Is the image pasted in Excel not displayed or marked as a cross? 6 causes and solutions you can try now [Windows]

Have you ever experienced that an image you pasted into Excel suddenly turned into an "x" (cross mark), or turned completely white and disappeared?

It's quite frustrating when all the images of the materials you've created end up with errors. What's more, there are cases where you can see the image on your own PC, but when you send it to your boss or colleague, the image disappears...

In this article, based on information as of March 2026, we will provide an easy-to-understand explanation of six causes of Excel images not displaying or broken links, and specific solutions for each.

Cause 1: "Object display" setting is disabled

This is the most common cause. Excel has a setting to hide images and shapes all at once. If you switch to "None (do not display objects)" for some reason, all images in the file will become invisible.

The image data itself has not been deleted, so it will be restored if you restore the settings.

How to deal with it

Open File → Options from the top menu of Excel
Select Advanced Settings in the left menu
Scroll down and find Display settings when working in the following workbooks
Make sure ``Show objects'' is set to ``All''
If it is set to "None (do not display objects)" or "Placeholder", change it to "All"

By the way, you can toggle this setting by pressing the shortcut key Ctrl + 6. There are many cases where you press the button without realizing it.

Cause 2: The image is set to "Paste link"

There are two main ways to paste images into Excel: "embedding" and "linking".

Embedded: Image data is saved in an Excel file. Although the file size will be large, the image will be displayed no matter what PC you open it on
Link: Records only the "location (file path)" of the image. If you move or delete the original image file, it will no longer be displayed

In other words, if you paste a link, if the save location of the image file changes or if you open it on another PC, the link will become broken and will no longer be displayed.

How to deal with it

Open File → Info → Edit link to file (Microsoft Official Help)
The images with broken links will be displayed in the list, so specify the correct file path in "Change link source"
If you want to avoid broken links in the future, click Unlink to convert to an embed

Point: When sending files to someone or placing them in a shared folder, we recommend inserting an image using embedding rather than using a link.

Cause 3: The entire cell image is hidden by hiding rows and columns

In Excel, images are placed "floating" above the cells. If the image property is set to Move and resize with cell, when you hide the row or column that contains the cell, the image will also be hidden.

On the other hand, even if you hide a row with a filter, only the image remains, and there are cases where it overlaps with another image and becomes invisible.

How to deal with it

Check for hidden rows/columns (check for skipped row numbers/column numbers)
If there are any hidden rows/columns, Right-click → "Unhide" to restore them
To check the "Move to fit" setting for an image, Right-click on the image → Open "Size and Properties" → "Properties"
Select "Move and resize to fit cells" or "Move to fit cells but do not resize" depending on the purpose

Cause 4: Image format is not compatible with Excel

Excel supports image formats such as JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, WMF, EMF (Microsoft Official Help).

On the other hand, newer formats such as WebP (an image format used on the web) and AVIF may not be displayed depending on your version of Excel. If an image copied from your browser doesn't display, this image format issue may be the culprit.

How to deal with it

Right-click on the image in question and select "Save as Picture" to save it in PNG or JPEG format
Open the image in Paint, Photo, etc., and "Save As" → Convert it to "JPEG image"
Re-paste the converted image into Excel using "Insert" → "Image" → "From this device"

Cause 5: File is corrupted/too large

If the Excel file itself is damaged or the file size has ballooned due to pasting too many high-resolution images, images may not be displayed correctly.

Be especially careful if the file size exceeds 50MB. There is also a higher risk of files becoming corrupted while being transferred via email attachment or shared folder.

How to deal with it

File repair: Excel's "File" → "Open" → Select the file and click ▼ on the "Open" button → Select "Open and repair"
Image compression: Select the image → "Format" tab → "Picture compression" → Set the resolution to "E-mail (96 ppi)" or "Web (150 ppi)"
If the file is corrupted and cannot be opened, change the extension from .xlsx to .zip and extract it, and you may be able to recover the image files in the "xl/media" folder.

Cause 6: Images disappear only during print preview/PDF conversion

Although the image is displayed on the screen, there is also a problem where the image disappears when you print preview or export to PDF.

This happens if the "Print objects with print quality" setting is turned off.

How to deal with it

Open File → Options → Advanced Settings
Check around "Show page breaks" in the "Display settings when working on the next sheet" section
In the "Print" section of the "Sheet" tab, make sure that "Quick Print" is unchecked (if it is checked, the image will not be printed)
"Page Layout" tab → "Sheet Options" → Uncheck "Quick Print"

Preventive measures to prevent images from disappearing in the first place

Based on the causes so far, there are four tips to prevent image problems in Excel.

Insert images by "embedding": It is safest to insert images directly by selecting "Insert" → "Image" → "From this device". Don't use "links"
Use JPEG or PNG as the image format: Convert images in special formats before pasting them
Regularly check the file size: Use "compress pictures" to reduce the size of files with many images
Do not press Ctrl + 6 by mistake: Be careful as it can be easily mistaken for Ctrl + S to save

FAQ

Why can't I see images pasted in Excel on other PCs?

If you insert an image using "Paste Link", the link will be broken because the original file path does not exist on another PC. When sending a file to someone, embed the image or remove the link before sending.

When I pressed Ctrl + 6, all the images disappeared, is that okay?

It's okay. Ctrl + 6 is a shortcut key to switch "object display/hide", so if you press Ctrl + 6 again, the image will be redisplayed. No data is lost.

How can I fix the image to be marked with a red cross?

A red cross indicates that the image link cannot be found or the image data is corrupted. Please edit the link destination by going to "File" → "Information" → "Edit link" or reinsert the original image.

Why do images disappear after converting Excel to PDF?

When "Quick Print" is turned on, objects such as images and graphs are excluded from printing/PDF output. Uncheck "Simple Print" from "Page Layout" → "Sheet Options".

Is it possible to extract only images from a corrupted Excel file?

Yes, it is possible. If you change the extension of the .xlsx file to .zip and extract it, the embedded image file will be stored in the "xl/media" folder. Even if you cannot open the file, you may be able to recover the image.