Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. 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: Capturing a Screen.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 14, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365
There may be times when you need to include a screen shot within your Excel worksheet. Windows makes it rather easy to capture a screen shot. In fact, there are a few ways you can do it. These tips (from our sister WindowsTips website) will help you track down the method that is best for your needs:
https://tips.net/T12560 https://tips.net/T11884 https://tips.net/T12558
If the method you choose results in the screen shot being in the Clipboard, you can then paste it directly into your Excel worksheet. If, instead, the method results in a file being saved to disk, you can place the graphic file into a workbook just as you would any other graphic file.
If you prefer to edit the image before placing it in Excel, you can use your favorite graphic editing program to do the changes. Save the screen short in a graphics file (if your capture method doesn't do it automatically), do the editing, save the edited graphic, and then place it into your worksheet.
You should understand that once the screen is placed in your workbook, you can move and manipulate it the same as any other graphic. Also note that adding quite a few graphics to your worksheet can dramatically increase the size of the file in which your workbook is saved.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12512) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Capturing a Screen.
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2018-01-29 04:52:38
David Robinson
One thing to add is you can prevent your files becoming too large by setting an appropriate resolution for your image. Once you've pasted it into Excel, get it the size you want, and then go to the "Picture Tools" format ribbon. Then you can select "Compress pictures" and set the resolution you want. If the image in your Excel file is smaller than the original screenshot (I usually find they are), this will strip out the redundant detail and give a smaller file size.
Frankly, I often get the image smaller than I want, compress it to minimize file size, and then enlarge it a bit, and it still looks okay.
2018-01-27 17:21:55
Alex B
The absolute fastest way to get a screen shot into any of your MS Office applications is to put the Screen Clipping tool on your quick access toolbar (QAT).
Screen Clipping lets you select an area, if you regularly want a screen shot of the whole applications also put the Screen Capture tool on the QAT (similar result to the Windows Alt+Print Screen, but in one step)
What I found to be the most challenging in the past was capturing the drop down menus.
You can do it using the standard windows snipping tool but it's a bit long to explain here, see:-
https://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/use-the-windows-snipping-tool-to-capture-popup-menus/
Prior to this I would have OneNote running and use Win+S to capture the drop down menu (easier if you have options set to either default to copy to clipboard or not default option so it asks you to send to OneNote or copy to clipboard)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. 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:
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