How to Display Cell Contents or Range in a Graphic Object in Excel

Have you ever wanted to display cell contents or ranges in graphic objects, such as shapes or pictures, in Excel? Maybe you want to create a more visually appealing report, or you want to add some comments or notes to your data.

Whatever your reason, you can do it easily by using the Linked Picture or Text Box feature in Excel. In this article, Bardimin will show you how to do it with easy-to-follow steps.

Using Linked Pictures

The Linked Picture feature allows you to copy a cell or range as an image, and link it to the original cell or range. This means that if you change the value or format of the original cell or range, the linked image will update automatically. Here’s how to use this feature:

1. Select the cells or ranges that you want to display in the graphic object.
2. Press Ctrl+C to copy the cell or range.
3. Select the Home tab in the Ribbon, and then click Paste > Linked Picture. You can also press Ctrl+Alt+V and select Linked Picture from the Paste Special dialog box.
4. Drag and drop the linked picture to the location you want on the worksheet. You can resize and rotate the image to your liking.
5. If you want to change the cell or range linked to the picture, right-click on the image and select Edit Link. You can enter a new cell or range reference in the Edit Links dialog box.

Here’s an example of a cell displayed using the Linked Picture feature:

Using Text Box

The Text Box feature allows you to add text boxes to your worksheet, and link them to specific cells. This means that if you change the value or format of the linked cell, the text box will update automatically. Here’s how to use this feature:

1. Select the Insert tab in the Ribbon, and then click Text Box. You can also press Alt+N+X as a keyboard shortcut.
2. Drag and drop the cursor on the worksheet to create a text box. You can resize and rotate the text box to your liking.
3. Click on the text box to select it, then click on Formula Bar. Enter an equal sign (=) and reference the cell that you want to link to the text box, and then press Enter. For example, if you want to link a text box to cell A1, enter =A1 in Formula Bar.
4. If you want to change the cell linked to the text box, click on the text box to select it, and then change the cell reference in Formula Bar.

Here is an example of a cell displayed in a text box using the Text Box feature:

Conclusion

In this article, you have learned how to display cell contents or range in graphic objects in Excel, using the Linked Picture or Text Box feature. Both of these features can help you create more visually appealing reports, or add some comments or notes to your data.

You can also change the cells or ranges linked to the graphic object at any time, and the graphic object will update automatically. Hope you find this article useful. Thanks for reading.