Learn how to insert any file into your Excel workbook on Windows in simple and easy steps.
Did you know you can directly embed or insert files, not just link to them, within your Excel workbook? While this is not often the case, there may be situations where direct embedding, rather than a link, is what you need. For example, I recently started tracking specific kinds of receipts and wanted to include the receipt PDFs in the Excel file so that I can access them whenever I want, without having to search the local or cloud drives.
Like me, if you ever need to insert files into Excel, we can use the built-in Insert Object option to quickly import any file for embedding. In this quick and straightforward guide, I will show you the steps to embed, attach, or insert files into an Excel file. Let’s get started.
Good to know: How to insert a picture into Excel
Steps To Insert a File Into Excel
- Open the Excel file in which you want to insert a file.
- Click the “Insert” tab on the top bar.
- Click the “Object” option under the “Text” section.
- Go to the “Create from file” tab.
- Click the “Browse” button.
- Select the file you want to insert and click “Insert“.
- Uncheck the “Link to file” checkbox.
- (Optional) Uncheck the “Display as icon” checkbox.
- Click “OK“.
- With that, you’ve inserted a file into Excel. You can resize and move the file cell as needed.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, open the Excel file in which you want to insert or embed a file. You can do that by double-clicking the Excel file itself or by opening the Excel application and then using the Open dialog (Ctrl + O).
Once the Excel file opens, click the “Insert” tab on the top ribbon menu. Next, click the “Object” option in the “Text” section. If you didn’t find this option, search for “Insert Object” in the top search bar, “Tell me what you want to do”.
The above action opens the “Object” dialog. Here, go to the “Create from file” tab and click the “Browse” button.
Now, browse and select the file you want to insert into Excel and click the “Insert” button.
Next, uncheck both “Link to file” and “Display as icon” checkboxes. After that, click the “OK” button.
That is it. As soon as you click the “OK” button, the file is inserted into the Excel file.
Following this same steps, you can add however many files you want. If necessary, you can move the file cell to a new location by dragging it with your mouse. Additionally, you can also resize the cell size.
If you no longer want a specific file, simply select it and press the “Delete” key on your keyboard to remove the inserted file.
That is all. It is that simple to insert a file into Excel. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
