How to Insert Pictures Into Microsoft Works Word Documents

Microsoft Works Word comes preinstalled on many new computers (unlike Microsoft Office, which you have to purchase).  Works Word is similar to Word, but does look and feel a bit different.  Inserting images into Works Word is also similar, but the terminology and steps are a bit different.  The instructions below will help you insert images into your Works Word documents as well as manipulate the image.

To begin, open Microsoft Works for Word.  You can start typing your text and insert the picture later or insert the picture first and type later.  For the sake of these instructions, I recommend typing some text first so you can better see how text can be made to wrap around the image. 

Once you have your text, follow the steps below to insert a picture into the Works Document.

1. On the menu, select INSERT, then PICTURE, then FROM FILE

You should see the picture in your document.  Now you can resize the image and make text wrap around it. 

To Resize the Image, single left click on it so it’s highlighted.  Notice you’ll see eight small black squares along the border of the image.  While holding down the left mouse button, you can drag these boxes downward and inward to make the image smaller (or outward to make the image larger).

Please note that in order to not distort the image, you’ll only want to drag the corner boxes (not the boxes in the middle of the top and bottom border).

To Wrap Text Around the Image, RIGHT CLICK on the image and select FORMAT OBJECT.
Under the “Wrapping Tab”, you’ll see three options (or styles).  The pictures help explain each option, but you can make the image appear inline with the text, or make the text wrap around the image.  The difference between “Square” and “Tight” is the amount of white space left between the image and text.

Notice that you also have the option to make the image appear on the left or right side of the page (as opposed to center).  Though worded poorly, selecting the option to have “no text on the right” allows you to move the image on the right side of the page (though you have to move the image manually).  Likewise, “no text on left” allows you to move the image to the left side of the page and wrap text around it.  These options are only available when “square” or “tight” wrap options are selected.   Once you’ve selected either no text on left or right side, you can hold the left mouse button down the image and drag it to the left or right corners of your page.

After wrapping your  text around the image, you may notice there are two other tabs on the Format Object window.  The “size tab” just allows you to resize the image by typing in numbers.  Most people don’t use this tab since it’s easier to drag the corners of the image. 

The “text tab” is similar in that it allows you more finite control over the placement of text around the image.  But this tab is rarely used as well. 


If you're using Microsoft Office instead of Microsoft Works, click here for help with inserting pictures into Word.

Unable to open WPS Documents

Having trouble opening documents with the file extension .WPS?  If you don't have Mircrosoft Works (not to be confused with Word) on your computer, you won't be able to open .WPS files.

File extensions are the 3 letters after the period in a file extension.   These extensions tell the computer what program to use when you open a file.  The problem is that if you don't have that program installed on your computer, you can't open the document.

You may have seen the white icon with dots before like the one shown.  This is the standard "program not recognized" icon.  If you see this, it means that the computer doesn't know what program to use to open the document because that program isn't installed on your computer.  To solve the problem, you have to figure out what program originally created the document.  And to do this, you need to either determine the file extension or file type of the document.
If computer is configured to hide file extensions, you won't see them.  However, if you RIGHT click on the document's icon and select PROPERTIES, you will see the file type (i.e., what kind of document it is).  In this example, I right clicked on a Word document.  But this window looks the same for all documents you right click on.

Knowing what the file type is, will help you find the solution to your problem (which is opening the document).  If you are trying to open a Works document (which is the program that has the file extension .WPS), then you will see Microsoft Word for Works (or something similar) next to "Type of File".

If you have Microsoft Word installed on your computer, you can download a free Works Converter and install it on your computer.  This converter will let you open Word for Works in Microsoft Office.

Once the Works Converter is installed, just RIGHT CLICK on the Works document and select OPEN WITH and then Microsoft Word.  If you don't see "Open With" when you right click on the icon, hold the SHIFT key down on the keyboard and right click on the icon again (you should see it now).  If you don't see "Microsoft Word" listed in the document options, then you'll have to browse for the program in your program files and select it manually.

If you don't have Microsoft Works or Microsoft Word on your computer, the Works Converter won't help you.  And unfortunately, Open Office doesn't seem capable of opening .WPS files (not yet anyway). 

Microsoft Works is pre-installed on a lot of newer computers.  So if you know somebody that has Works on their computer, you can open the file on their computer (either email it to yourself or copy it to a flash drive). Otherwise, you can buy Microsoft Works for under $40.