# Microsoft Office Application Help - Excel Help forum > Excel General >  >  How to insert a picture behind text?

## Augusta

Hi Folks,

I'm trying to add a picture to set as a background behind text & lines but having no joy. If I go to Page Layout > Background & select the file it produces multiple mini pictures. Also if I right click on the file itself, in the document, and look for Send to Back - it is grayed out.

I'm sure there is a simple explanation but I just can't find it!

Many thanks again for your help

ps I've attached the file

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## teylyn

Hello,

You can't. 

In Excel, you can select an image as a background for the WHOLE SHEET, which will then be tiled and look fairly awful.

You cannot insert an image as a background to a specific cell or a range of cells. 

Excel is a spreadsheet tool, not DTP software. It is great for calculations and a whole ream of other things, but not for fancy visual effects. If you need fancy effects to spice up a table of data, then use MS Publisher or MS Word. 

Also, why do you need a background image for your table? The image will distract from the data in the table? Is that what you want?

If you want to help your readers to understand your data table at a glance, keep glitz, decorations and unnecessary things like background images far, far away from it.

If you want to obscure your data, so the reader focuses more on the image than the data, then, by all means, go for it. 

It really depends whether you want to inform or disinform your audience. 

cheers,

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## Augusta

Oh, that's a shame ....thanks for your help.

It's a startsheet with a fairly transparent image, where the kids will be writing their names, but I take your point :-)

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## concretelackey

I'm glad this post caught my eye since I wanted to do something similar. In our inventory we have many items that are cataloged by item number only. When we need to find a specific item it can get confusing since some items of similar design have consectutive item numbers. At this point in time changing our inventory catalog to be more descriptive is out of the question. I was hoping that when hovering over an item number (or clicking a cell) that I could have a picture/image appear so that the person can actually see the item. 
As an example, say we inventory 5 types of shoes, item #s 123,234,345,456,567, is it possible to somehow link an image to each item, but not as a backround?

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## martindwilson

put the image in a comment.
Insert comment/ right click the border of the comment(not in the comment) then format comment/colors and lines tab/in the fill color dropdown choose fill effects/select picture tab and choose a picture./click ok/click ok again
it seems to work best with jpg rather than gif tho

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## koko1717

I have a similar problem. It is not that putting a picture would distract someone's eyes - I want to be able signing electronically estimates for example that are provided to me. For such reasons (for signing WORD 2013 documents) I have my signature picture which I often insert into a word document and then print to PDF and send.
Estimates and other calculated documents eventually are provided in excel and I am incapable of signing them likewise. Printing excel, signing, scanning and only then e-mailing is much less attractive in comparison to WORD document's processing described above.
Is there ANY solution for this issue?

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## arlu1201

koko1717,

Unfortunately you need to post your question in a new thread, it's against the forum rules to post a question in the thread of another user. If you create your own thread, any advice will be tailored to your situation so you should include a description of what you've done and are trying to do.  Also, if you feel that this thread is particularly relevant to what you are trying to do, you can surely include a link to it in your new thread.

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## BillBrand

If the data shown in front of the picture is static, and does not change, you can merge the picture and the data in a graphics program, such as Photoshop, save the results to an image file.  You can then paste that image file into your spreadsheet.Attachment 666992

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## KOKOSEK

> Oh, that's a shame ....thanks for your help.
> It's a startsheet with a fairly transparent image, where the kids will be writing their names, but I take your point :-)



Absolutely agree with teylyn.
Sometimes somebody (no offence) expected from excel features which excel has not been invented for.

Anyhow...

If you happy with something like below:

Capture.JPG

Check attached file.
That's simple solution which by picture covering your background picture displays data from another sheet.

EDIT: what a shame! I did not spot that original post is from 2012  :Mad:  :Confused: 

@BillBrand - create new thread, please. You've added post into thread from 2012!

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