If you’re like most people, you probably use Microsoft Excel to track data and graphs. But what if you want to create images of those graphs or data? That’s where the IMAGE() function comes in. The IMAGE() function takes a single argument: an image file. It will create a new image file based on the given input, or it will open the given input and return a new image file. Here’s an example: This is a screenshot of my spreadsheet with all my data plotted out in columns and rows. The image below shows how the IMAGE() function would create an image of that spreadsheet: The first thing that happens when you call the IMAGE() function is that Excel opens the given input file and starts plotting out all of the data in that file. The second thing that happens is that Excel returns a new image file based on that opened input. So if you want to create an image of your spreadsheet with all your data plotted out in columns and rows, just call the IMAGE() function!
Microsoft Excel has supported inserting images into spreadsheets for years, but they floated above the sheet instead of appearing in cells. That’s finally changing.
Microsoft is now testing a new function in Excel, called IMAGE, which returns an image within a cell. Unlike the existing method of inserting an image (from the Insert tab), the new function keeps the image inside the cell, so it can stay in its intended place as you adjust rows and columns.
The new IMAGE function imports an image from a specified URL, which can be in BMP, JPG/JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, ICO, or WebP format. You can optionally set an alt text (alternative text) value, which is helpful for screen readers and other accessibility tools. The width and height can be defined in pixels, or you can pick from three other options — fit the image with its aspect ratio, fit the image ignoring the aspect ratio, or maintain the original size (which could exceed the cell boundary).
Images are already invaluable for Excel spreadsheets, especially to illustrate example inputs, mathematical models, and other data. The ability to insert images directly into cells is especially helpful for anyone creating templates and documents that need to look more like a web page or Word document. You can also spruce up your monthly budget sheet with a few relevant memes.
The IMAGE function is now available in Beta Channel builds for Office Insiders on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android. Once all the problems are ironed out, Microsoft will roll it out to everyone — except people using Excel on a computer without a Microsoft 365 subscription, since new features usually don’t roll out to non-subscription apps.
Source: Microsoft
