The Excel node's media operation lets you embed an image into a specific location on a spreadsheet sheet — useful for inserting logos, charts exported as images, QR codes, or other visual assets into automated reports before they are stored or distributed.
Overview
Insert image into Excel sheet takes an image file and places it at a specified cell position on a named sheet of an Excel workbook. You control where the image is anchored, and optionally its rendered width and height. The image is embedded in the workbook file itself, so it travels with the file when it is stored or sent. This operation works on XLSX files; use the Format Conversion operations to upgrade a workbook to XLSX beforehand if needed.
Excel Media node interface
Operations
Operation | Description | Key inputs |
|---|---|---|
Insert image into Excel sheet | Embeds an image file into a specified cell position on a sheet of an Excel workbook. The image is anchored to the target cell and can be sized using explicit width and height values. | File, Sheet name, Image file, Cell position, Width, Height |
Excel Media node showing the Insert image into Excel sheet operation selected
Input
Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
File | File reference | Yes | The Excel workbook into which the image will be embedded. Must be in XLSX format. |
File Type | String | Yes | Type/extension of the Excel file. Accepted values: XLSX, XLS. Defaults to XLSX. |
Sheet name | String | Yes | Name of the sheet where the image will be placed. Sheet names are case-sensitive. |
Image Input Type | String | Yes | Choose how to provide the image. Accepted values: Base64, File Object. Defaults to Base64. |
Image file | File reference | Yes | The image to embed. Supported formats include PNG and JPEG. Pass the image as a file object from an earlier node in the automation. |
Base64 Image | String | Conditional | Base64-encoded image string. Required when Image Input Type is set to Base64. |
Image Mimetype | String | Yes | Mimetype of the image. Accepted values: PNG, JPEG. Defaults to PNG. |
Anchor Mode | String | No | Where to place the image on the sheet. Accepted values: After last row (places at column A in the row after the last data row), After last column (places at row 1 in the column after the last data column), Specific cell (uses the row and column you provide). Defaults to After last row. |
Cell position | String | Yes | The cell to anchor the top-left corner of the image to, in standard Excel notation (e.g. B2, A1). The image is placed starting from this cell. |
Anchor Row | Integer | Conditional | Row index (0-based) for the top-left corner of the image. Required when Anchor Mode is set to Specific cell. |
Anchor Column | String | Conditional | Column letter for the top-left corner of the image (e.g. A, B, AA). Required when Anchor Mode is set to Specific cell. |
Sizing Mode | String | No | How the image is sized after insertion. Accepted values: Original size (keeps the native image dimensions), Scale factor (applies a multiplier to the original size), Span N x M cells (fits the image inside a specified number of columns and rows). Defaults to Original size. |
Width | Integer | No | Rendered width of the image in pixels. If omitted, the image is inserted at its natural width. |
Height | Integer | No | Rendered height of the image in pixels. If omitted, the image is inserted at its natural height. Specify both width and height together to scale the image to a fixed size. |
Scale Factor | Number | Conditional | Multiplier applied to the original image size (e.g. 1.0 = 100%, 0.5 = 50%). Required when Sizing Mode is set to Scale factor. |
Span Columns | Integer | Conditional | Number of columns the image should span. Required when Sizing Mode is set to Span N x M cells. |
Span Rows | Integer | Conditional | Number of rows the image should span. Required when Sizing Mode is set to Span N x M cells. |
Replace existing image at anchor | Boolean | No | If enabled, removes any image already anchored at the same cell before inserting the new one. Only effective for XLSX files; XLS files keep existing pictures. Defaults to enabled. |
Excel Media node Input tab showing file, sheet name, image file, cell position, width, and height configured
Output
Returns the updated workbook as a file object, with the image embedded on the specified sheet. The image is stored inside the workbook file — no external reference is used — so the image travels with the file when it is stored or sent to another system.
Excel Media node Output tab showing the updated workbook with embedded image
Notes
Image insertion requires the workbook to be in XLSX format. If the source file is XLS or XLSB, use Convert Excel file format to convert it to XLSX before inserting the image.
The image is anchored to the specified cell. If rows or columns above or to the left of the anchor are added or removed after insertion, the image position relative to the sheet data may shift. Fix the anchor cell to a stable reference point in the sheet layout.
If both width and height are specified, the image is scaled to those exact dimensions. If only one dimension is provided, the image is scaled proportionally. If neither is provided, the image appears at its natural size.
Images are embedded directly in the workbook file. Large or high-resolution images will increase the file size accordingly. Resize or compress images upstream if file size is a concern.
To insert images on multiple sheets or at multiple positions, chain multiple Insert image operations, each receiving the file output of the previous step.
XLSX required: The Insert image operation requires an XLSX workbook. If you are building a workbook from scratch in this automation, use XLSX as the format when creating it. If your source file is in another format, run Convert Excel file format first.