Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Inserting a Picture in Your Worksheet.

Inserting a Picture in Your Worksheet

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 3, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021

Excel allows you to insert a wide range of picture (graphic) types in your worksheets. You can insert the following types:

Picture Type Filename Extension
Compressed Windows Enhanced Metafile EMZ
Compressed Macintosh PICT PCZ
Compressed Windows Metafile WMZ
Computer Graphics Metafile CGM
Encapsulated PostScript EPS
Graphics Interchange Format GIF
JPEG File Interchange Format JPG, JPEG, JFIF, JPE
Macintosh PICT PCT, PICT
Portable Network Graphics PNG
Scalable Vector Graphics SVG
Tagged Image File Format TIF, TIFF
Windows Bitmap BMP, DIB, RLE
Windows Enhanced Metafile EMF
Windows Metafile WMF
WordPerfect Graphics WPG

This list looks very inclusive, but you may not be able to insert all of these on your system. The graphic files you can actually import depends on which import filters you installed. (They were installed when you installed Excel or Office.)

To insert a picture in your workbook, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure the Insert tab of the ribbon is displayed.
  2. Click the Picture tool. Excel displays the Insert Picture dialog box.
  3. Using the drop-down list to the right of the File Name field, choose the type of graphics file you want to insert.
  4. Use the controls in the dialog box to locate and choose a filename for the picture you want to insert.
  5. Click on Insert.

Excel inserts the picture. You can then use the Format tab of the ribbon to make formatting changes to the image.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7760) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Inserting a Picture in Your Worksheet.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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