How to remove an anchor in Microsoft Word

There are so many things you can do with Microsoft Word. For many, it is the favorite word processor and is available on various platforms.

Doing the basics in Word is easy enough, but when it comes to inserting images, things get a little more complicated. Sometimes you have an anchor attached to your image and it gets in your way. So how do you remove it?

Remove anchor Option 1

Before we get into the purpose of the little Anchor in Word and how to best use it, let’s see how to remove it if you are having difficulties with it. If you want to avoid seeing the anchor altogether, the best way to do this is to disable this feature in the Word document. It’s simple. This is all you need to do:

1. Create a new document or open a Word document.
   
2. Gonna Archive (Upper left corner).
   
3. At the bottom of the page, select Options.
   
4. In the pop-up window, select Show.
   
5. Low Always show these formatting marks on the screenMake sure the Object anchors the box is not checked.
   

Now when you insert an object, image or icon, the little anchor icon will not appear.

Remove anchor Option 2

Another way to do this is to change the object or image from floating to inline. This means that if an object is floating, it will move with the text in many different ways. But if the object or an image is aligned with the text, that means they behave like the text itself.

It sits where it is and will move in the same way that lines of text do. Unless you need the images in your Word document to be specifically arranged and formatted, keeping the image aligned with the text will ensure that the anchor is removed. Therefore, this is what you should do:

1. Click on the object next to which the anchor you want to remove is located.
   
2. On the top right side of the object, you will see the Layout Options icon.
   
3. Click on the “In line with text” option.
   
4. The anchor will disappear and your image will now be inline instead of floating.
   

In case you change your mind, you can always click on the object again and select With text wrapping to make the object float again. In that case, Anchor will appear again.

What exactly does the anchor do?

You may be wondering why this feature is called “Anchor”. Well, the symbolism of an Anchor explains it. When you insert an object into a Word document, you see the small anchor in the top left corner. Hovering over the anchor will tell you that the object in question is anchored to the text at that location in the document.

This essentially means that this specific object is anchored to a particular paragraph. And if you decide to move the object, the paragraph will move with it. An easy way to check is to simply press Get into a couple of times and check if the object moves with the text.

Another thing you can do to fix the position of an object on the page is to reselect the object and click Layout Options again. At the bottom, you will see that option. This means that the object remains on the page, but the text can move without it. However, the anchor remains next to the paragraph. And once the text reaches the next page, the object follows it.

You can also go into Layout Options to use the “Lock Anchor” option. just go to Layout Options>Position and then check the Locking anchor box. This way, both the anchor and the object remain in the same place on the page.

Wrapping text in Word

Everything related to Anchor is about positioning objects and text. And that all has to do with text wrapping in Word. If you choose to use a floating object in your Word document, you can select several different ways in which that object is incorporated into the text. You can select “square” and the text will surround the object.

There are also options for top and bottom and for the object to be behind the text or above the text. Those options practically guarantee that you’ll be able to have images and text working together the way you want.

Don’t let the anchor get in your way

Anchor is a great tool that allows you to have more creative freedom when inserting images into your Word document. But if it’s there when you don’t need it, it can be annoying. It is important to remember that if you do not want to see the anchor icon at all, it is better to go to Options first.

Then you can have floating objects, but the Anchor won’t be there. Alternatively, you can keep the objects aligned.

Let us know what you think about Anchor in Word in the comments p below.