Insert a Picture Placeholder in Publisher – Instructions

Insert a Picture Placeholder in Publisher: Video Lesson

          This video lesson, titled “Publisher for Microsoft 365 Tutorial: How to Insert a Picture Placeholder in Publisher,” shows you how to insert a picture placeholder in Publisher. This video is from our complete Publisher tutorial, titled Mastering Publisher Made Easy™.

Insert a Picture Placeholder in Publisher: Overview

            You can insert a picture placeholder in Publisher into a publication page. When you insert a picture placeholder in Publisher, you allocate space in a page for a picture you can insert later. To insert a picture placeholder in Publisher, click the “Insert” tab in the Ribbon. Then click the “Picture Placeholder” button in the “Illustrations” button group. Doing this then inserts a picture placeholder into the page. You can then move and resize the placeholder, as desired.

            Later, to insert a picture into the placeholder, click the “Insert Picture” button in the middle of the picture placeholder. Doing this then opens the “Insert Pictures” window. Select a picture from your computer or from available online resources and insert the selected picture into the picture placeholder.

            Alternatively, to add any picture from the scratch area of a publication in Publisher into a picture placeholder, click to select the picture in the scratch area. Then hover your mouse pointer over the picture until an icon of a mountain appears in the center of the picture. Then click and drag the mountain icon to move the selected picture onto the location of the picture placeholder in the page.

            When the border of the picture placeholder turns pink and the selected picture appears within the placeholder area, release the mouse button to insert the picture into the picture placeholder. You can also use this same technique to switch pictures within the scratch area with other existing pictures that appear in the page.

Insert a Picture Placeholder in Publisher – Instructions: A picture of a user adding a picture from the scratch area to a picture placeholder in Publisher.

Insert a Picture Placeholder in Publisher: Instructions

1. To insert a picture placeholder in Publisher, click the “Picture Placeholder” button in the “Illustrations” button group on the “Insert” tab in the Ribbon.
2. A picture placeholder is then automatically inserted into your publication page.
3. You can then move and resize the placeholder as desired.
4. To insert a picture into a picture placeholder in Microsoft Publisher, click the “Insert Picture” button that appears in the middle of the picture placeholder to open the “Insert Pictures” window.
5. Then select a picture to insert from your computer or from the available online resources to insert the selected picture into the picture placeholder.
6. Alternatively, to add any picture from the scratch area of a publication in Publisher into a picture placeholder, click to select the picture in the scratch area.
7. Then hover your mouse pointer over the picture until an icon of a mountain appears in the center of the picture.
8. Then click and drag the mountain icon to move the selected picture onto the location of the picture placeholder in the page.
9. When the border of the picture placeholder turns pink and the selected picture appears within the placeholder area, release the mouse button to insert the picture into the picture placeholder.
10. You can also use this same technique to switch pictures within the scratch area with other existing pictures that appear in the page.