Why Does xlwings .pictures.add Fail? Fixing Python Image Insertion into Excel

1. Introduction

A Python enthusiast posted a snippet that creates a simple Matplotlib chart, saves it as a PNG file, and then tries to insert the image into an Excel workbook using xlwings. The .pictures.add call repeatedly raised an error, and the author asked for help.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Create a simple chart
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot([1, 2, 3, 4])
ax.set_ylabel('some numbers')

# Save chart as PNG file
temp_chart_path = 'temp_chart.png'
fig.savefig(temp_chart_path)

import xlwings as xw
import os

# Create a new Excel workbook
app = xw.App(visible=False)  # Do not show Excel UI
wb = app.books.add()

# Get the first sheet
sheet = wb.sheets[0]

# Insert the picture into Excel
sheet.pictures.add(temp_chart_path, left=sheet.range('A1').left, top=sheet.range('A1').top)

# Save the Excel file
output_excel_path = 'output_with_chart.xlsx'
wb.save(output_excel_path)
app.quit()

# Delete the temporary image file
os.remove(temp_chart_path)

The community responded that the issue was the use of a relative path; xlwings requires an absolute path for image insertion.

2. Solution

One reply suggested using an absolute file path for the PNG, which resolves the error. Another suggestion was to bypass the file altogether by passing the Matplotlib figure object directly: sheet.pictures.add(fig). After applying the absolute path (or the direct figure method), the image was successfully inserted and the workbook saved.

The original poster confirmed that the problem was solved and thanked the contributors.

3. Conclusion

This short case demonstrates a common pitfall when automating Excel with xlwings: image insertion expects an absolute file path unless the figure object is supplied directly. Using the correct path or passing the figure fixes the .pictures.add error.