Insert and maintain pictures and drawings in FreeOffice PlanMaker

Quick answer

Insert a picture from a local file and a simple AutoShape as separate objects, then position them beside the data rather than over it. A picture is not a cell value. Keeping it visible does not prove that the worksheet beneath it is intact.

This guide targets FreeOffice PlanMaker 2024 for Windows with the English ribbon. The FreeOffice feature list explicitly includes pictures and AutoShapes. The FreeOffice manual, checked October 23, 2026, supplies the command guidance. It is not paid PlanMaker 2026 evidence. No application run or native screenshot was made for this exercise.

Prepare a report with a separate illustration area

Use an existing, non-sensitive picture that you own or have permission to use. No download, account or image-editing installation is needed. Prefer a small local image with an obvious orientation, such as a photograph of a notebook. Keep the original file untouched.

In a disposable workbook, enter:

Cell	Content
A1	Packing sample
A3	Item
B3	Quantity
C3	Unit cost
D3	Amount
A4	Notebooks
B4	4
C4	3
D4	=B4*C4
A5	Folders
B5	2
C5	5
D5	=B5*C5
A6	Total
D6	=SUM(D4:D5)
A8	Illustration is not inventory data

Leave F2:J12 clear for the picture and rectangle. These cells are a visual staging area, not a promise of exact pixel placement. The expected amounts are 12 and 10, totaling 22. Save an untouched packing-inputs.pmdx, then work in a separate packing-illustrated.pmdx copy.

Insert the picture and one rectangle

1. Choose Insert → Objects → Picture frame → From file and select the existing picture. For this self-contained exercise, use Save within document in the insertion dialog. This embeds a copy instead of relying on the source path. It is a per-picture choice, not a request to change global settings.
2. Select the inserted picture and drag it into the clear area beside the report. Use its round handles to resize it. Stop if the picture covers A1:D8 or makes the report hard to read.
3. Choose Insert → Objects → AutoShape, pick a rectangle, and drag a small rectangle in another part of the clear area. Keep it separate from the picture and report so that there are two independently selectable objects.
4. Click each object in turn. Confirm that its selection frame identifies only the intended object. A transparent shape may require clicking its border. Click an ordinary worksheet cell when you want to inspect cell content again.

The detailed sources are picture insertion, pages 299–300 and drawing insertion, pages 315–316. No combining, point editing, scanner import or premium picture compression is required.

Check appearance separately from content

Read A8 and inspect the actual contents of A3:D6, not just their visible fragments. Recalculate the expected total independently: 4×3 + 2×5 = 22. Then change B4 to 5. D4 should become 15 and D6 25, with D5 still 10. Restore B4 to 4 and expect 22 again. These are independently checked arithmetic expectations, not observed PlanMaker results.

Select the rectangle and move it a short distance within the empty area; the picture should remain separate. Put the rectangle back. Select the picture and make a modest size change, checking that the notebook does not look stretched. The manual documents a Keep aspect ratio control for resizing, but this exercise does not require changing it or promise that every resize gesture preserves proportions. If the result is distorted, undo that resize rather than repeatedly scaling a damaged-looking layout.

Do not assume that objects are fixed to the page. The positioning section, pages 273–274, describes default anchoring at the cell under an object’s upper-left corner. Changes to rows above can move it. Finish the basic row and column layout first, and recheck object placement after structural edits. This guide does not change anchoring settings or establish sorting behavior for pictures.

Embedded picture versus file reference

With Save within document, the workbook stores an image copy, potentially increasing its size. Without that option, the manual describes a reference to the external image; changing the source path can leave the picture undisplayed. The separate Copy to document’s folder option still uses a file reference. Do not confuse it with embedding.

For this exercise, leave the original picture in place and do not test by deleting or renaming it. Save, close and reopen the working PMDX yourself. Verify that there is one picture and one rectangle, that neither covers the report, that A8 survives and that D4:D6 show 12, 10 and 22 with the original formulas. This is an acceptance checklist, not a completed round-trip claim. A visible picture after reopening on the same machine does not by itself prove that a file was embedded; review the insertion choice too.

Troubleshooting and edition limits

• Clicking a shape selects a cell: Try its border, especially with a transparent fill. Avoid dragging until the object selection frame is visible.
• Cells cannot be edited: If you entered Object mode separately, use View → Object mode to return to editing; otherwise deselect the object by clicking a cell. Do not type report data into an object accidentally.
• The picture vanished after moving files: A referenced path may have changed. Preserve the workbook and original image; inspect the picture’s properties before treating the workbook as corrupt.
• The total changed while arranging objects: Compare the input cells and formulas with the untouched copy. A layout operation is not a reason to accept different quantities.
• A command is unavailable: Confirm that this is FreeOffice 2024, Windows and the English ribbon. The manual explicitly excludes Combine objects, Edit points and direct scanning in FreeOffice, and restricts picture compression to premium editions. This guide also excludes snapping workflows. A paid trial is not a troubleshooting step.

Other desktop platforms, mobile editions, Excel export fidelity and printing are not verified by this exercise. See compatibility before exchanging the workbook; an AutoShape compatibility claim is not a tested round-trip of this particular report.