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In Google Docs on a desktop browser, you add a picture from Insert > Image, trim it with Crop, and adjust its size, rotation, and appearance from the image toolbar. Text-wrapping and Position controls are the exception: they appear only when the document is in Pages mode, so a missing wrap option usually means the document is pageless.
Insert a picture into a Google Doc
- Click the spot in the document where the picture should go.
- Choose Insert > Image.
- Pick a source from the submenu: Upload from computer, Stock & web, Drive & Photos, Camera, or By URL.
- Select the file or enter the address, then click Insert or Open, depending on the source.
Google’s desktop help also documents two faster routes: dragging an image from your desktop or from a web page into the document, and copying an image and pasting it in. Both produce a picture you can crop and edit in the same way.
Crop a picture
Cropping trims the visible edges of an image without changing the original file. Google’s crop page describes the feature this way:
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“You can crop, mask and add borders to images that you have added to Google Docs, Slides and Vids.” (Google Docs Editors Help, cropping and adjusting images)
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- Click the image to select it.
- Click Crop in the toolbar that appears above the document.
- Drag the blue squares on the border inward to remove the parts you do not want. Dragging the frame edges moves the crop boundary; the portion outside the frame is hidden.
- Press Enter, or click anywhere else in the document, to apply the crop.
Adjust size, rotation, and appearance
Select the image and use the toolbar, or open Image options > All image options for the full panel. Google’s image help groups the controls as follows:
- Size and rotation, to resize the picture and turn it.
- Text wrapping and Position, which control how the picture sits relative to text (covered in the next section).
- Recolor, to change the picture’s color treatment.
- Adjustments such as transparency, brightness, and contrast.
Source: Google Docs Editors Help, inserting, positioning, and editing images.
Replace an image without losing its place
Right-click the image, choose Replace image, select a source, and click the new picture. The replacement takes the position of the original, so you do not need to delete the old image and reinsert the new one.
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Text wrapping and positioning
Wrapping controls decide how body text flows around a picture. Google’s help lists these layout choices:
| Layout option | How the text behaves |
|---|---|
| In line | The picture sits in the text line like a large character, and it moves as you type. |
| Wrap text | Text flows around the picture’s outline or frame. |
| Break text | Text stops above the picture and resumes below it. |
| Behind text | The picture sits underneath the text as a background layer. |
| In front of text | The picture covers the text beneath it. |
With Wrap text or Break text, Google also offers two anchoring settings:
- Move with text, which keeps the picture attached to the paragraph it belongs to when you edit above or below it.
- Fix position on page, which keeps the picture at its place on the page regardless of how the text reflows.
Use In line for icons and small graphics that should behave like words. Use Wrap text or Break text for photos in a report or article, and combine them with Move with text when the picture must stay beside a specific paragraph.
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Why the wrapping and Position controls are missing
Google’s help states that text wrapping and Position are unavailable in pageless documents. If those options do not appear in Image options, the document is almost certainly in pageless mode.
- Open File and find the page setup options, then switch the document to Pages mode. Menu placement can change, so if the path differs, look for the Pages and Pageless choice in the document settings.
- Click the picture again and open Image options > All image options.
- Confirm that the Text wrapping and Position sections now appear.
Switching modes changes how the document lays out, so check headings, page breaks, and the position of other pictures after the change. If the controls still do not appear, reselect the image and reopen the panel before making further changes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Compare insertion sources
Choose the source that matches where the picture already lives or how you intend to obtain it. Google’s instructions list the sources but do not evaluate their image quality, licensing, or privacy, so those points are shown below as not stated.
| Source | Where the picture comes from | Quality, licensing, or privacy guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Upload from computer | A file saved on the device you are using | Not stated in Google’s insertion help |
| Stock & web | Google’s image search and stock sources | Not stated in Google’s insertion help |
| Drive & Photos | Files already stored in Google Drive or Google Photos | Not stated in Google’s insertion help |
| Camera | A photo taken at the moment of insertion | Not stated in Google’s insertion help |
| By URL | An image address you paste in | Not stated in Google’s insertion help |
If you reuse a picture from the web, check its usage terms yourself; the official help pages do not address that question.
Scope and currency of these steps
These instructions cover the desktop browser version of Google Docs and follow Google’s current Docs Editors Help pages, which were checked in October 2026. The help pages do not show a publication date or an interface version, and the menu labels, available sources, and account-specific features can change. If a label differs on your screen, the same function is usually found under a nearby menu. The steps above do not describe the mobile apps.
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