How to Insert an Image in a Cell in Google Sheets

Images are a great way to improve a presentation. Inserting a photo into a Google sheets workbook could help you grab a reader’s attention. Let’s say you have a bunch of snaps taken on a trip, and you’d like to arrange these in order with information in the form of a table. Here’s where the need for inserting a picture into a Google sheet steps in. This post will guide you on how to insert an image in a cell in the Google Sheets workbook.

How to Insert an Image in a Cell in Google Sheets

There are a couple of ways using which you could insert a new image into a cell. The first method involves making use of the Insert tab, while the other utilizes Formulas.

• Quickly Insert an Image into a Cell
• Utilize Excel Formulae and the Image function

Make sure to experiment to see how the picture fits well.

Quickly Insert an Image into a Cell

The quickest way to insert an image into a cell – is to head over to the Insert tab. However, this method has its own cons – the biggest of them being the inability to fit and scale images. Therefore, make sure that the picture is sized and scaled correctly before inserting the image.

1. Start by clicking on any blank cell in a Google sheets workbook and navigate to the Insert tab.
2. Now, choose Image > Image in Cell from the drop-down.
3. This will open the Insert Image Click on the Browse icon in the center of the screen and upload the file you’d like to insert. Alternatively, you could also click a picture from your webcam from the Camera tab, choose a file from a URL, select a photo from Google Drive or search for a photo on Google.
4. Once you’ve selected an image, click on Insert to make the changes live.
5. With this, you’ll notice the image being inserted into the cell. You can resize the width of the row or column to scale the images automatically.

Utilize Excel Formulae and the Image function

You can also use the Image function instead of directly embedding. This method offers additional flexibility over the quick Insert functionality to insert an image that is available online. Here’s how to go around with the Image function in Google Sheets.

1. Open a new spreadsheet, navigate to the Insert tab, and choose Insert > Function > Google > Image.
2. This will bring open a new pop-up window with the syntax of the Image function and its parameters. The syntax looks something like this – =IMAGE(URL, [mode], [height], [width])
3. Here’s what each of the parameters means and how you can go around trying them out.
   • URL – This is where you have to insert the URL of the image you’d like to insert. It could be something like this: “https://websitename/insertimageincell.png”. (Note that it doesn’t accept Google Drive links or images in an SVG format).
   • As for the Mode parameter, there are four options you can play around with.
     • 1: Upon being selected, the image is resized automatically to fit inside the cell’s dimensions. This happens without disturbing the aspect ratio of the picture.
     • 2: The number two stretches or shrinks the image to fit the cell entirely. Note that this could end up with an abnormal aspect ratio.
     • 3: The third one ensures that the image is kept in its original size. You will have to manually adjust the cell’s dimensions (that is, width and height) as per your preferences.
     • 4: The final one lets you use custom dimensions for your image.

Here’s an example of a complete function with parameters passed

 =IMAGE("https://websitename/insertimageincell.png", 1)

Is It Possible to Embed an Image inside a Cell in Google Sheets?

Yes, it is possible to embed an image inside a cell in Google Sheets. Here’s a quick way to go around with it: Spreadsheet > Insert Tab > Image > Image in Cell > Choose Image.

How Can I Add a Picture over the Cell in Google Sheets?

To add a picture over the cells, rather than in them, here’s what you need to do. Spreadsheet > Insert Tab > Image > Image over Cell > Choose Image.

How Can We Resize Images in a Cell in Google Sheets?

To resize and fit images in a cell, use the Image function and pass the parameters discussed above. Though it is always a good idea to resize it properly before inserting the image.

That said, how often do you insert an image in a cell in a Google Sheets spreadsheet? Do let us know by dropping a comment down below.