IMAGE in Google Sheets: Cell Images and Sizing Modes
Insert URL-based images with IMAGE in Google Sheets, compare all four sizing modes and set height before width while checking SVG, Drive and external-access restrictions.
Verification status: See the evidence and test scope described in this guide. How formula examples are checked
Quick answer: =IMAGE("https://www.google.com/images/srpr/logo3w.png",4,38,110) requests Google’s example PNG at 38 pixels high and 110 pixels wide. The image stays inside a cell; the formula does not resize the cell.
Syntax and parameters
=IMAGE(url, [mode], [height], [width])
The Google IMAGE reference requires an image URL including its protocol. Supply the URL in double quotes or refer to a cell containing it.
| Mode | Documented behavior |
|---|---|
| 1, the default | Fit within the cell while preserving aspect ratio |
| 2 | Fit the cell by stretching or compressing; aspect ratio can change |
| 3 | Use original size, which can be cropped |
| 4 | Use a specified custom height and width |
Height and width are measured in pixels and apply to custom mode 4. The argument order is height, then width, not the width-first convention used in many image descriptions. This guide supplies both dimensions whenever mode 4 is used; omitted custom dimensions are not assigned an invented default.
Google explicitly excludes SVG and URLs hosted at drive.google.com. A Drive sharing page is therefore not a supported substitute for the image URL in this formula.
Worked example: compare a fixed image across modes
Put this URL as plain text in A2:
https://www.google.com/images/srpr/logo3w.png
In separate cells, try:
=IMAGE(A2)
=IMAGE(A2,2)
=IMAGE(A2,3)
=IMAGE(A2,4,38,110)
Expected behavior is fit-with-proportions, stretch-to-cell, original-size and custom-size, respectively. The source PNG was retrieved and inspected independently: it is Google’s multicolored wordmark and measures 275 by 95 pixels. These observations confirm the input asset, not a Sheets rendering.
To make mode differences visible, use cells whose shape differs from the image’s roughly 2.895-to-1 width-to-height ratio. A square cell makes stretching easier to distinguish from proportional fitting. Adjust row height and column width separately if you want more room; no mode automatically changes those dimensions.
Independent sizing check
The custom example preserves the source ratio because:
110/275 = 38/95 = 0.4
Both dimensions use a 40% scale. By contrast, requesting height 100 and width 100 produces a square custom size rather than the original proportions.
For an ideal 200-by-100 drawing box, proportional fitting of a 275-by-95 image would give width 200 and height approximately 69.09. This is geometry only: cell insets, pixel rounding and the exact native rendering were not measured. Do not treat that calculation as a pixel-perfect Sheets screenshot specification.
Advanced application: image URLs in a catalog
Suppose each item has an image URL in column A, desired height in B and desired width in C. With A2 containing the verified PNG URL, B2 = 38 and C2 = 110, enter:
=IMAGE(A2,4,B2,C2)
The expected request is the same 38-by-110 image as the quick answer. Keeping dimensions in cells makes it easier to standardize a preview column without editing every formula.
For intentionally empty URL rows, use:
=IF(A2="","",IMAGE(A2,4,B2,C2))
This blank guard is separate from URL validation. A nonempty string can still point to a web page, inaccessible image or unsupported format. Keep an item label or source link in an adjacent cell so the preview is not the only way to identify the record.
External access and loading problems
Google’s import-function guidance includes IMAGE in its external-data warning process. An editor may need to authorize external access before results load. Review the destination and spreadsheet sharing before granting that permission; it is not merely a formatting option.
The individual IMAGE page restricts direct or indirect volatile references in the URL’s base portion, naming NOW, RAND, RANDARRAY and RANDBETWEEN as examples. Avoid constructing changing base URLs as a refresh mechanism.
If an image fails, check the actual image address, supported format, external-access status and available cell space. A clipped original-size image and a failed network fetch are different problems.
The old embedded example inspected for this guide displayed #REF! for its legacy image URL. That snapshot does not establish that any sizing mode is broken or reveal the cause. The current documented PNG input was separately verified as retrievable; native loading remains untested.
Availability and verification
IMAGE is documented in current rolling Google Sheets. Equivalent function names in other spreadsheet products do not establish matching URL restrictions or sizing contracts. Original introduction date and first or last numbered releases were not established.
NOT_TESTED_IN_GOOGLE_SHEETS. Google documentation, its read-only example and the public PNG were inspected on October 17, 2026. Asset dimensions and scaling arithmetic were independently checked. No permission was granted, image inserted in Sheets or screenshot produced.
Related published guides: IF, ROUND and CONCATENATE.