PDFs aren't supported by the Smartsheet image widget, so use JPEG, PNG, or GIF for dashboards.

Smartsheet image widget: what fits on your dashboard and what stays off

If you’ve built a Smartsheet dashboard, you’ve probably spent time choosing visuals that tell a story at a glance. The image widget is a handy tool for that—a space where photos, logos, or simple diagrams can live side by side with charts and metrics. But not every image file behaves the same way inside Smartsheet. Here’s the real-world scoop on which formats work, which don’t, and what to do when you have a document you need to share without turning a dashboard into a file cabinet.

A quick refresher: what the image widget does

Think of the image widget as a photo frame for your dashboard. You drop in a picture, and it sits there, reinforcing your message with a visual cue. It’s great for:

• Branding: your company logo, color blocks, or header images that echo your brand.

• Context: product shots, process diagrams, or diagrammatic icons that illustrate a concept.

• Quick visuals: a small chart image you exported for a dashboard snapshot, or a stylized map image.

The widget is simple by design: it’s about direct image display, not complex document viewing. That simplicity matters when you’re choosing file types.

What formats are actually supported for the image widget?

Here’s the straightforward answer you can rely on:

• JPEG (JPG): Yes. A workhorse format, especially for photos or images with gradients. It compresses well and loads quickly on dashboards.

• PNG: Yes. This one shines when you need transparency or crisper edges. It’s a solid choice for logos, icons, and images with sharp lines.

• GIF: Yes. If you need simple animation (though don’t expect slick motion on a dashboard), GIFs will render as images. For most static visuals, PNG or JPEG do the job just as well—and without motion.

• PDF: No. This is where many folks trip up. PDFs are documents, not single images. They’re designed to hold pages of text and graphics in a structured format, not to be displayed as a flat image on a dashboard.

Why PDFs don’t fit the image widget

Sheets and dashboards are designed to show visual content directly. An image widget assumes you’re feeding it a graphic that can be rendered as a single frame—like a photo or a diagram. A PDF, by contrast, is a container for pages. It’s a document with a layout you may want to preserve, but as a visual on a dashboard, it isn’t an image in the Smartsheet sense.

Two handy analogies help make this clear:

• The image widget is like a photo frame; you put a picture in, and that’s what you see. A PDF is more like a mini booklet or a report. It’s not a single picture frame, so it won’t sit nicely in that frame without extra steps.

• If you’ve ever opened a PDF on a phone, you know it often requires scrolling, zooming, or page flipping. A dashboard image widget assumes instant, single-frame viewing, which PDFs don’t naturally provide.

So PDFs aren’t supported in the image widget because the widget’s job is to display a static image quickly and cleanly.

Smartworkarounds: how to show PDF content without breaking the dashboard flow

If you’ve got a PDF you’d like people to access from your Smartsheet dashboard, you’re not out of luck. You just need a small detour that keeps things snappy and tidy. Here are a few practical options:

• Convert PDF pages to images: If a specific page or two from the PDF conveys essential visuals, capture those pages as PNG or JPEG and drop them into the image widget. It’s a simple compromise: you preserve the critical visuals while keeping the dashboard fast and readable.

• Use a text + link combo: Add a text widget with a short description and a hyperlink to the PDF stored in attachments or a cloud service (like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox). This keeps the dashboard visually lean while giving users immediate access to the document.

• Link directly to the PDF: If you’re using a corporate file repository or a shared drive, you can place a URL in a text widget or a two-line caption under an image widget. Users click through to the PDF without loading it in the dashboard itself.

• Provide a viewer alternative: If your team often needs to glance at PDFs, consider embedding an external viewer tile or a web content widget that can render the PDF in a light, secure pane outside the image widget. This approach keeps the dashboard layout clean while still offering the document when needed.

A few practical tips to keep visuals sharp

• Mind the resolution: When converting PDFs to images for the widget, aim for a balance between clarity and file size. 72–150 PPI is usually enough for on-screen dashboards; go higher only if you’re displaying close-up details.

• Keep color and contrast in check: Brand colors should pop but remain legible. Test your image on a few different screen sizes. You’d be surprised how a design that looks great on a desktop can feel washed out on a tablet.

• Name things clearly: Use descriptive file names for images you upload to the widget. It saves your teammates from guessing and helps with visual search if your organization catalogs assets.

• Limit image complexity: Extremely busy images can slow down dashboard rendering, especially on slower networks. When in doubt, simplify or crop to a focal area.

• Accessibility matters: Include concise captions or alt-text where possible (or use a nearby text widget to describe the image). Clear descriptions help everyone, including teammates relying on screen readers.

Real-life scenarios where this matters

• Branding in a product dashboard: You want the dashboard to feel like a single, cohesive space. A clean PNG logo on the top-left and a simple hero image in the body create immediate recognition without bogging down performance.

• Process visualization for a team briefing: A PNG or JPEG diagram highlighting steps in a workflow communicates quickly. If the original process lives in a PDF, you can either export the relevant page as an image or link to the PDF for deeper reading.

• Marketing dashboards with campaign visuals: A GIF can be handy for a small animated icon or a looping chart snippet, but for dashboards that must load instantly for executives, PNGs or JPEGs often provide a smoother experience.

Common missteps to avoid

• Forcing a PDF into the image widget: It won’t render as intended, and users may wonder why things look inconsistent. Use a workable image format or a link to the document instead.

• Overloading the dashboard with too many large images: Each image adds to the loading time. When dashboards grow, a little restraint goes a long way.

• Skipping captions or descriptions: A lone image can leave viewers guessing. A short caption that explains what they’re seeing keeps the narrative intact.

A quick pattern for clean, effective dashboards

• Start with the essentials: your logo and a few key visuals that reinforce the primary message.

• Add one or two supporting images: charts, diagrams, or icons that clarify a point without clutter.

• Provide a fallback: a text widget with a brief takeaway or an accessible link to additional material ensures no one misses the plot.

• Review and iterate: ask a teammate to navigate the dashboard as if they’re seeing it for the first time. If something feels ambiguous, tweak the wording or swap in a more immediate image.

Bringing it all together

The image widget is a small but mighty element in Smartsheet dashboards. It shines when you stick to image formats that render cleanly—JPEG, PNG, and GIF—while PDF stays off the frame. When you truly need to reference a PDF, use a practical workaround that keeps the user journey smooth and the dashboard fast. The goal isn’t to display every detail in one place but to guide attention efficiently and make data storytelling feel natural.

If you’re designing visuals for a dashboard this week, here are a few takeaways to keep in mind:

• Choose images that convey the point quickly. The moment your audience scans the dashboard, they should grasp the key message.

• Favor formats that balance clarity and load speed. PNG for sharp logos, JPEG for photos, GIF for simple motion.

• Have a plan for documents. A clean link or a converted image can save you from layout headaches later.

• Test with real users. A quick walk-through with a teammate can reveal where images blur numbers into noise.

Smartsheet dashboards are at their best when visuals complement data, not complicate it. By understanding which file types fit the image widget—and knowing how to handle PDFs when needed—you keep your dashboards crisp, accessible, and genuinely useful. And that, in turn, makes the whole thing feel a little less like work and a bit more like storytelling with a clear, visual rhythm.