Family Encyclopedia >> Work

3 ways to reduce the size of a Microsoft Word document

You probably don't care much about the size of Microsoft Word documents in most cases. Compared to games, videos, and other large files, they don't take up much space.

But if you're publishing a Word document online, sharing it via email, or need to remove as many bytes as possible for some other reason, here are three quick ways to reduce the size of your Word document.

1. Save in DOCX format

3 ways to reduce the size of a Microsoft Word document

Starting with Word 2007, documents are now saved in DOCX format instead of DOC. The only reason to use DOC is if you need backward compatibility with older word processing applications.

One of the benefits of DOCX is much smaller file sizes. A document of a few megabytes in DOC form would take a few hundred kilobytes as DOCX.

When you save your Word documents, be sure to choose DOCX Format. If you are already working with a DOC file, open the File tab in Word and select Convert about the Information tongue. You will have to accept a prompt and provide a new file name.

2. Compress images

3 ways to reduce the size of a Microsoft Word document

Before you insert an image into a Word document, make your edits in a separate image editor. 10 Easy-to-Use Photo Editing Programs for Novice Photographers 10 Easy-to-Use Photo Editing Programs for Novice Photographers Some photos only look good after a little editing. If Photoshop and Lightroom seem too complex for you, check out these easy-to-use alternatives. Read more . If you edit within Word, you will keep the original version and the scrap space.

You should also use the Insert> Image Menu to add an image from your computer in a space-friendly format, such as JPG, instead of pasting it. When you paste, Word adds the image as a PNG or BMP, which take up a lot of space.

Finally, in the Save As menu, you can select Tools> Compress Images and select a Resolution for all of them. Depending on the document, you may be able to get lower quality images to save more space.

3. Remove embedded fonts

3 ways to reduce the size of a Microsoft Word document

Using a Custom Font in a Document How to Style Fonts in Microsoft Word to Make Your Text Stand Out How to Style Fonts in Microsoft Word to Make Your Text Stand Out Well-formatted text can grab your reader's attention and help flow document. Here's how to add that finishing touch in Microsoft Word. Read More To combat this, Word allows you to embed fonts in your document so they work everywhere.

As you can imagine, this takes up more space. Go to File> Options and in the Save tab, make sure to uncheck Embed fonts in file . If you must have the fonts embedded for a particular file, you can check Do not embed common system fonts to leave out universal fonts like Arial.

For more tips, check out Hidden Microsoft Word Features You Should Know About 10 Hidden Microsoft Word Features That'll Make Your Life Easier 10 Hidden Microsoft Word Features That'll Make Your Life Easier Microsoft Word is deceptively simple. You're fine as long as you activate a document and just type. But Microsoft Word wouldn't be the Swiss knife without its productive features. Read more.