Microsoft Brings 'Insert Data From Picture' Excel Feature to iOS Devices - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Microsoft Brings 'Insert Data From Picture' Excel Feature to iOS Devices

by

Microsoft today announced that the Excel app for iOS is gaining the Insert Data from Picture feature that was previously made available on Android devices.

Insert Data from Picture lets you take a photo of data in a table format and convert it to a digital format in Excel. You can capture financial spreadsheets, work schedules, task lists, time tables, and more, so long as it's in a table format to begin with.

microsoftexceldatapicture
According to Microsoft, Insert Data from Picture combines optical character recognition technology, layout understanding techniques, and machine learning to convert information written on paper into digital data.

As of today, the Insert Data from Picture feature also supports 21 languages on both iOS and Android.

The Excel iOS app from Microsoft can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

flyinmac Avatar
91 months ago
1. Who prints spreadsheet table data?
2. Who would ever have a printout of table data to scan?
Spreadsheets live on computers
Often information is shared with others in a printed form. Consider a presentation where attendees are given papers to view while the presenter talks.

Or, even publicly distributed information in packet or booklet form.

Or even historical books and charts with data.

Now you can just take a picture to import the data and start working with it.

Sounds like an interesting feature.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
91 months ago
1. Who prints spreadsheet table data?
2. Who would ever have a printout of table data to scan?
Spreadsheets live on computers
It doesn’t have to be actually printed.
Because there is simply no easy way to copy a file from Windows PC to iPhone or even so-called “professional” and “PC replacement” iPad, now you can just take a photo of the screen.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cryates Avatar
91 months ago
1. Who prints spreadsheet table data?
2. Who would ever have a printout of table data to scan?
Spreadsheets live on computers
Hmmm I see someone doesn’t work in a corporate environment.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
91 months ago
https://xkcd.com/2116/
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hortod1 Avatar
91 months ago
Wow! Lets easily email sensitive data for sale!
That can be done anyway with a camera, the app wouldn't prevent it
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
code-m Avatar
91 months ago
Brilliant, is Word capable of this and PowerPoint.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

MacBook Neo and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x Feature

New Study Highlights Advantages of $549 Windows Laptop Over MacBook Neo

Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:38 am PDT by
Microsoft has responded to the MacBook Neo by commissioning a study that highlights advantages of some Windows laptops. Market research firm Signal65 evaluated four Windows laptops:Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 3x Lenovo's Yoga 7i HP's OmniBook 5 HP's OmniBook X FlipWith a starting price of $549.99 on Best Buy's online store in the U.S. at the time of this writing, the IdeaPad Slim 3x is the only ...
Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Promo to Offer Free AirPods Pro 3

Friday May 15, 2026 8:59 am PDT by
Starting as early as next week, customers who sign up for an Apple Card at Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will receive $249 cash back when they purchase AirPods Pro 3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The promotion has yet to be officially announced by Apple, so exact terms and conditions are not available at this time. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the U.S., so customers who...
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 CarPlay Light mode 250609

Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay

Thursday May 14, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based...