How to know the original path of an inserted image ?

When you use Insert > Picture > From This Device > Insert in Cell in Excel:

• Excel sometimes embeds images, but
• often, it links them if you insert the image as a "linked image", or depending on the method used in the underlying API.
• The problem is: Excel does not make it obvious whether the image is embedded or linked.
• And yes — Microsoft has no proper UI to manage image links, unlike how it manages formula links (Data > Edit Links for formulas but not for images!).

About your discovery: extracting with 7-Zip

You were absolutely right! Excel .xlsx files are actually ZIP archives internally.

If you:

• Change the file extension from .xlsx to .zip OR
• Open with 7-Zip, WinRAR, or similar,

You will find this structure inside:

/xl/

  /media/    <-- embedded images are here

  /drawings/ <-- links to images are managed here

  /worksheets/  <-- drawings are attached to sheets

If your images were embedded, you would see them in /xl/media/ as files like image1.png, image2.jpeg, etc.

If your images were linked, you would find the link path written in XML files like:

• xl/drawings/_rels/drawing1.xml.rels
• and in xl/drawings/drawing1.xml
• or even in xl/worksheets/_rels/sheet1.xml.rels.

There you could read the original absolute file paths you used on your old computer (like C:\Users\you\Pictures\mychart.png).

That's how you can recover the original image paths.

How to make Excel embed images instead of linking

Sadly, Excel itself does not give you a checkbox like "embed or link" when inserting a picture.

BUT here’s what you can do to force embedding:

So, if you want guaranteed embedded images without VBA, an easy trick is:

• Insert normally
• Immediately copy the inserted image (Ctrl+C)
• Paste it again (Ctrl+V)
• Delete the original
• The pasted version is now embedded.

It’s stupid simple… but it works.

Short VBA Trick to Embed All Linked Images

If you already have many linked images, you can automatically re-embed them with VBA:

Sub ListLinkedImages()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    Dim shp As Shape
    Dim reportWs As Worksheet
    Dim reportRow As Long

    On Error Resume Next
    Set reportWs = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Image Links Report")
    If reportWs Is Nothing Then
        Set reportWs = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets.Add
        reportWs.Name = "Image Links Report"
    Else
        reportWs.Cells.Clear
    End If
    On Error GoTo 0

    reportWs.Cells(1, 1).Value = "Sheet Name"
    reportWs.Cells(1, 2).Value = "Image Name"
    reportWs.Cells(1, 3).Value = "Linked File Path"

    reportRow = 2

    For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets
        For Each shp In ws.Shapes
            If shp.Type = msoLinkedPicture Then
                reportWs.Cells(reportRow, 1).Value = ws.Name
                reportWs.Cells(reportRow, 2).Value = shp.Name
                reportWs.Cells(reportRow, 3).Value = shp.LinkFormat.SourceFullName
                reportRow = reportRow + 1
            End If
        Next shp
    Next ws

    MsgBox "Done! Found " & reportRow - 2 & " linked images.", vbInformation
End Sub
'Code is Untestet, backup your file first.

• It copies every linked picture,
• Pastes it back (as embedded),
• Deletes the original linked one.

Super useful before sending your file to others!

Final thoughts

• Microsoft really should have given us better image management tools.
• You found the "archive and search the XML" trick, which is the real hardcore way.
• If you're rebuilding your reports for portability, I recommend embedding images before you send or backup the file.  Hope it helps 🙂