Save as picture not always available in Excel

Question

Save as picture not always available in Excel

Dave Denz 0

Several charts (graphs) have been created in Excel, when right clicking on some, the option to "Save as picture" appears and, when clicked, saves a high resolution .png (1664 x 1081) file. The option however, appears for some but not all charts. All charts are on the same spreadsheet and all were created from the same data in the same way.

Any thoughts as to how to get "Save as picture" to appear when clicking on every chart?

Emi Zhang-MSFT 30,206 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2023-10-18T07:19:10.8033333+00:00

Hi,

Could you provide a sample about the chart type you cannot save as picture in Excel? I cannot reproduce your problem.

Please be a bit more precise to explain your requirement or you can upload a screenshot so that I can get more accurate solutions to this problem. I’m glad to help and follow up your reply.
Dave Denz 0 Reputation points

2023-10-19T14:38:29.81+00:00

Thanks Emi.

An image of one of the charts is (hopefully) attached. All charts are the same format with each company's data (the bars) being different. The two line charts are the same data for all. Charts use the same data table and are saved on the same Excel spread sheet. We have been able to "Save as Picture" for about 50% of the charts but cannot get that option to come up for the other 50%. We've had responses that suggested copying a chart, placing it in Paint and saving it as a .jpg, but that only generates a low-res file. Other responses suggested it could be differences in chart types, but all charts are the same format/type. We are working with an older version of Excel (resident on our laptops - not sure the version but about 4 years old). Any help you're able to provide would be welcomed.

3 answers

Your answer

Emi Zhang-MSFT 30,206 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2023-10-18T07:19:10.8033333+00:00

Hi,

Could you provide a sample about the chart type you cannot save as picture in Excel? I cannot reproduce your problem.

Please be a bit more precise to explain your requirement or you can upload a screenshot so that I can get more accurate solutions to this problem. I’m glad to help and follow up your reply.
Dave Denz 0 Reputation points

2023-10-19T14:38:29.81+00:00

Thanks Emi.

An image of one of the charts is (hopefully) attached. All charts are the same format with each company's data (the bars) being different. The two line charts are the same data for all. Charts use the same data table and are saved on the same Excel spread sheet. We have been able to "Save as Picture" for about 50% of the charts but cannot get that option to come up for the other 50%. We've had responses that suggested copying a chart, placing it in Paint and saving it as a .jpg, but that only generates a low-res file. Other responses suggested it could be differences in chart types, but all charts are the same format/type. We are working with an older version of Excel (resident on our laptops - not sure the version but about 4 years old). Any help you're able to provide would be welcomed.

Answer 1

I haven't scrolled through to the end to see if anyone has found this potential workaround, so here is what I've been able to do to make an quality image from a "Copy as Picture" in Excel.

Copy whatever cells you want to make into an image.
Small box opens to select Appearance and Format (I chose "As shown on screen" & "Picture") - OK when done.
Open PowerPoint, and paste content into a blank PowerPoint slide, then add any additional details to your liking.
Save Process:

FILE >
EXPORT >
CHANGE FILE TYPE (choose Image File Type - Important!) >
SAVE AS >
BROWSE (for save location) >
CHOOSE FILE NAME >
TOOLS (option to the left of SAVE button) >
COMPRESS PICTURES ( this is where you select the image quality from 96 ppi to 330 ppi+)

I opened the image with the Windows Image app and cropped to my preference with no noticeable degredation in quality form the original save.

Answer 2

The answer provided was deficient in several areas: 1) saving a chart into either Paint or a .pdf provides only a low-resolution image. "Save as picture" (when available) produces a high-resolution image - needed. 2) answer indicates that a difference in the complexity of graphs may make some too complicated to convert. All charts are simple compound bar/line charts with 5 bars and 2 lines. 3) it appears some have had the same problem when switching from a laptop to a desktop. Not the case here. Same computer and program used for all.

It's hard to believe this is a unique issue in 2023. Would appreciate anyone's help.

Answer 3

Vahid Ghafarpour 23,605

Certain chart types in Excel, such as PivotCharts, 3D charts, and specific specialized charts, may not support the "Save as picture" feature. Additional elements, like text boxes, shapes, or other objects, can affect the "Save as picture" feature.

Dave Denz 0 Reputation points

2023-10-17T16:52:10.75+00:00

Thanks Vahid. There are a dozen charts each for a different company, but the chart is the same for all and is a very simple bar/line combination. If the "Save as picture" feature is available (and works) for one, there's shouldn't be a reason it doesn't work for all. The lack of detail in identifying the issue is the frustration. There's no explanation offered for the problem.