While working with Excel, you may be required to attach other files inside the spreadsheet. Inserting files or objects in Excel acts as an external reference. Maybe you want to add an external source that is in the form of a pdf that you can open by just clicking it on the workbook.
In this tutorial, we will discuss different ways in which you can insert attachments in Excel. Read to the end if you want to find out how to insert Word, PDF, Excel, and other files into Excel
How to attach existing files In Excel
1. Launch your Excel file that you wish to attach files
2. Click on the Insert tab
3. Click on the Text drop-down menu, then click on Object. This will launch a new dialog box
4. Click Create from the File Tab
5. Next, click on Browse to select the file that you wish to attach to the Excel Workbook
6. Select the file you wish to attach and click on Insert
7. Tick display as Icon. When you click on this Icon, it will launch your document.
8. Click on ok
9. Congratulations. Your file will now be attached as an object
10. Repeat the same process to attach as many files as you wish
How to attach new Files in Excel
Apart from attaching Existing files, you can create and attach new files inside Excel. Here are the steps.
1. Open the Excel file you wish to attach other files
2. Click on Insert Tab, then click on the Text Drop-down Menu.
3. Click on Object to launch a pop-up window
4. Under the pop-up window, click on create a New tab
5. Under the object type, scroll down and select your preferred file. Some of the options available include PowerPoint Slide, Microsoft Word Document, WordPad Document, and Open Document Chart.
6. Tick display as Icon to link back to the document every time you click on the Icon
7. Click ok to apply changes
8. Microsoft Excel will create an Icon for the file you have just created, then open the file so that you can edit.
Similar Read: How to insert a picture in Excel behind the text (Easy Guide)
How to attach Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents in Excel
Are you looking to attach Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that update automatically? Since all these are office tools, you can embed and attach other on either platform. You can embed these documents into Excel and view real-time updates from the connected documents.
1. Launch the Excel file that you wish to embed in Word, PowerPoint, or another Excel file.
2. Click on Insert, and then click on the Text drop-down arrow.
3. Now click on Object to launch a new pop-up window.
4. Under this pop-up window, click on the Create from File tab
5. Click browse to select your file in the file manager.
6. Lastly, click ok, and your file will appear like this
7. When you update the file origin and click save, it will be automatically updated in Excel.
As we have discussed above, there are two ways of attaching a file in Excel. One is just linking it using the Icon, and the other one is embedding it as a file. To attach the file as a link, all you need to do is tick the “display as Icon” option. However, if you wish to embed the file, tick the option “link to file.”
Similar Read: How to Insert a Signature in Excel behind Text
How to attach PDF file in Excel
1. Launch the Excel file that you wish to attach a PDF file
2. Click on Insert, and then click on the Text drop-down arrow.
3. Now click on Object to launch a new pop-up window.
4. Under this pop-up window, choose create from file
5. Click browse to select your PDF file in the file manager.
5. Tick both links to the file and display them as Icon Checkboxes
6. Lastly, click ok, and your file will be attached to the Excel file.
7. To open the PDF file from the Excel file, just click on the PDF object twice. A new dialog box will show up.
8. Click open to launch the PDF file.
Final Thoughts
Attaching a file in Excel is easy. All you need to do is add the file as an object. After adding the file in Excel, you can open it from Excel by clicking its Icon. Additionally, you can embed a file such as a Word, PowerPoint, or another Excel file that updates automatically.
