File Corruption & Recovery

Fix Text Disappearing After Adding Pictures to a Word Table

Ayan Masood Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to recover or reveal text that seemingly disappeared after inserting images into a table in a Word document.

How to Recover Text That Disappeared After Adding Pictures to a Word Table

Product: Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Formatting a document by inserting photos into a table.
Observed behavior: Existing text in the table becomes hidden, displaced, or appears deleted immediately after an image is inserted.

Before you start

Save a copy of your current document with a new name before attempting any recovery or formatting changes to ensure you do not overwrite existing data or lose your current progress.

Solution 1Recommended

Adjust Image Wrapping Settings

Often, the text is not actually deleted but merely displaced or hidden by the default 'In Line with Text' layout behavior.

When large images are inserted into table cells, they can push the text out of the visible cell boundaries or hide it behind the picture.

Select the image

Click on the newly inserted picture inside the table to reveal the Picture Format tools.

Open Wrap Text options

Right-click the image, hover over 'Wrap Text' in the context menu, and click on it.

Change the layout option

Select an option other than 'In Line with Text', such as 'Tight', 'Square', or 'Through'. This will allow the displaced text to flow around the image and become visible again.

Quick Check: If you are unsure where the text went, simply selecting the image and pressing 'Delete' temporarily will reveal if the text was just hidden. You can press Ctrl+Z (or Command+Z) to undo the deletion afterward.

Solution 2

Use the Undo Command

If the document is still open and the image was just inserted, instantly reversing the action is the fastest way to retrieve the text.

Solution 3

Restore from Version History or AutoRecovery

If the text was accidentally overwritten or deleted and the document has already been saved, restoring a previous version is necessary.

Professional Document Formatting

Fix Layout Issues Easily with WPS Office

WPS Writer offers intuitive image wrapping and table adjustment features, making it effortless to mix text and graphics without breaking your document layout.

1. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and open the document containing the problematic table.
2. Insert the image safely: Click inside the table cell, go to the 'Insert' tab, and choose 'Picture' to add your image.
3. Use quick layout tools: Click the floating 'Wrap Text' icon that appears right next to the inserted image to instantly change the wrapping style to 'Square' or 'Tight'.
4. Enable Auto-Backup: Go to 'Menu' > 'Settings' > 'Backup Setting' to ensure your text is safely backed up automatically while editing.

Advanced picture wrapping and positioning controlsSeamless compatibility with Microsoft Word .docx formatsBuilt-in local and cloud backup to prevent data lossCompletely free and lightweight office suite

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my text disappear when I insert an image in a table?

When an image is set to the default 'In Line with Text' layout or its physical size exceeds the table cell boundaries, it can push existing text entirely out of the visible cell area, making it look as though it has been deleted.

Will deleting the picture bring my text back?

Yes, if the text was merely hidden or displaced by the image's formatting rather than being highlighted and permanently overwritten, deleting the picture will instantly restore the text to its original, visible position.

How do I stop pictures from moving my text in Word?

To prevent layout shifts, insert your image, immediately click on it, and change the 'Wrap Text' setting from 'In Line with Text' to 'Tight' or 'Through'. Alternatively, you can lock the table cell dimensions in the Table Properties before inserting images.

Where is the AutoRecovery folder located?

On Windows, the AutoRecovery folder is typically located in 'C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\'. On Mac, it is generally found in the 'Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery' directory.

Document & File Issues