Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Cropping Graphics.

Cropping Graphics

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 21, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


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:

  1. Make sure the Picture toolbar is visible. You can right click on the graphic and select Show Picture Toolbar if it is not.
  2. Click on the Crop tool on the Picture toolbar.
  3. Click on one of the graphic's corner or side handles with the mouse pointer.
  4. Drag the handle towards the center of the graphic, stopping when you have cropped the desired amount.
  5. 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 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Cropping Graphics.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Fitting Your Printout on a Page

Tired of wasting paper when you print a worksheet? You can scale Excel's output so that it fits only the number of pages ...

Discover More

Ignoring the Spelling of Proper Nouns

Proper nouns (such as the names of people) are routinely marked as incorrect by Word's spell checker. If you are tired of ...

Discover More

Creating a List of Files in a Directory

Do you need a list of all the files in a directory? It's easy to create if you use the proper command-line commands.

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Using Text Boxes

Text boxes are handy for placing information in a container that can "float" over your worksheet. This tip explains what ...

Discover More

Locking Callouts to a Graph Location

If you add callouts using the drawing tools in Excel, you may have noticed that they don't always stay where you expect ...

Discover More

Filling a Drawing Object

Want to add some spice to the graphics in your worksheets? There are many colors and effects in Excel that allow you take ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is three less than 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.