Word document with 300+ photos is very slow to edit and exports to a huge PDF. Best way to handle it?

Kacey Noms 25 Reputation points
2026-10-07T12:01:54.9633333+00:00

I write property inspection reports in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows 11. A typical report has 250 to 400 photos taken on a phone, inserted room by room in a two-column table with a written description next to each photo.

Two problems:

  1. Once the document passes roughly 150 photos, Word becomes very slow. Scrolling lags, typing in a table cell takes a second or two to appear, and it sometimes shows "Not Responding" while saving.
  2. Exporting to PDF gives a file of 80 to 150 MB, which is too big to email.

What I've already tried:

  • File > Options > Advanced > Image Size and Quality: default resolution set to 150 ppi, and "Discard editing data" ticked
  • Compress Pictures applied to all images
  • Saving as .docx, not .doc

The PDF is still large and Word still lags.

My questions:

  1. Is there a recommended way to handle this many images in one Word document? For example a specific resolution, linking images instead of embedding them, or a layout other than tables.
  2. Which PDF option gives the smallest file while keeping photos clear enough to show marks on walls and carpets? Standard or Minimum size, and Save As or Export?
  3. Would resizing photos before inserting them help, and if so, to what pixel width?

Word version: [File > Account > About Word]

Windows for business
Windows for business

A category covering Microsoft's enterprise and professional Windows solutions

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Answer accepted by question author
Rukshan edirisinghe 1,400 Reputation points
2026-10-07T12:04:51.34+00:00

Hi @Kacey Noms

A PDF that size usually means most of the photos are still at full phone resolution. Compress Pictures has "Apply only to this picture" ticked by default, so it's easy to end up compressing just one photo. Here's what I'd try:

  1. Save a copy of the report first, since deleting cropped areas can't be undone.
  2. Go to File > Options > Advanced. Next to Image Size and Quality, pick this report from the dropdown. Make sure "Do not compress images in file" is unticked and Default resolution is 150 ppi.
  3. Click any photo, then Picture Format > Compress Pictures. Untick "Apply only to this picture", tick "Delete cropped areas of pictures", choose 150 ppi, and click OK. Save the file.
  4. Go to File > Save As, choose PDF, and set Optimize for to "Minimum size (publishing online)". Check that wall marks and carpet stains are still clear before you send it.

Once the photos are really compressed, Word should also scroll and type much faster, since it has a lot less image data to handle.

How big is the .docx file itself right now, before you export it?

If this resolved your issue, please consider accepting it as the answer. If the PDF is still too big, let me know and I'll be happy to keep helping.

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  1. Kacey Noms 25 Reputation points
    2026-10-08T10:08:00.1433333+00:00

    Thanks Rukshan, that was it. "Apply only to this picture" was ticked, so I'd only been compressing one photo at a time.

    The .docx was [x] MB before. After compressing all photos at 150 ppi it's down to [x] MB, and the Minimum size PDF came out at [x] MB with marks on walls and carpets still clear. Word's much quicker to scroll and type in now as well.

    For anyone else doing inventory reports or similar photo-heavy documents, that tick box is the first thing to check.

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