Use a screen reader to insert a picture or image in Word

In this topic

• Insert an image or picture from your computer

• Insert an image from an online source

• Place a picture in line with text

• Add alt text to an image

Insert an image or picture from your computer

1. In your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert an image.

2. Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab on the ribbon, for example, "Home, selected, tab." Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear "Insert tab," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.

3. Press the Tab key until you hear "Pictures, menu button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.

4. Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Picture from file," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.

5. A dialog box opens with the focus on a recent images folder. To access the images in this folder, press Control+Option+Right arrow key. To browse to another location, use the Tab key, Shift+Tab, and the arrow keys.

6. When on the correct location, use the Up or Down arrow key to browse the files or subfolders. To open a subfolder, press the Right arrow key.

7. When you've located the correct image file, press Return. The picture is inserted into the document.

Insert an image from an online source

If you don’t have the perfect picture on your computer, you can search for and insert a picture from a web location straight from Word for Mac.

1. In your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert an image.

2. Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab on the ribbon, for example, "Home, selected, tab." Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear "Insert tab," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.

3. Press the Tab key until you hear "Pictures, menu button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.

4. Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Online pictures," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.

5. The Bing image search pane opens. The focus is on the search text field. Type your search words to describe the picture you're looking for, and then press Return. The search results are listed, and the focus is on the first matching image.

6. Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key to browse the search results. VoiceOver describes each image as you move through the search results.

7. To select an image, press Control+Option+Spacebar.

8. To insert the selected image, press the Tab key until you hear "Insert," and press Control+Option+Spacebar. Word downloads and inserts the image into your document.

Place a picture in line with text 

To be read correctly by a screen reader, the picture has to be in line with the text.

1. In your Word document, move the cursor before the picture you want, press and hold Shift, and then press the Right arrow key once to select the picture. You hear: "Grouped object, you're currently on a grouped object."

2. Press F6 until you hear: "Picture format."

3. Press the Tab key until you hear "Position button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.

4. Press Control+Option+Left arrow key until you hear "In line with text," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.

Add alt text to an image

Add alt text to the images to make your document accessible to all audiences. For more information on alt text, refer to Everything you need to know to write effective alt text.

1. In your Word document, select the picture that you want to add alt text to. To select a picture in Word, place the cursor before the image, hold down Shift, and then press the Right arrow key. You hear: "Grouped object, you're currently on a grouped object."

2. Press Control+Option+Shift+M. The context menu opens. Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Edit alt text," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.

3. The Alt Text pane opens, and the focus in on the alt text field. Type alt text for the image.

4. When you're ready, press Shift+Tab until you hear "Close alt text button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar. The Alt Text pane closes, and the focus moves back to your document.

See also

Use a screen reader to insert a hyperlink in Word

Use a screen reader to align text and paragraphs in Word

Keyboard shortcuts in Word

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word

What's new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel

In this topic

• Insert an image or picture from your phone

• Insert a picture from the camera

• Place a picture in line with text

• Add alt text to an image

Insert an image or picture from your phone

1. While editing your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert an image.

2. Tap near the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear "Show ribbon," and double-tap the screen. You hear the currently selected tab, for example, "Home tab."

3. Double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear “Insert tab,” and double-tap the screen. You hear: “Insert tab.”

4. Swipe right until you hear “Insert pictures button,” and double-tap the screen. The Photos app opens.

5. Swipe right until you hear the image location you want, and then double-tap the screen to select.

6. To browse the images, swipe right or left. As you move, VoiceOver announces the images by the image types and dates.

7. When on the picture you want to insert into the document, double-tap the screen. The picture is inserted and the focus returns to your document with the image selected.

Insert a picture from the camera

You can open the device camera straight from Word for iOS, take a photo, and then insert the photo into the document.

1. While editing your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert a picture.

2. Tap near the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear "Show ribbon," and double-tap the screen. You hear the currently selected tab, for example, "Home tab."

3. Double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear “Insert tab,” and double-tap the screen. You hear: “Insert tab.”

4. Swipe right until you hear “Insert pictures button,” and double-tap the screen. The Photos app opens.

5. Swipe right until you hear “Insert picture from camera, button,” and then double-tap the screen. The Camera app opens.

   Note: If you hear "Word would like to access the camera," swipe right until you hear "OK, button," and double-tap the screen.

6. Swipe right until you hear "Take picture, button," point the camera in the right direction, and double-tap the screen.

7. Swipe right or left until you hear "Use photo, button," and then double-tap the screen to insert the photo. The focus returns to your document.

Place a picture in line with text

To be read correctly by a screen reader, the picture has to be in line with the text.

1. While editing your Word document, slide one finger around the document body until you hear the image you want. When the image is in focus, VoiceOver announces the image file name, followed by "Image," and the image layout. Double-tap the screen. You hear: "Selected."

2. Tap near the bottom of the screen with four fingers, swipe left until you hear "Show ribbon," and double-tap the screen. You hear: "Picture tab."

3. Swipe right until you hear "Wrap text button," and double-tap the screen. Swipe left until you hear "In line with text," and double-tap the screen.

Add alt text to an image

Add alt text to the images to make your document accessible to all audiences. For more information on alt text, refer to Everything you need to know to write effective alt text.

1. While editing your Word document, to select a picture, slide one finger around the document body until you hear the image you want to add alt text to. When the image is in focus, VoiceOver announces the image file name, followed by "Image," and the image layout. Double-tap the screen. You hear: "Selected."

2. Tap near the bottom of the screen with four fingers, swipe left until you hear "Show ribbon," and double-tap the screen. You hear: "Picture tab."

3. Swipe right until you hear "Alt text button," and double-tap the screen.

4. To add alt text, swipe right until you hear "Description, text field," double-tap the screen, and then use the on-screen keyboard to type alt text for the image.

5. When you're ready, tap near the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear "Done button," and double-tap the screen. The focus moves back to the document body.

See also

Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word

Use a screen reader to set line spacing and indenting in Word

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word

What's new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel

In this topic

• Insert an image or picture from your phone

• Insert a picture from the camera

• Place a picture in line with text

• Add alt text to an image

Insert an image or picture from your phone

1. While editing your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert an image.

2. Swipe left until you hear "More options button," and double-tap the screen. You hear the currently selected tab, for example, "Home tab." Double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear “Insert tab,” and double-tap the screen.

3. Swipe right until you hear “Pictures menu,” and double-tap the screen. The Pictures menu opens.

4. Swipe right until you hear “Photos button,” and double-tap the screen. The default gallery app opens.

   Note: If you're signed in and using your organization's phone and account, you might have to switch to your personal account or select a gallery app before you can insert an image into a document.

5. Do one of the following:

   • To navigate through the pictures in the currently selected image storage location, swipe right until you hear the image you want.

   • To navigate to another storage location, for example, Downloads or Images, swipe left until you hear "Show roots button," and then double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear the location you want, and then double-tap the screen. Swipe left or right until you hear the image you want.

   TalkBack announces the images by their filenames, sizes, and dates.

6. When on the image you want to insert, double-tap the screen. The image preview opens.

7. Swipe right until you hear "Done," and then double-tap the screen. The image is inserted and the focus returns to your document with the image selected.

Insert a picture from the camera

You can open the device camera straight from Word for Android, take a photo, and then insert the photo into the document. 

1. While editing your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert a picture.

2. Swipe left until you hear "More options button," and double-tap the screen. You hear the currently selected tab, for example, "Home tab." Double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear “Insert tab,” and double-tap the screen.

3. Swipe right until you hear “Pictures menu,” and then double-tap the screen. The Pictures menu opens.

4. Swipe right until you hear “Camera button,” and then double-tap the screen. The Camera app opens.

   Note: If you hear "Allow Word to take pictures and record video, Allow button," double-tap the screen.

5. To take a picture, swipe right until you hear "Capture," point the camera to the right direction, and then double-tap the screen.

6. The image is captured, and the editing view opens. Swipe right until you hear "Confirm," and double-tap the screen.

7. The image preview opens. Swipe right until you hear "Done," and then double-tap the screen. The image is inserted and the focus returns to your document with the image selected.

Place a picture in line with text

To be read correctly by a screen reader, the picture has to be in line with the text.

1. While editing your Word document, slide one finger around the document body until you hear the image you want. When the focus is on the image, you hear the file name or number of the image, followed by "Image." Double-tap and hold the screen with one finger. You hear: "Cut button."

2. Swipe down-then-left. Then slide one finger near the lower-right corner of the screen until you hear "Not checked, More options switch," and double-tap the screen. The focus moves to the Picture tab on the ribbon.

3. Swipe right until you hear "Wrap text menu," and double-tap the screen.

4. Swipe right until you hear "In line with text," and double-tap the screen.

Add alt text to an image

Add alt text to the images to make your document accessible to all audiences. For more information on alt text, refer to Everything you need to know to write effective alt text. 

1. While editing your Word document, slide one finger around the document body until you hear the image you want to add alt text to. When the focus is on the image, you hear: "Selected, Image." Double-tap the screen.

2. Slide one finger near the lower-right corner of the screen until you hear "Not checked, More options switch," and double-tap the screen.

3. The focus moves to the Picture tab on the ribbon. Swipe right until you hear "Alt text menu," and double-tap the screen.

4. Swipe right until you hear "Edit box, for, describe this object for someone who is blind," and double-tap the screen. Use the on-screen keyboard to type alt text for the image. To close the on-screen keyboard, swipe down-then-left.

5. To move the focus back to the document body, swipe down-then-left.

See also

Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word

Use a screen reader to set line spacing and indenting in Word

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word

What's new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel

In this topic

• Insert a picture from your computer

• Insert a picture from the web

• Place a picture in line with text

• Add alt text to an image

Insert a picture from your computer

1. In your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert the picture.

2. Press Alt+Windows logo key+N, P, P. The Windows Open dialog box opens. The focus is on the File name text field.

3. Use the Tab key and the arrow keys to navigate to the location of the picture on your computer. When you hear the name of the picture, followed by "Selected," press Enter. The original picture is embedded into your document.

Insert a picture from the web

If you don’t have the perfect picture on your computer, you can search for and insert a picture from a web location straight from Word for the web.

1. In your Word document, place the insertion point where you want to insert the image.

2. Press Alt+Windows logo key+N, P, F.

3. The Bing image search dialog box opens. The focus is on the search text field. Type your search words to describe the picture you're looking for, and then press Enter. The search results are listed, and the focus is on the first matching image.

4. Use the arrow keys to browse the search results. Your screen reader describes each image as you move through the search results.

5. To select an image, press Spacebar.

6. To insert the selected image, press the Tab key until you hear "Insert," and press Enter. Word downloads and inserts the image into your document.

Place a picture in line with text 

To be read correctly by a screen reader, the picture has to be in line with the text.

1. In your Word document, move the focus to the picture you want. When the picture is in focus and selected, you hear: "Image."

2. Press Shift+F10. The context menu opens.

3. Press the Up arrow key until you hear "Wrap text," and then press the Right arrow key once. You hear: "In line with text." Press Enter. If you don't hear "In line with text," press the Up arrow key until you reach the In line with text button, and press Enter.

Add alt text to an image

Add alt text to the images to make your document accessible to all audiences. For more information on alt text, refer to Everything you need to know to write effective alt text. 

1. In your Word document, move the focus to the image that you want to add alt text to. When the image is in focus and selected, you hear: "Image."

2. Press Alt+Windows logo key+J, P, E. The Format Picture pane opens, and the focus moves to the Alternative Text section.

3. Press the Tab key until you hear "Description," and then type alt text for the image.

4. To return the focus to document body, press Esc.

See also

Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word

Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Word

Keyboard shortcuts in Word

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word

What's new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel