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If you have data from a physical source that you want to add to Excel, you have the option to take a photo, save it to your computer, and load the data into your sheet to save time.
The feature that was first introduced for Mac and mobile devices is now available in Excel for Windows. It’s ideal for data in tables, receipts, or finances that you want to analyze and manipulate with Excel functions. Instead of typing the data manually, let’s see how to load it from an image.
Load data from an image
You can insert data from an image file saved on your device or available on your clipboard.
Select the sheet you want to use and go to the Data tab. Click the From Image dropdown menu. To insert a saved image, choose “Image from File” or to insert one from your clipboard, choose “Image from Clipboard”.
If you choose an image from your device, locate your image, select it and choose “Insert”. If you choose one from your clipboard, it automatically starts loading.
A sidebar should open on the right hand side of the spreadsheet showing the progress as the data is being extracted.
When it’s done, you’ll see the image at the top of the sidebar with the data below it.
Review and edit image data
You may need to make slight modifications to the data if it did not import correctly. This may include certain sets of symbols or even letters and numbers. You’ll see these fields shaded pink, but you can also edit them gray as needed.
When you select a field in the table, you’ll also see that section highlighted on your image.
Choose a field in the table that you want to edit, make your change in the box that appears, and click “OK” to adjust the data.
Alternatively, you can scroll through each field one at a time by clicking “Review”. You will then see each highlighted field open one by one so you can make your changes. Click “OK” when done with each edit to move on to the next.
Insert the image data
When you have reviewed and edited all the necessary image data, you can select “Insert Data” in the sidebar to place the data in your spreadsheet. You may then see a notice informing you that you are responsible for the accuracy of the data. Click “Insert data” to continue.
The data then appears in your spreadsheet and the sidebar closes. From there, you can manipulate or make any additional changes you want to the data in your sheet.
Having the ability to load data from an image into Excel is a great alternative to replicating the data manually.
For more ways to save time in Excel, see how to use themes for colors and fonts or how to create chart templates that you can reuse.
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