There are several ways to attach files to an Excel spreadsheet, depending on the version of Excel you are using and the type of file you want to attach.

1. To add an image in Excel, you can click on the “Insert” ribbon tab and click on “Pictures” option:

Once you select the image source, the image will be inserted as a ‘floating’ object on top of your spreadsheet cells:

2. Another way to attach a file to an Excel spreadsheet is to use the "Hyperlink" function. To do this, you can right-click on a cell in the spreadsheet where you want to insert the link, then select "Hyperlink." This will open a dialog box where you can enter the file path or URL for the file you want to link to, or you can use the "Browse" button to navigate to the file on your computer. Once you've entered the link, you can click "OK" to insert it into the spreadsheet.

3. An alternative method of attaching a file to an Excel spreadsheet is to use a macro. A macro is a series of instructions that can automate a task. It requires some level of programming knowledge and can be written to open a dialog box where the user can browse to find and select the file they want to attach.

It is important to remember that when you embed a file into Excel, the file is not physically stored within the Excel workbook. Instead, a link to the file is stored within the workbook. The link points to the location of the file on your computer or network. This means that the file remains in its original location and is not moved or copied into the Excel workbook. 

When you open the Excel workbook and click on the link to the embedded file, it will open the file as if it were physically stored within the workbook. However, it's important to note that if the file is moved or deleted from its original location, the link in the Excel workbook will be broken, and the file will no longer be accessible from within the workbook. This is one of the reasons that it's a good idea to keep a backup of your files and to be careful when moving or reorganizing your files on your computer or network.

Let’s review some of the issues you can experience with embedding images into Excel:

1. When you copy-paste or move cells with images, the images can lose their links or sometimes even get removed. This can be a hassle as it may require reinserting the images and repositioning them.
   
2. Excel limits the size of images that can be embedded. Attaching large files can cause Excel to slow down and make it difficult to navigate through the spreadsheet.
   
3. Because the embedded object is a representation of the original file and is linked to the original file, the embedded object will no longer be visible if the original file is moved or deleted.
   
4. Excel does not natively support many different file types. For example, while Excel spreadsheets can contain JPEG and PNG images, they cannot contain GIF or BMP files unless they are converted to a supported format. This can be a time-consuming process, and may result in a loss of quality if the image is not converted correctly.

So while Excel does provide a way to insert images, it’s important to be aware of the limitations. Be prepared to invest additional time and effort to overcome these challenges. 

With Spreadsheet.com, you can easily embed files directly into spreadsheet cells with the help of the Attachment data type. This powerful data type turns a standard cell into a tool that can store multiple file types in one place. 

You can add various types of files, such as legal documents (example: Legal Due Diligence Request List template), images for your blog posts (example: Content Calendar template), or applicant resumes (example: Applicant Tracking with Hiring Budget Template). 

Adding files is as simple as dragging and dropping a file from your computer into an Attachment cell:

You can also easily import files from third-party applications like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and more.

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Once you’ve uploaded a file, click on its thumbnail in the Attachment cell to preview or download it.

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Like your Spreadsheet.com workbooks, these files are stored in the cloud and aren’t shortcuts or hyperlinks to images stored on your computer. When you share your workbook with team members or other collaborators, they’ll be able to access the attachments as well, no locally stored copy required. With the Attachment data type in Spreadsheet.com, you can create entire file management systems with just a few clicks.

Attachments work with other powerful Spreadsheet.com features like Related Rows, Form Views, automations, and more.

Using the Related Row and Related Row Lookup data types, attachments from one worksheet can be displayed in a different worksheet – or a different workbook altogether – without having to reupload them. With the same file shared across multiple workbooks, a single document management workbook can act as a single source of truth for your entire organization.

By adding a Form View to your workbook, you can let anyone submit new documents to your worksheet, even if they’re not a Spreadsheet.com user. Create a hiring workbook, let applicants submit their resumes and other information through a Form View, and see them automatically added to your workbook as new rows. Combine Form Views with automations so your whole team can be notified whenever new documents are submitted.

Attachments in Spreadsheet.com provide a simple-to-use, yet powerful solution for document management. It’s a convenient way to manage and share files with your team or outside of it.