Round photos are common on resumes, team pages and profile cards. Word can do it two ways: crop an existing picture, or start with a circle and put the picture inside it.
- Crop a picture into a circle (Method 1)
- Put a picture inside a circle shape (Method 2)
- Adjust the picture with Fill and Fit
Cropping a picture into a circle
Use this when the picture is already in your document and you want to turn it into a circle.
- Go to Insert > Pictures and add your image.
- Select the picture. The Picture Format tab appears.
- Select the arrow under Crop, then Aspect Ratio > 1:1.
- Drag the picture to centre the part you want inside the square, then press Esc.
- Select the arrow under Crop again, then Crop to Shape and choose Oval under Basic Shapes.
Result: The square picture becomes a perfect circle. Step 3 matters: Crop to Shape keeps the picture’s proportions, so a rectangle turns into an oval.
Tip: To resize the circle without stretching it, drag a corner handle rather than a side handle.
Putting a picture inside a circle shape
Use this when you want an exact circle size first and then fit any picture into it.
- Go to Insert > Shapes and choose Oval.
- Hold Shift while you drag on the page. On Windows and Mac, Shift keeps the width and height equal.
- With the circle selected, go to Shape Format > Shape Fill > Picture.
- Choose a picture from your device or another source, then select Insert.
- To remove the border, go to Shape Format > Shape Outline > No Outline.
Result: The picture fills the circle. The shape sets the size, so this method never produces an oval.
Adjusting the picture with Fill and Fit
Use this when the face or logo isn’t centred, or part of the picture is cut off.
- Select the circle picture and go to Picture Format.
- Select the arrow under Crop, then choose one option:
- Fill covers the whole circle. Some outer edges may be cropped away.
- Fit shows the whole picture inside the circle. There may be empty space at the edges.
- Drag the picture inside the frame to reposition it, or drag the black crop handles.
- Press Esc or click outside the picture.
Result: The important part of the photo is centred in the circle.
To place the circle next to a paragraph, change its layout with Wrap Text. See how to put an image and text side by side in Word for the four layout options.
Comparing the methods
| Method | Best for | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Crop to Shape (1:1, then Oval) | A picture already in the document | Windows, Mac |
| Picture inside a circle shape | An exact circle size, or swapping pictures later | Windows, Mac |
| Rounded picture style | Quick rounded look without cropping | Web |
Platform differences
- Windows and Mac: both methods work in recent versions of Word, including Microsoft 365. The menus match: Picture Format > Crop.
- Word for the web: there’s no Crop to Shape. Select the picture, open the Picture tab and choose a rounded style from Picture Styles. For a true circle, open the file in the desktop app.
Troubleshooting
- You get an oval: the picture wasn’t square. Undo with Ctrl + Z (Cmd + Z on Mac), crop to 1:1 first, then apply Oval.
- There’s no Picture Format tab: you selected a shape, not a picture. Fill the shape with Method 2’s Shape Fill > Picture instead.
- The picture looks stretched in the circle: select Crop > Fill to restore its proportions.
- You can’t select several pictures to crop at once: pictures set to In Line with Text can’t be multi-selected. Change their Wrap Text setting first.
- The cropped areas still make the file large: use Picture Format > Compress Pictures and select Delete cropped areas of pictures.
A circle logo also works well as a faded page background. See how to add a watermark in Word. For more picture and object tips, browse the Microsoft Word guides.