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Reduce the size of a Word document

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helyane Posted messages 112 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   -  
helyane Posted messages 112 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   -

Hello, I am using Windows 11. I have a very large Word document and I would like to reduce its size. Thank you for your help, please.

Best regards

3 answers

  1.
    Pierr10 Posted messages 13836 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   5 843
     

    Hello,

    If your document has the .doc extension, save it in the .docx format, which is the format currently used by Word.
    Docx files take up significantly less space than doc files.

    Additionally, try to follow these tips:
    https://support.microsoft.com/fr-fr/office/r%C3%A9duire-la-taille-de-fichier-de-vos-documents-word-6c5a1186-6353-453d-bb22-e9322c2cfbab

    What is well conceived is clearly stated,
    And the words to say it come easily.
    (Boileau)

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    1. brucine Posted messages 24952 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   4 179
       

      Hello,

      A document without images is never very large, I have several of about thirty pages that don't exceed 300 KB.

      On the other hand, I have a construction declaration file, one page per commented illustration, the size does not exceed 1 MB.

      We can encounter surprises related not to the size itself but to the slowness of Word when dealing with very long files, for example, a dissertation or thesis of 200 or 300 pages even if it has few illustrations; this has happened to me in the past.

      The issue is therefore the images, which we can indeed reduce in size within the limits of the quality we desire for the document.

      The alternative, which was the case for my infamous construction declaration and also for my thesis, is to use not just one but to split it into several documents, which will also make it easier if for some reason I need to revisit a certain part or chapter without having to redo the formatting of the entire document each time.

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    2. helyane Posted messages 112 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   2
       

      Hello, Thank you very much Pierr10 for taking the time to respond to me. I will try to manage. I'm completely hopeless with computers. Thanks again. Best regards

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  2. txiki Posted messages 6514 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   609
     

    Hello everyone,

    helyane: I moved you to the Word forum because you will definitely have a better chance of getting help from office software experts.

    Regards!

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    1. helyane Posted messages 112 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   2
       

      Hello, Thank you very much, I didn't know where to put my request. Thanks again and have a good day.

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  3. txiki Posted messages 6514 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   609
     

    Hello everyone,

    It should also be noted that many people make the "mistake" of using unprocessed images.
    Let me explain: An image scanned at 600 DPI will be much heavier than an image at 72 DPI, a resolution that is more than sufficient for a normal image on a screen or printed document, of course.

    On my site, for example, almost all images are at 72 DPI (dots per inch) so they are light and correct.

    If the image comes from a digital camera, its resolution will be much higher, even enormous, but its quality will indeed be better!

    Attention! I am not talking about its size but about its resolution....

    This depends on how we intend to use this/these image/s.

    Conclusion: the document will be heavier with "high-resolution" images.

    Best regards!

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    1. brucine Posted messages 24952 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   4 179
       

      In the case I illustrate, such a photo taken with a smartphone, modified and captioned with an editor (Paint.net) has a resolution of 72 DPI, which is indeed sufficient, and weighs almost 3 MB.

      If I copy and paste it into a Word document and before commenting with text in landscape or portrait format, it is copied full page into this document and weighs only 700 KB; there has been an "automatic" size reduction.

      For documents to become obese under these conditions, it takes quite a few images, and this is undoubtedly what needs to be questioned.

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      1. helyane Posted messages 112 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   2 > brucine Posted messages 24952 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention  
         

        Hello Brucine, Thank you for your comments. I would like to clarify that I am totally useless. Thank you again, best regards.

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