Cropping Graphics

Summary: Excel makes it easy to place a graphic in a worksheet. Once there, you may want to chop off a side (or two) of the graphic. Here's how you can whittle the graphic down to show only the part you want shown. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, Excel 2003, and Excel 2007.)

Once you place a graphic in your workbook, you may decide to crop it. Cropping means to cut off part of the graphic so it doesn't show in your workbook. To crop a graphic, follow these steps:

If you are using a version of Excel prior to Excel 2007, make sure the Picture toolbar is visible. You can right click on the graphic and select Show Picture Toolbar if it is not.
If you are using Excel 2007, make sure that the Format tab of the ribbon is displayed. (This tab is only visible if you first click on a graphic.)
Click on the Crop tool on the Picture toolbar or, in Word 2007, the Crop tool in the Size group.
Click on one of the graphic's corner or side markers with the mouse pointer.
Drag the marker towards the center of the graphic, stopping when you have cropped the desired amount.
You can turn off cropping by clicking on the Crop tool again or by pressing Esc.

You should understand that while cropping a graphic makes it look smaller, none of the original graphic is actually lost, it is only hidden. Cropping a graphic will not decrease the amount of storage space required by that graphic in your workbook.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2196) applies to Microsoft Excel versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

A Picture is Worth Thousands! Your worksheets are not limited to holding numbers and text. You can also add graphics or easily create charts based on your data. Excel Graphics and Charts, available in two versions, helps you make your graphics and charts their absolute best.

Check out Excel Graphics and Charts today!

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Cropping Graphics