How to use Insert Data from Picture feature in Excel

You can capture an image of a printed data table and import its information into Microsoft Excel via Insert Data from Picture feature in the Excel Mobile app. Microsoft Excel supports an interesting feature in its mobile app. It lets users capture and record data tables from paper, right into the app. This post details steps to use Insert Data from Picture feature in Excel mobile app to convert any data table into an Excel table via a Smartphone.

Insert Data from Picture feature in Excel mobile app

‘Insert Data from Picture’ is a special feature in the Excel mobile app for Android and iOS. It allows you to snap a picture of the data present in rows and columns on a paper and convert it into editable table data. To use the feature,

Access Insert Data from Picture option
Capture and resize the image
Process Data and edit it

How does ‘Insert Data from Picture’ feature works? The tool sends the picture to its online image-recognition engine to process words or numbers captured from the sheet of paper. It also gives options to fix possible errors or make changes before importing data into a sheet.

What makes this feature unique is that a similar feature for Google Sheets does not exist.

1] Access Insert Data from Picture option

If you have Excel mobile app installed on your Smartphone, open the app and tap the ‘Insert data from picture’ button to get started.

2] Capture and resize the image

The second step is to narrow in on your data until you see it surrounded by a red border, then tap the capture button. Use the sizing handles around the edges of the image to crop the image to the desired size and capture only the relevant data.

3] Process data and edit it

Once done with the above step, Excel’s powerful AI engine will process the image and convert it to a table. When data is imported for the first time, you’ll get an option to correct any issues found in the conversion process.

Tap Ignore to move on to the next issue, or Edit to correct the issue.