Pictures and other graphics embedded in an Office file are saved in the file. But you may want to save a picture as a separate file so you can reuse it elsewhere.
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In Office on macOS, you can save a photo, diagram, chart, or shapes as a separate picture file.
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On a PC, in PowerPoint, Word, and Excel you can save a photo, shape, or SmartArt graphic as a separate picture file. Outlook on the PC only allow you to save a photo as a separate picture file.
Save an image as a separate file
In PowerPoint, Word, and Excel, the following procedure works for photos, shapes, charts, SmartArt graphics, digital ink, and text boxes.
In Outlook, the following procedure only works for photos.
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Right-click the illustration that you want to save as a separate image file, and then click Save as Picture.
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In the Save as type list, select the file format that you want.
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In the File name box, type a new name for the picture, or just accept the suggested file name.
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Select the folder where you want to store the image.
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Click Save.
Image-file formats
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File format |
Description |
|---|---|
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GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) |
Supports 256 colors and no image data is lost when the file is compressed. |
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JPEG (File Interchange Format) |
Best used for pictures with many colors, such as scanned photos. |
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PNG (Portable Network Graphics format) |
Improves the quality of graphics on a web site because parts of the image can be transparent and brightness can be controlled. |
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TIFF |
A "lossless" format that experiences no quality loss each time a file is amended and saved. |
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Device-Independent Bitmap |
Graphics created in one program are displayed in another program exactly the way they appeared in the original program. |
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Windows Metafile |
A 16-bit "vector" graphic format |
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Enhanced Windows Metafile |
A 32-bit "vector" graphic format |
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SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) (Requires version 1909 or later for Microsoft 365) |
Images can be resized with no loss of image quality. Files support "lossless" data compression. Note: Also available in Office LTSC and Office 2021. |
This feature is available in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. It works for photos, shapes, charts, SmartArt graphics, digital ink, and text boxes.
Save a picture or other image as a separate file
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Control-click the illustration that you want to save as a separate image file, and then click Save as Picture.
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In the Save as type list, select the file format that you want.
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In the Save As box, type a new name for the picture, or just accept the suggested file name.
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In the Where box, navigate to the folder where you want to store the image.
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Click Save.
Image-file formats
|
File format |
Description |
|---|---|
|
PNG (Portable Network Graphics Format |
Improves the quality of graphics on a web site because parts of the image can be transparent and brightness can be controlled. |
|
JPEG (Joint Photographics Expert Group) |
Best used for pictures with many colors, such as scanned photos. |
|
PDF (Portable Document Format) |
Portable format that can include text and images. |
|
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) |
Supports 256 colors and no image data is lost when the file is compressed. |
|
BMP (Device-Independent Bitmap) |
Graphics created in one program are displayed in another program exactly the way they appeared in the original program. |
|
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) (Requires version 1909 or later for Microsoft 365) |
Images can be resized with no loss of image quality. Files support "lossless" data compression. Note: Also available in Office LTSC and Office 2021. |
