When creating a document in Microsoft Word, it is common to insert an image, table or text box; However, when inserting these objects, an anchor-shaped icon may appear in the upper left corner; So, you wonder what does that icon mean? and how do I remove it from my document?
In this article, we will explain what does the anchor means in Word? and how to remove the anchor that appears in Word?
What does the anchor mean in Word?
For everyone, it is very common to use Microsoft Office, and when you use Microsoft Word to create a document it is common to insert tables, images and text boxes within a text; This adds value to the document and makes the information stand out.
But, when you insert a text box, table or image into the text, a small anchor symbol may appear in the upper left corner; this tells you that a floating object (text box, image, or table) has been attached to your text. This icon is also known as an anchor.
This anchor symbol that Word uses is used to link and lock objects with the text or page being used; that way, you prevent the element you inserted from moving and out of square the text. And this can be very useful even for making a creative timeline in Word and many other creations.
You should know that when an element is anchored to a paragraph, it will remain in that location; the only way it will move is if you move the paragraph to another location.
If you want to move the paragraph but the image does not, you must configure the image layout options so that the image is anchored to a specific position on the page and not the text. You must bear in mind that if you change the page text, the image will automatically move to that page and will be located in the position you indicated on the previous page.
For many Word users, this feature has come in handy. It facilitates the process of inserting something since you can precisely manipulate said element without losing the shape of the text.
Although it is a very useful function, there are users who do not like to implement it, therefore, Microsoft Word allows you to remove or deactivate this function. Furthermore, we can even enjoy it when creating Word documents with Android.
How to remove the anchor that appears in Word?
Microsoft Word allows you to remove the anchor in two different ways, but both are very easy to handle.
Method 1: Right Click
- Open the Word document.
- Right-click on the image you want to remove the anchor.
- A floating menu will appear and you must select “Size and position.“
- Then a box called “Design” will appear on the screen; Click on the “Text Wrapping” tab at the top of the box.
- Select the “In line with text” option. This option does not allow images, tables or text boxes to have anchors.
- To save the changes, press the «OK» button.
The box called “Design” (step 4) allows you to configure the anchor options, to suit your preferences. If you adjust the anchor, it may not be necessary to remove this function that Word has made available to you.
- Once inside the Word document.
- Go to the upper left corner of the screen and click on “File. “
- Another window will open immediately, select “Options”.
- A box will appear where you must check the “Show” option found in the left side menu.
- In the section «Always show these format marks on the screen»; uncheck the box that says “Object Delimiters.“
- And click “OK”.
If you wish to activate the anchoring of the image at another time, check the box “Object delimiter” and this option will be activated. And if you have managed to activate the autosave function in Word, you will only have to wait for the changes you have made to be saved.
Making adjustments to a Word document is very simple, you don’t need to be a computer technician, you just need patience and follow the instructions so that you learn to handle Word like an expert.