How to select and delete a picture placed over cells in Excel for the Web?

Question

How to select and delete a picture placed over cells in Excel for the Web?

Tan, Jansen [C] 20

In Excel for the Web, I placed a picture over cells. I would like to delete the picture. However, I can't select it using the left mouse button. I can't find any menu buttons that seem related to the issue. How do you select pictures placed over cells? How do you delete pictures placed over cells?

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Answer 1

Hi Tan, Jansen [C],

For your concern, in Excel for the Web, pictures inserted as Place over cells are floating objects and to delete it, you need to click the picture itself then delete it with Delete or Backspace. If left-click does not select it, the reason may be due to: there is another object is on top or the sheet is protected.

In this case, please try these workarounds to see if it helps resolve the situation:

1/ Open in desktop Excel (only if you have desktop app)

In Excel for the web, go to File > Info > Open in Desktop App
In desktop Excel you can use stronger object-selection tools:
- Go to Home > Find & Select > Selection Pane > select the picture from the list, then press Delete.
- Go to Home > Find & Select > Go To Special > Objects > OK, then press Delete. Be careful with this feature because it can select all worksheet objects other than the picture such as shapes, charts, etc.

2/ Check sheet protection

If the worksheet is protected, objects may be locked from selection/deletion. Check whether the file is protected through Review > Pause Protection option is available

3/ Check if there are multiple pictures inserted

You can try holding Ctrl and clicking into the picture to see if there are several picture edges show up. If yes, it proves that there are several pictures mistakenly added and prevents you from selecting the correct picture.

Please understand that my initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, you can try these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, please feel free to reach out again in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I'm looking forward to your reply.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it.

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Anonymous

2026-06-29T22:35:46.1233333+00:00

Good day Tan, Jansen [C],

Hope things are running smoothly on your end.

Following up on the support thread we've been working on. If you need assistance with anything else, kindly respond to this post, and I will be happy to help.

I want to make sure everything is working as expected and that your experience remains uninterrupted.

Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout the troubleshooting process.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Tan, Jansen [C] 20 Reputation points

2026-06-30T19:58:57.67+00:00

Opening the file in desktop Excel, I was able to delete the picture that was placed over cells. However, this is an unpleasant solution as I will have to re-import the file into Excel for the Web. The ideal solution is to have the developers of Excel for the Web fix this bug.
Anonymous

2026-06-30T23:02:17.9733333+00:00

Hi Tan, Jansen [C],

Thank you for your prompt update.

Glad to know that your concern has been well addressed now. However, I have tested in my Excel Web and the image still works properly. Therefore, I suggest you can try clearing the browser cache or using incognito mode to see if the issue persists since I suspect the issue may be browser-related.

I wish you a wonderful day ahead.

Kind regards.