Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Non-Tiled Background Pictures.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 26, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
When you add a background picture to an Excel worksheet, the picture is normally "tiled" so that it fills the whole screen, over and over again. For some background images, this is a great effect. For others, it is bothersome. In these cases, you may want to have only a single copy of the background image appear on-screen.
There is no way to do this directly within Excel, however. The only option is the tiling of background images. You can reduce the bothersome effects of the tiling, though, by loading the background image into your favorite graphics editing program and simply increasing the size of the canvas on which the image is located. You should make the canvas the same size as a full sheet of paper, with the actual image centered on the canvas. Save the new image, and use it for your background.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2203) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Non-Tiled Background Pictures.
Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!
Want to draw a few simple shapes or lines on your worksheet? It really is simple; here's how to do it.
Discover MoreText boxes are handy for placing information in a container that can "float" over your worksheet. This tip explains what ...
Discover MoreWant to adjust the perspective from which your 3-D graph is viewed? Excel allows you to use the mouse to rotate the graph ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2015-07-02 12:10:19
Steve
Image sized at 7x9 stretches to fill every available cell. Very frustrating.
2014-02-05 11:13:13
Pete
Re-sizing the image is fine until you run the spreadsheet on a monitor with a different screen resolution.
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
Comments