How to Save Excel Chart as Image? 4 Simple Ways

(Note: This guide on how to save Excel chart as image is suitable for all Excel versions including Office 365)

There are a variety of ways you can represent the data in Excel. Representing data using pictorial representations like graphs and charts greatly improves the readability of the data and helps the user understand them in a better way. Depending on the type of data and your audience, you can choose from a variety of ways to represent the data.

When you insert the data and create a chart, that particular chart is limited only to the Excel file. If you want to refer to the chart or share it, you will have to send the whole Excel file.

In case you want to add the particular chart to a presentation or download the graph/chart for future references, you will need to save the Excel chart as an image.

In this article, I will tell you how to save Excel chart as image in 4 easy ways using an example.

You’ll Learn:

• Example
• How to Save Excel Chart as Image?
  • Using the Save As Picture Option
  • Copy and Paste the Excel Chart
  • By Taking a Screenshot
  • Save Multiple Charts Together

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Example 

Consider an example where an Excel sheet contains the data of a certain company. The tables give the profit percentage of the said company for a period of 10 years (2010-2020). For the representation of data, you might need to depict the data in the form of graphs or charts.

In this case, using a clustered column or a scatter plot will be the most suited choice of the chart to depict the data. Create a chart by selecting the data and navigating to the Insert main menu. Click on the chart. 

Let us choose the Scatter Plot to depict the data. The chart appears in the center of the sheet.

Now that we have a chart, let us see how to save the Excel chart as an image. You can save the chart as an image in the form of .jpg, .png, or .bmp.

How to Save Excel Chart as Image?

Using the Save As Picture Option

This is the easiest way to save Excel chart as image.

• Once you have populated the chart, right-click on the chart.

• Select Save As Picture.

• Once you click on this option, a new dialog box opens. 

• Choose the file location and file name where you want to save the data. Also, from the drop-down choose the file format of the image.

• Click on Save.

• This saves the Excel chart as an image in your local storage. Navigate to the file location and open and see the image.

This method gives you clear images irrespective of the size of the chart in the Excel sheet. 

Copy and Paste the Excel Chart

This is one of the traditional means to save any image. This method is mainly used when you have to attach an image to a mail, a Word document, or any other platform. 

One advantage of this method is that you can just copy and paste the image onto other platforms and even save them as an image if needed.

• Click on the chart.

• Then, right-click on the chart and click on Copy. Or, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C to copy the chart.

You can do this if you want to paste the image into any other platform such as PowerPoint or Word. Just open the desired application, right-click where you want to insert the image, and paste it as a Picture.

In case you want to save the Excel chart as an image, open any image creator/editor app. By default, Windows Paint is the most suitable one for this purpose. 

• Open Paint.

• Right-click and paste the copied chart or press Ctrl+V.

• Now, click on Save or press Ctrl+S.

• Choose the file location and rename the image. From the Save As type dropdown, choose the format you want to save the image. Click Save.

• This saves the image in the specified location. Navigate to the location and click on the image to view it. You can also copy or edit the image.

Customize the Dimensions of the Image

When you insert a chart, the chart tends to populate the center of the Excel sheet with default dimensions. If you copy, paste, and save the chart as an image with the same dimensions, the resolution will be less (as seen from the above image).

In some cases, the image might not be very clear to portray each data point and transition. In such cases, you can extend and resize the chart by using the anchor points in the Excel sheet. You can then copy and paste the chart into Paint and save the Excel chart as an image.

When you paste the file onto the Paint canvas, the dimensions of the canvas automatically change to fit the image. If you want white spaces around the image to add text or arrows, you can extend the canvas and then save the image. 

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By Taking a Screenshot

Another way to save Excel chart as an image is to take a screenshot of the chart and crop them as you wish. This would be helpful in several places, where you might have to showcase the chart along with the data, but without attaching the file.

• To take a screenshot and crop it, first, open the Excel worksheet with the chart.

• Open the Snipping Tool application. You can find it in the start menu. 

• Click on the New icon to create a new snip. 

• Using the left mouse button, drag and select the region you want to convert as an image.

• Once you leave the mouse button, the selected region shows up in a new window. You can edit the image and then save the image.

Save Multiple Charts Together

In some cases, your Excel sheet might have more than one chart which depicts information. Although you can use the above methods to save Excel charts as images, saving each image one after the other might be a bit challenging. 

In such cases, you can save all the charts as images at the same time.

• Navigate to File and click on Save As.

• In the Save As pane, choose the file location and rename the image. In the file type dropdown, click on Web Page( *.htm, *.html). 

• Click on Save.

• Now, navigate to the saved file location and open the folder. You will find all the charts saved as images.

Note: Apply any changes you make to the image when you save them using the Chart Design or Format option. So, make sure you make all the necessary changes to the chart and then save them.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Closing Thoughts

Converting graphs and charts into images greatly increases the usability of the statistics across different platforms and helps for any future references. 

In this article, we saw how to save Excel chart as image in 4 easy ways along with an example. Depending on your usage, you can either choose to save the image from the Save As option, take a screenshot, or save multiple charts together. Each method has its advantages and functionalities. Choose the method that suits you the best.

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Simon Sez IT has been teaching Excel and other business software for over ten years. For a low, monthly fee you can get access to 140+ IT training courses. 

Simon Calder

Chris “Simon” Calder was working as a Project Manager in IT for one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious cultural institutions, LACMA.He taught himself to use Microsoft Project from a giant textbook and hated every moment of it. Online learning was in its infancy then, but he spotted an opportunity and made an online MS Project course - the rest, as they say, is history!