I know that with Google Apps Script there’s a method called insertImage that lets you put pictures directly into spreadsheet cells. However, I’m working with the REST API version of Google Sheets instead of Apps Script.
I’ve been looking through the API documentation but I can’t find any endpoint or method that does the same thing. All I see are ways to update cell values with text and numbers, but nothing about inserting actual image files.
Has anyone figured out how to accomplish this using the REST API? I need to programmatically add images to specific cells in my Google Sheets document from my application. Is this even possible with the current API, or do I have to switch to Apps Script to get this functionality?
Any code examples or guidance would be really helpful since I’m stuck on this feature.
totally know what u mean! the sheets REST API ain’t got a way to directly add images, it’s a pain. seriously, apps script makes it way easier. if u wanna try something else, the slides API might help but it’s kinda messy.
Yeah, you’re right - the Google Sheets REST API can’t insert images directly into cells. It’s pretty frustrating compared to what you can do with Apps Script’s insertImage method. I hit the same wall last year building a reporting tool that needed charts and logos embedded. My workaround was storing images in Google Drive and dropping the file URLs into cells as text. Users can click the links to see the images, but they won’t display in the spreadsheet itself. You could try the Google Drawings API for simple graphics, but that gets messy fast. Honestly, if you need actual image embedding, Apps Script is still your only real option. I’ve been watching the issue trackers and the REST API team hasn’t mentioned adding this feature anytime soon.
Yeah, this caught me off guard on a client project where we needed automated image insertion. The REST API just doesn’t support putting images into cells - pretty big gap compared to what Apps Script can do. Here’s what worked for me: upload images to Google Drive first, grab shareable links with the Drive API, then insert those URLs into cells using spreadsheets.values.update. You won’t get embedded images, but you’ll get clickable links that open in new tabs. I also tried using Google Drawings to create diagrams programmatically, but that gets complicated fast. Bottom line - if you absolutely need images visible inside the actual cells, you’ll have to build an Apps Script web app and call it via HTTP from your external application.