This Microsoft Excel update could be the one we ve all been waiting for TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. This Microsoft Excel update could be the one we ve all been waiting for By Mike Moore published 9 June 2022 Web users can finally insert data from a picture on Microsoft Excel (Image credit: Microsoft) Audio player loading… An upcoming update to Microsoft Excel may be about to solve a common frustration for users everywhere. A new entry in the Microsoft 365 roadmap (opens in new tab) has revealed that users will soon be able to insert data directly from an image or picture within the spreadsheet software. Microsoft notes that users will be able to add table data from an image from the Data tab, a welcome update for many, saving users from the tedious process of entering data manually as had previously been the case. Excel data images The update is still listed as "in development" at the time of writing, however Microsoft has issued a general availability date of June 2022, meaning a release may not be far off. When released, the feature is set to be available to all web users of Microsoft Excel across the globe. Excel does have a Data From Picture feature already - available for Mac, iPhone and Android - which scans an image for any relevant data that can then be edited and pasted into your spreadsheet.Read more> This 40-year-old Microsoft Excel rival is making a surprising comeback (opens in new tab) > The tyranny of Microsoft Excel may finally be over (opens in new tab) > Up your knowledge with the best Excel online courses around The news is the latest in a series of recent Microsoft Excel updates that seem basic, but will be extremely welcome news for users everywhere. This includes the ability to allow users to drop hyperlinks into comments added to spreadsheets, instead of the previous format of only being added to comments in plaintext and pasted manually into a web browser. Microsoft also recently revealed it will be bringing support for smoother scrolling to the Excel Desktop app, hopefully resulting in a much better user experience, and bringing an end to accidentally snapping to random unwanted cells, or losing track of all your vital data in the middle of an important work task. Finally, the company introduced a new JavaScript API back in November 2021 that will allow developers to create their own custom data types in Excel. These new custom data types can contain images, entities, arrays and formatted number values all backed by their own custom data sources. These new Excel data types can also be used as both inputs and outputs.Keep track of your money with the best personal finance software Mike MooreDeputy Editor, TechRadar ProMike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport. See more Software news Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to theTechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1Samsung's smaller micro-LED 4K TV might finally be on the way to battle OLED2PC gamers are shunning high-end GPUs – spelling trouble for the Nvidia RTX 40903A whole new breed of SSDs is about to break through4New Anker wireless earbuds offer a feature AirPods Pro can't – and for cheaper5Beg all you want - these beer game devs will not break the laws of physics for you 1Con le RTX 4000 ho capito che Nvidia ha perso la testa2Canon's next mirrorless camera could be too cheap for its own good3PC gamers are shunning high-end GPUs – spelling trouble for the Nvidia RTX 40904IT pros suffer from serious misconceptions about Microsoft 365 security5A whole new breed of SSDs is about to break through Technology Magazines (opens in new tab)● (opens in new tab)The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviewsFrom$12.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)