Excel tip: Create a dynamic snapshot of a data region

Many users may not notice a very useful feature in Excel: Create a dynamic "snapshot" of the data area and place it where you want it on the worksheet. The dynamic "snapshot" here refers to a picture that is linked to a data region that can change dynamically as the data in the data region changes.

To use this feature, you can do this by doing the following steps

1. Select a range of data, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

2. Select menu command "Edit > Copy".

3. Click a blank cell outside the data range, and then hold down the SHIFT key while you select the menu command Edit > Paste Picture link, as shown in Figure 2. It's important to note that the Paste Picture link command is a hidden command that you can see only when you hold down the SHIFT key and click the Edit menu.

Figure 2

As shown in Figure 3, the picture that is linked to the pasted picture (right).

Figure 3

4. We can use the Fill Color button in the toolbar to fill the background color and get the result as shown in Figure 4, so you'll see more clearly.

Figure 4

5. Change some values or formatting in the left data area to see if the picture on the right will change. As shown in Figure 5, we add the fill color to the three cells-yellow, and change the White Dragon Horse to Red, the C11 cell value to 222222, and the picture on the right.

Figure 5

This feature also has a very useful purpose. For example, to print a noncontiguous range of data on a sheet of paper, you can paste these noncontiguous data regions as linked pictures and then place them on a page for printing.