This tutorial shows how to add background images to charts in Microsoft Word.
If you are working with tables, check out our last tutorial, “How to Add Background Images to Tables in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac).”
Please note that this tutorial refers to charts; however, this process also applies to graphs.
Also note that these steps assume you have already created your chart or graph. For a full tutorial, please see “How to Create and Customize Charts in Microsoft Word.”
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The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365. These steps also apply to Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac (a.k.a., Word for Mac). In addition, the steps will be similar in Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013.
How to Add Background Images to Charts
- Select the chart. (Resizing handles will appear on the border indicating that the chart is selected.)
- Right-click (PC) or Control-click (Mac) the chart and then select Format Chart Area from the shortcut menu.
- Select Fill in the Format Chart Area pane.
- Select Picture or texture fill.
- Select the Insert button.
- (PC only) Select the location of the image in the Insert Pictures dialog box:
-
- From a File*
- Stock Images
- Online Pictures
- From Icons*
*The Stock Images and From Icons options are only fully available in Word for Microsoft 365.
- Locate the image in the dialog box and then select the Insert button. (PC users see figure 7; Mac users see figure 8.)
The image will be inserted as the table background.
- (Optional) Use the Transparency slider to adjust the image’s transparency as necessary to make your chart easier to read.
- Select the X to close the Format Chart Area pane.
Now that you have customized your chart, you may want to save it as a reusable template, as shown in my previous tutorial “How to Save Charts as Templates in Microsoft Word.”
Related Resources
How to Save Tables and Figures as Images in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac)
How to Insert Figure Captions and Table Titles in Microsoft Word