How do you reduce the file size of your Word document?
Sometimes a Word file is too large, and it can be tricky to send it by email, for example. Fortunately, there are a number of simple ways to reduce the file size. In this article, we explain how to do this without losing any important content.
1. Compress the images in your document
Large images are often the main culprit when it comes to bulky Word files. By compressing these images, you can save a considerable amount of space.
How to compress images in Word:
- Click on an image in your document.
- An extra tab will now appear at the top: Image formatting.
- Click on Compress images.
- Choose whether you want to do this for all images in the document or just for the selected image.
- Under Resolution For example, you could choose “Email (96 ppi)” or “Web (150 ppi)”.
- Click on OK.
2. Save the file as a .docx
The .docx format is much more efficient than the older .doc format.
Here’s how to check whether your document is saved in .docx format:
- Click on File → Save as.
- Choose a location.
- Check that the file format is set to Word document (*.docx).
- Click on Save.
3. Remove any unnecessary media or embedded files
Do you have videos, large charts or embedded Excel tables in your document? Consider removing them or replacing them with static images.
A few examples:
- Delete videos or save them separately as attachments.
- Copy only the values from the Excel tables, rather than embedding the entire file.
4. Use the ‘Clean up’ tool’
Sometimes Word files contain invisible elements or old revisions that take up a lot of space.
How to use ‘Inspect Document’:
- Go to File → Info.
- Click on Check document → Inspect.
- If required, delete any hidden data, revisions or old versions.
5. Send the document via a download link
If, despite everything, you still can’t get the file small enough, you can upload the Word file to, for example, WeTransfer, and send us the link.
Hopefully, these tips will help you reduce the size of your file. If that doesn’t work, please feel free to get in touch with us – we’d be happy to help you sort it out!
