizzard.

If you want to send feedback to Microsoft, you can use the feedback portal at https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/ .

Since this thread is rather old by now, please start a new thread if you want to continue the discussion. You can use the Ask a question option (which you will find next to your avatar on the Q&A page or, sometimes, you have to click the menu icon and then click Ask a question).

Good luck.

Answer 2

To make the text wrap, the text must be on the main content layer, not in a text box, as Suzanne has pointed out. The photo or graphic must be floating, not inline with text. Then select the photo or graphic and choose Picture Format>Wrap Text and choose a wrapping method like Square or Tight.

If this process does not work for you, please describe what happens instead. Or click on the backwards P icon on the Home tab to show the hidden formatting characters, then make a screen shot and post it in a reply.

Answer 3

Lance,

You can accomplish what you want by creating a single-cell table, and placing text and graphic inside the cell. Adjust the size of the table to your desired size. You then set the table's Text wrapping property to "Around" to make the cell float on the page. Next, you select the graphic, and choose the desired With Text Wrapping setting to make the graphic float. These settings allow you to drag the cell anywhere you want on the page just like a textbox, and also lets you drag the graphic around inside the cell with text wrapped around it. User's image

However, there is a Word bug that sometimes bites if you change the table's Text wrapping property when it contains a floating graphic. The bug will cause a a black box to sometimes appear behind the graphic which cannot be deleted or undone. If this occurs you have to make Word redraw the window by switching views (e.g., between Draft view and Print Layout view), or by saving and reopening the document.