How to convert Excel to JPG.

A man converts Excel spreadsheets into JPG images.

Learn how to convert Excel files into JPG images and why sharing them as PDF documents might be a better choice.

There are a number of reasons why you might want to learn how to convert Excel to JPG. Excel spreadsheets are good for presenting data, but they aren’t ideal for publication, whether online or in print. For these purposes, you’ll want to turn your spreadsheet into a high-resolution JPG image file. Read on to learn how to convert an Excel document into a JPG file — and why, if you need to share, it’s often better to send it as a PDF.

Why convert Excel to JPG?

One main reason to convert Excel to JPG would be to enhance the shareability of your file, especially if you’ve created something like a graph in Excel. Excel is extremely useful for making calculations and even creating visual representations of those calculations (like graphs). In order to open Excel, though, you need to have the right software. JPG, on the other hand, is one of the most universally accepted image files. No matter who you send it to, they should be able to open it.

Perhaps you want to add your graph to another file for a presentation or report. JPG files aren’t the best if you want to dive into editing or enhancing photos, but the top-notch quality wouldn’t even be noticeable in something like a graph. Because JPGs are compressed, they would also fit nicely into a larger file.

While converting Excel to JPG can be useful, Excel doesn’t provide a way to convert directly. This means that your images might be of lower quality for printing. Fortunately, PDFs are just as shareable as JPG images. PDFs are also known for their printability and are easy to secure. They could be an additional option for you if you’re looking to share the info in your Excel file. If you want to put the file into a presentation, you can still convert the PDF to JPG.

Will I lose formatting when I save Excel as JPG?

When you save an Excel spreadsheet as a JPG, it won’t change the formatting since it will capture a picture of your file. You won’t be able to manipulate or change the file anymore, though, as you would in Excel. It will be a static image. It is very likely that you won’t have high image quality. That may or may not be noticeable to you, depending on how you’re using the JPG image.

Options to convert Excel to JPG.

If you want to convert Excel to JPG, it’s more difficult when you’re trying to convert a spreadsheet. In this section, you can read about some workarounds to create images out of your spreadsheet and how using PDF might be helpful.

Option 1: Save Excel as a JPG image.

Unfortunately, Excel doesn’t let you export spreadsheets into images. But you can turn them into images by jumping through a few hoops.

First, to save Excel as JPG, try taking a screenshot of your spreadsheet. Since this is just capturing an image of your page, this obviously keeps your visual formatting.

Another option is to follow these steps:

  1. Highlight the data you want to send.
  2. Select Home > Copy > Copy As Picture.
  3. Paste the data into a graphics editor.

These two methods are easy but will result in a low-resolution image. The image file might still work for online publication or quick sharing, but it most likely won’t work in print.

How to convert an Excel spreadsheet into a JPG image

The overall better option is to convert the Excel file into a PDF document. PDF is a publication-ready document format that most editors can use directly in their publishing software. Follow these steps to convert your spreadsheet:

A man converts Excel spreadsheets into JPG images.

  1. Navigate to Adobe Acrobat online services and launch the Convert Excel to PDF tool.
  2. Drag and drop your spreadsheet into the converter or click Select A File to locate it.
  3. Once the converter finishes processing your file, download your PDF.

However, if you do absolutely need an image file, you can quickly convert the PDF into a JPG image, giving you a higher-resolution image that can even work for print publishing.

How to save an Excel chart as an image.

Charts are one of the reasons Excel is so useful. With just a little bit of savvy, you can turn information locked up in boring spreadsheets into readable and aesthetic charts. Fortunately, it’s simple to save charts as images in Excel.

To save an Excel chart as an image:

  1. Right-click your chart in Excel.
  2. Select Save as Picture.
  3. Save as JPG or another file format of your choice.

How to save an Excel table as an image.

Tables are a lot like mini spreadsheets, though they use colors to distinguish information more clearly. Excel can help you create tables from your data, and saving tables is just like saving spreadsheets (a little more complicated than charts).

Here are some options for how to save an Excel table as an image:

How to save an Excel graph as an image.

Creating a graph in Excel is an ideal way to share the significance of numerical data with an audience, whether that be on a blog or in a work presentation. It’s easier, though, to share graphs as images (which you can embed into your presentations) than it is to dig through your Excel files. Saving an Excel graph as an image is just like saving a chart.

To save an Excel graph as an image:

  1. Right-click your graph in Excel.
  2. Select Save as Picture.
  3. Save as JPG or another file format of your choice.

Other image files to use instead of converting Excel to JPG.

Converting Excel to JPG is relatively simple if you’re working with charts of some sort. When you save as JPG, though, you’ll notice that you have a few different image formats to choose from. These formats include:

Other ways to work with Excel.

Excel and JPG are two of the most commonly used formats out there. Excel is great for its many practical numerical data functions, and JPG is a small, simple file that’s especially useful for sharing. After you convert Excel to JPG, check out other ways to work with your files:

Explore what more you can do with Acrobat online services to convert, edit, and sign PDF files.