To crop a picture into a circle in Word, select the picture, go to Picture Format, select the arrow under Crop, and choose Crop to Shape > Oval. That gives you an oval. To make it a perfect circle, open the Crop arrow again, choose Aspect Ratio > 1:1, drag the photo to center the part you want, and select Crop to finish.
Applies to: Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016 on Windows and Mac. The same steps work in PowerPoint and Outlook. Last reviewed October 8, 2026.
Step-by-step
- Insert the picture with Insert > Pictures > This Device, and click it to select it.
- Go to the Picture Format tab.
- Select the arrow under Crop (not the Crop button itself) and choose Crop to Shape.
- Under Basic Shapes, select the Oval. The picture is now an oval matching its rectangle.
- Select the Crop arrow again, choose Aspect Ratio, and select 1:1 under Square. The frame becomes a square, so the oval becomes a circle.
- Drag the picture inside the frame to center the face or object you want. Drag a corner of the picture (not the black crop handles) to zoom in or out.
- Click outside the picture or select Crop to finish.
Resize the circle without stretching it
Drag a corner handle, not a side handle, to keep it round. Or set the same value for Height and Width in the Size group on the Picture Format tab. See how to resize an image in Word.
Add a border around the circle
Select the picture, then Picture Format > Picture Border. Choose a color, then Weight for thickness. The border follows the circle. Picture Effects adds shadows, glow or soft edges.
Alternative: fill a circle shape with the picture
- Go to Insert > Shapes > Oval.
- Hold Shift while dragging to draw a perfect circle.
- With the circle selected, go to Shape Format > Shape Fill > Picture and choose your photo.
- To adjust which part shows, select Picture Format > Crop and drag the photo, then choose Fill or Fit from the Crop arrow.
This is handy when you need several circles exactly the same size, for example for a team page.
Make several circles the same size
For a staff list or family tree, crop the first photo into a circle and set its size, for example 1.5″ by 1.5″. Then for each other photo, crop it to a circle, apply Aspect Ratio 1:1, and type the same Height and Width in the Size group. To line them up, select them all with Ctrl+click, then use Picture Format > Align > Align Top and Distribute Horizontally. The pictures need a layout option other than In Line with Text for Align to work.
Tips for good-looking circle photos
- Start with a photo that has space around the subject. Tight shots lose the top of the head once cropped.
- Center the eyes about one third down from the top of the circle for portraits.
- A thin white or light grey border helps the circle stand out on colored backgrounds.
Place the circle where you want it
Select Layout Options next to the picture and choose Square or Tight to wrap text around it, or In Front of Text to move it freely. See how to place a picture anywhere in Word.
Troubleshooting
Crop to Shape is missing or greyed out
You’ve selected an SVG icon, a shape or a picture inside a text box or canvas. Select a regular photo. Word for the web doesn’t offer Crop to Shape; open the file in the desktop app.
The circle is still an oval
The Aspect Ratio step was skipped, or you resized with a side handle. Apply Aspect Ratio > 1:1 again.
The rest of the photo still exists
Cropping hides the outside parts but keeps them in the file. To remove them and shrink the file, use Picture Format > Compress Pictures and tick Delete cropped areas of pictures. The same option exists in PowerPoint; see how to compress pictures in PowerPoint.
Frequently asked questions
Can I crop into other shapes?
Yes. Crop to Shape offers hearts, stars, rounded rectangles, arrows and more.
How do I crop a picture normally?
Select Crop and drag the black handles. For square passport-style photos, see how to make a 1×1 picture in Word.
Can I save the circle picture as a file?
Right-click it and choose Save as Picture. Save as PNG to keep the corners transparent.
Related: cut out part of a picture in PowerPoint.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.