Open Excel and position your cursor

Launch Excel and open the workbook where you want the PDF to live. Click on the cell where you want the top-left corner of the PDF object or icon to appear. If you are adding the PDF to a dashboard or report, pick a spot that does not overlap with important data.

Your cursor position matters because the object will anchor to that cell. If you move or sort rows later, the PDF will move with the cell. Choose a stable location on your sheet before you insert anything.

Open the Object menu

Go to the Insert tab on the Excel ribbon. Look for the Text group on the far right. Click the Object button. A small dialog box will open with two tabs: Create New and Create from File.

If you do not see the Object button, your Excel window may be too narrow. Widen the window or click the small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Text group to reveal hidden commands.

You can ignore the Create New tab for now. That tab creates blank files in other formats, like Word or PowerPoint. You want the Create from File tab.

Browse for your PDF file

Click the Create from File tab. Then click the Browse button. A standard file explorer window will open. Navigate to the PDF you want to insert, select it, and click Insert or Open.

After you select the file, the dialog box will show the full file path in the File name box. Before you click OK, decide which of the two options you need:

Link to file: Tick this checkbox if you want Excel to store only a reference to the original PDF. The Excel file stays small, but if you move the PDF or delete it, the link breaks.

Display as icon: Tick this checkbox if you want to show a small PDF icon instead of the first page of the document. This is tidy for reports where readers just need to download the PDF.

Leave both checkboxes unticked if you want the first page of the PDF to appear as a live preview inside your workbook. That option embeds the entire PDF behind the scenes.

Choose your display option and confirm

Now you have four possible combinations. Pick the one that matches your goal:

No checkboxes ticked: Embeds the full PDF into the workbook and shows the first page as a visual preview. This makes your Excel file much larger, but the PDF travels with the workbook.

Display as icon only: Embeds the full PDF into the workbook but shows a standard PDF icon. Double-clicking the icon opens the embedded PDF. This is the safest way to avoid file size surprises while keeping the PDF attached.

Link to file only: Shows the first page preview but keeps a link to the external PDF. The workbook stays small, but the link breaks if the PDF moves.

Link to file and Display as icon: Shows a PDF icon that opens the external file. Useful when you want a clean button-style link without duplicating the file size.

Make your selection, then click OK. Excel will place the object in your sheet.

Resize and reposition the inserted PDF

Once the PDF appears, click on it once. You will see small square handles around the edges. Drag these handles to resize the preview or icon. Drag from a corner to keep the aspect ratio and avoid squishing the image.

To move the object, click and hold the middle of it, then drag it to a new location. Release the mouse button when the object sits where you want it.

For pixel-perfect placement, right-click the object and select Size and Properties. From there you can set an exact height and width in centimetres or inches, and choose whether the object should move and size with cells.

Test the PDF object

Double-click the inserted PDF object. If you embedded the file, Excel will open the PDF in your default PDF reader. If you linked the file, it will open from the original location. Check that the correct document appears and that the pages look right.

This test is essential. A broken link or a misnamed file can waste time later, especially if you plan to share the workbook with colleagues or clients. Confirm that the object opens every time you double-click it.

If nothing happens when you double-click, right-click the object and select Acrobat Document Object or Package, then choose Open or Convert.

Save your workbook

Click File then Save As to save your work. Choose a location and give the file a clear name. If you embedded a large PDF, saving may take a few seconds longer than usual.

After saving, close the workbook and reopen it. Confirm the PDF object still appears and opens correctly. This verifies that the object was saved properly and not just visible in the live session.

If you plan to share the workbook by email, check the file size before sending. If it is too large, remove the object and use a link instead, or compress the PDF before inserting it.

Insert a PDF as an image instead (alternative)

If you only need a visual snapshot of one page, you can convert the PDF page to an image and insert it like a photo. This keeps the Excel file small and avoids any linking issues.

First, open the PDF in any viewer and zoom to the page you want. Take a screenshot using Windows + Shift + S on a PC or Command + Shift + 4 on a Mac. Save the screenshot as a PNG or JPEG file.

Back in Excel, go to Insert > Pictures > This Device. Select your screenshot and click Insert. The image lands in your sheet like any other picture, and you can resize and crop it freely.

This method gives you a clean, lightweight visual with no embedded file overhead. The trade-off is that the image is static, so readers cannot interact with the PDF content.

Insert a PDF with the Excel mobile or web app

If you work in Excel Online or the mobile app, you cannot embed a PDF object directly. The Insert > Object menu is only available in the desktop version. Use this workaround instead:

Convert the PDF page to a PNG or JPEG image using a free online converter or your PDF software. Then switch to Insert > Pictures and upload the image. This gives you a visual in the browser or phone version.

Alternatively, add a hyperlink to the PDF hosted on OneDrive or SharePoint. Select a cell or shape, right-click, and choose Link. Paste the PDF's web address. Readers can click through to the document without leaving the spreadsheet.