How to Upgrade Microsoft Photo Editor

Microsoft Photo Editor was a native Microsoft Office component that automatically came with every copy of Microsoft Office XP and earlier. It allowed you to make basic edits to images and include them in Microsoft Word documents. As of Office 2003, Microsoft replaced Photo Editor with Office Picture Manager, which has more limited image editing capabilities. Microsoft maintains a list of Photo Editor features not included in Picture Manager, such as the sharpen tool and the ability to create transparency. Upgrading to Office Picture Manager requires updating your current version of Microsoft Office.

Instructions

1. Purchase an upgrade to Microsoft Office 2003 or later from Microsoft, whether online from the Microsoft website or in a store that sells retail computer software.

2. Download the software file if you purchased it from the Microsoft website.

3. Open and run the upgrade software if you downloaded it from the website. Insert the CD and follow the on-screen installation wizard if you purchased a physical upgrade product.

4. Select "Office Picture Editor" if you select the "Custom" installation process and have to manually choose which components to install.

5. Launch Picture Manager by click "Start" "All Programs" "Microsoft Office" "Microsoft Office Tools" and then "Microsoft Office Picture Manager."

Tips & Warnings

• For more advanced image editing capabilities, consider a program such as Microsoft Publisher or Adobe Photoshop Elements.

References

• Microsoft Office Support: What Happened to Photo Editor?
• Microsoft Support: Photo Editor Is Removed When You Install Office 2003, Office 2007, or Office 2010
• Microsoft Support: About Picture Manager

Resources

• Microsoft Store: Photo Editing Software
• Microsoft Support: List of Photo Editor Features That Are Not Available in Picture Manager