Unable to insert images/media into Sway

Michael S 45 Reputation points
2026-03-09T21:43:54.92+00:00

Hello,

The functionality to insert images and other media in Sways is currently disabled. The "Insert" button in the top left is greyed out and the image/media side panel does not appear when clicking "Add an image" on a media slide. Furthermore, the option to upload an image from the "Media" tab when adding content is also greyed out.

I have tried editing previously created sways, creating entirely new sways, logging out and back in, changing browsers, updating browsers, different networks, used Sway in the browser on both a Mac and PC and used the Sway app from the Microsoft Store on PC. Nothing is working.

Thanks in advance

Microsoft 365 and Office | Sway | For home

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  1. AI answer

    2026-03-09T21:44:07.3266667+00:00

    Sway itself is working as a web app across devices and browsers, so when Insert and media options are consistently greyed out across accounts, devices, and networks, the issue is almost always account/feature related rather than local configuration.

    From the current Sway service description, multimedia upload is no longer supported. As of June 10, 2024, Sway only allows embedding audio and video files instead of uploading them directly. Image and media handling is now focused on inserting existing content (from devices or online sources) rather than traditional multimedia upload.

    To work with images and media in Sway under the current model:

    1. Use the Storyline “+” button
      1. In the Sway authoring view, go to Storyline.
      2. Select the + icon at the bottom of the card where new content should appear.
      3. Choose Image, Video, or other available content types.
    2. Insert content from available sources
      1. On the menu bar, select Insert.
      2. Use the content source menu (for example, OneDrive, YouTube, or other listed sources).
      3. Type a keyword or phrase into Search sources / Search and select Search.
      4. Select items from the results and choose Add, or drag and drop them onto the Storyline.
    3. Drag and drop where available
      • Where supported, drag and drop images directly onto the Storyline to create or populate image cards.

    If the Insert button and upload options remain greyed out even for these supported actions, this typically indicates a service-side or tenant-level restriction rather than a client issue. In that case, the next step is to contact Microsoft 365 support for the account/tenant so they can:

    • Confirm that Sway is enabled for the tenant and account.
    • Verify that no policy is blocking media insertion.
    • Check whether any recent service changes are affecting the specific region or tenant.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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