How to Move an Image to the Front or Back in Google Docs

Adding images, photos or pictures to a Google Docs document brings vibrancy and visual interest. However, when you want an image, photo or picture to overlap with text or other images, the question of order arises. Thankfully, Google Docs provides an easy way to move images to the front or back of your document. This process involves the use of the “Text Wrapping” feature. This guide is designed to provide a detailed walkthrough to help you understand and use this feature effectively.

Also see: How to Print Front and Back on Google Docs (Double-Sided)

Introduction

Google Docs, part of Google’s web-based office suite, is a robust word-processing platform. It’s not merely a tool for creating and editing text documents; it also offers various formatting features, including the ability to add and manipulate images.

One such manipulation is changing the order of images or adjusting their “Text Wrapping” settings. This feature allows you to determine how text interacts with an image, whether the image appears in front of or behind the text, and how images and text elements align with one another. This tutorial offers a comprehensive guide on utilizing this feature in Google Docs.

Useful tip: How to Google Reverse Image Search on Windows 11

Preparing your document

Before we proceed with the process of moving an image to the front or back, you need a Google Docs document containing both text and an image. If you’re starting from scratch, here are the steps to create a basic document:

1. Access Google Docs: Visit https://docs.google.com. Make sure you’re logged into your Google account.
2. Create a new document: Click on the “+” button to create a new blank document. Alternatively, you can go to the “File” menu, then select “New Document“.
3. Add text: Simply click anywhere on the document and start typing. For testing image manipulation, you might want to add a few paragraphs.
4. Insert an image: To add an image, select “Insert” from the top menu, hover over “Image“, and you can upload an image from various sources such as your computer, Google Drive, or using a URL.

Note: For practicing the process of moving an image to the front or back, you might want to insert more than one image or make sure the image overlaps some text.

Moving an image to the front in Google Docs

Moving an image to the front means that the image will overlay the text or other images. It will appear as the top layer in your document. Here’s how to do it:

1. Select the image: Click on the image that you want to move to the front. It will show a blue border with resizing handles around it, indicating that it’s selected.
2. Open image options: Go to the “Format” menu in the top toolbar. A drop-down menu will appear. Hover over the “Image” option and select “Image options” from the extended menu.
3. Access Text Wrapping options: A right pane titled “Image options” will appear. Here, locate and select “Text Wrapping“.
4. Move image to the front: Under the “Text Wrapping” options, select “In front of text“.

This action moves your image to the front, making it appear over the text or other images. Please remember that once an image is moved to the front, it may obstruct the view of text or other images. If you want to interact with elements behind it, you will first need to move or adjust this front image.

Moving an image to the back in Google Docs

On the contrary, there may be instances where you want an image to sit behind the text or other images, especially when using the image as a background or watermark. The process is almost identical to moving an image to the front:

1. Select the image: Click on the image you want to move to the back.
2. Open image options: From the top menu, select “Format“, hover over “Image“, and choose “Image options“.
3. Access Text Wrapping options: In the right pane that appears, find the “Text Wrapping” section.
4. Move image to the back: Under “Text Wrapping”, select “Behind text“.

With these steps, your image will be positioned behind the text. Keep in mind that when an image is moved to the back, text or other images may cover it, making it less visible. It’s particularly important when using this feature to ensure that your text remains legible over the image.

Understanding other text wrapping options

Apart from moving an image to the front or back, there are other “Text Wrapping” options that influence how images and text interact. These options provide greater control over your document layout:

• “Inline with text“: The image behaves as if it were a character in your text. It moves along with the text and adheres to the alignment of the line (left, center, right). This setting is useful when you want your image to flow seamlessly with your text.
• “Wrap text“: The text will flow around the image, filling the space on all sides. This is ideal when you want to insert an image without disturbing the continuity of your text.
• “Break text“: This setting puts the image on a separate line, interrupting the text above and below it. Use this option when you want to highlight the image or separate different sections of text.

Wrap-up

Google Docs provides versatile options to manipulate images and text, thereby allowing you to create visually appealing and well-structured documents. By understanding and utilizing the “Text Wrapping” feature, you can control the layout of images in relation to text in your documents, sending them to the front, back, or even wrapping text around them as needed. While it may seem complicated at first, with a bit of practice, you’ll find these tools invaluable in enhancing your document design process.