Easily Embed Documents and Files in an Excel Spreadsheet

Quickly insert any document into a cell in your workbook

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: March 21, 2024

You can embed documents into your Excel project so anyone viewing that spreadsheet can access the other document. Embedding a file in your spreadsheet can be useful when you're reporting trends with in-depth research. This wikiHow will show you how to embed documents into your Excel project in a few short steps.

Quickly Embed a File in an Excel Spreadsheet

Click the cell into which you want to embed the document.
Open the Insert tab and click Object.
On the Create from File tab, click Browse and select the document.
Check the box next to "Display as icon" and click OK.

Steps

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Click the cell into which you want to insert the object. Whenever people view this cell, they will see the embedded document and can double-click on it to open that document.
- This method works for newer versions of Excel on either PC or Mac.
You'll find this in the ribbon above the document editor or at the top of your screen.

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This is the "Object" icon and can be found in the "Text" group. A box will pop up.
The tab will switch away from "Create New" and prompt you to use an already created file.
Your file browser (Finder for Mac and File Explorer for Windows) will open.
Only files you can use will display, like PowerPoints, PDFs, and Word documents.
If you select "Display as icon," you'll see the icon of the document appear in the cell; if you don't choose "Display as icon," the full first page of the document will appear. In either case, both embedded document displays will redirect to the full document when double-clicked.
You'll see this at the bottom right of the pop-up window. The document you selected will appear in the cell either as the full first-page document or icon.^{[1]
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