6 Fixes for “This Image Cannot Currently Be Displayed” Error in Microsoft Word

Quick Tips

• Using the Draft or Outline view in Word can prevent images or graphics from loading, so avoid using these views.
• Ensure that you haven’t enabled the picture placeholder option in Microsoft Word.
• If images are not loading in a specific Word document, try repairing the document.

Fix 1: Use the “In Line With Text” Option for Wrap Text

A common reason images might not appear in your Word document is if you use a wrapping style other than “In Line with Text.” Right-click on the image box showing the error, go to Wrap Text, and select In Line with Text from the sub-menu to fix the problem.

Fix 2: Change the View Type

Using the Draft or Outline view in Word can also prevent the program from loading images or graphics. You can change the view type in Microsoft Word to see if that resolves the issue.

Open your Word document > click the View tab at the top > select the Print Layout or Web Layout option. After that, Word should display images.

Fix 3: Disable Picture Placeholders and Enable Drawings and Text Boxes

When you enable the picture placeholders option, Word replaces images and graphics in your documents with empty boxes. Microsoft Word may show errors like “This image cannot currently be displayed” or “This picture can’t be displayed” if you have restricted it from displaying drawings and text boxes. Here’s how to change that.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word on your PC and click the File menu at the top left.

Step 2: Select Options from the left sidebar.

Step 3: In the Word Options window, switch to the Advanced tab from the sidebar > scroll down and uncheck the Show picture placeholders box.

Step 4: Check the box for Show drawings and text boxes on screen and click OK.

Fix 4: Disable Draft Quality

Enabling the draft quality option can result in Word loading your document in a simplified format. While this option helps you review the text without distractions, it also prevents Word from loading images in your document. To avoid that, use these steps to turn off draft quality.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word on your PC and go to File > Options.

Step 2: In the Advanced tab, scroll to the Print section and uncheck Use draft quality. Then, click OK.

Fix 5: Repair the Problematic File

If the “This image cannot currently be displayed” error only appears in a specific document, there may be an issue with the Word file itself. You can use the built-in document repair option in Word to fix the problem.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word and click the File menu at the top.

Step 2: Select Open from the left sidebar and click Browse.

Step 3: Locate and select your Word file. Then, click the downward arrow next to Open and select Open and Repair.

Fix 6: Run the Office Repair Tool

If all else fails, some essential files related to Office apps may have become corrupted. So, you may also see this error in other Office apps. You can run the Office repair tool by following the steps below to fix this.

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Type appwiz.cpl in the box > press Enter.

Step 2: Locate and select the Microsoft Office suite on the list. Then, click the Change button at the top.

Step 3: Select Online Repair > hit Repair.