Compress Microsoft Office File Size

Pictures can dramatically increase the size of your Microsoft Office file (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio, Publisher, etc.). You can control file size by making choices about the resolution, quality, and compression of an image. One easy way to balance this tradeoff is to match the picture resolution to the use of the document. For example, if you are emailing a picture, you can specify a lower picture resolution to reduce the file size. On the other hand, if picture quality is more important to you than file size, you can specify that the pictures are never compressed.

To save room on your hard disk drive or reduce download times or load times on websites, you can reduce picture resolution, apply compression with no visible loss of quality, and discard unwanted information, such as the cropped parts of a picture or other picture editing information.

When you add a picture to your document, it is automatically compressed using the number specified in the Image Size and Quality options on the Advanced tab of the program options. By default, this is set for print (220 ppi), but you can change this.

Important: Compressing a picture to reduce file size changes the amount of detail retained in the source picture. This means that, after compression, the picture can look different than before it was compressed. Because of this, you should compress the picture and save the file before applying an artistic effect. If the compression plus the artistic effect is not the look you want, you can change or undo the compression, even after saving the file, as long as you have not closed the program you are working in.

On the following pages are various ways to adjust pictures to reduce file size.
Change the Resolution of a Picture in Microsoft Office FIle

When you do not need every single pixel in an image to get an acceptable version of it for your target destination, you can reduce or change the resolution. Reducing or changing the resolution can be effective with images that you have scaled to be smaller, because their dots per inch (dpi) actually increase in that case. Changing the resolution can affect image quality.

• Click the picture or pictures that you want to change the resolution.
• Under Picture Tools, on the Format tab, in the Adjust group, click Compress Pictures.
• If you do not see the Picture Tools and Format tabs, be sure you selected a picture. You may have to double-click the picture to select it and then open the Format tab.
• To change the resolution for the selected pictures only, and not all of the pictures in the document, select the Apply only to this picture check box
• Under Target output, click the resolution that you want. Note: The Use document resolution option uses the resolution set in the Microsoft Office Backstage view. By default this is set to print or 220 ppi, but you can change this default picture resolution.

Set Default Picture Resolution for All Pictures in a Document

Important: This setting applies only to pictures in the current document or the document selected in the list next to Image Size and Quality. By default, it is set to a target of Print (220 ppi).

• Click the File tab.
• Click Options and then click Advanced.
• Under Image Size and Quality, click the document that you want to set the default picture resolution for.
• In the Set default target output to, click the resolution that you want.

Compress a Picture

Depending on how many colors are used in a picture, you can reduce the color format of the image (compress) to make its file size smaller. Compressing a picture makes the color take up fewer bits per pixel, with no loss of quality.

• Click the picture or pictures that you want to compress.
• Under Picture Tools, on the Format tab, in the Adjust group, click Compress Pictures.
• If you do not see the Picture Tools and Format tabs, be sure you selected a picture. You may have to double-click the picture to select it and then open the Format tab.
• To compress the selected pictures only, and not all of the pictures in the document, select the Apply only to this picture check box.
• Note: Clearing the Apply only to this picture checkbox will override any previous changes you have made for other individual pictures in this document.
• Under Target Output, click the resolution that you want.

Notes:
* The Use document resolution option uses the resolution set in the Backstage view. By default this is set to a target of Print (220 ppi), but you can change this default picture resolution.
* If you are want the highest quality picture resolution and are willing to accept a larger file size, you can turn compression off.
* Compression changes are made when you close this dialog box and the changes can be seen in your document immediately. If the results are unsatisfactory, you can undo the changes.

Delete Cropped Areas of a Picture

If you have cropped a picture, you can delete the cropped areas of the picture to reduce the file size by performing these steps:

• Click the picture or pictures that you want to discard unwanted information from.
• Under Picture Tools, on the Format tab, in the Adjust group, click Compress Pictures.
• Note: If you do not see the Picture Tools and Format tabs, be sure you selected a picture. You may have to double-click the picture to select it and open the Format tab.

To remove croppings for the selected picture or pictures only, and not all of the pictures in the document, select the Apply only to this picture check box. Under Compression Options, select Delete cropped areas of pictures check box.

Delete All Picture Editing Data

If you have cropped a picture or made other changes to the picture, such as applying an artistic effector changing the brightness or contrast, information to reverse those changes is stored in your file. You can reduce the size of your file by deleting this editing data. Checking this option will reduce your document size, but if you want to undo your edits, you will need to reinsert the picture into your document if you want to undo any changes you have made.

• Click the File tab.
• Click Options and then click Advanced.
• Under Image Size and Quality, click the document that you want to remove picture editing data from.
• Under Image Size and Quality, select the Discard editing data checkbox.
• Note: This setting applies only to pictures in the current document or the document selected in the list next to Image Size and Quality.