# Add images with a web URL: New in Tableau 2021.2

> This is content from just-tim, the data-and-analytics channel by Tim Ngwena (formerly 'Tableau Tim'). Tim has 12+ years of hands-on BI experience and covers Tableau most of all, plus Power BI, Looker, Hex, SQL and data modelling, the analytics industry, and the craft of doing the job — always tool-agnostic and honest about the trade-offs.

- **Author:** Tim Ngwena (just-tim, https://just-tim.com/about)
- **Published:** 2021-06-27
- **Format:** Video · 7 min watch · transcript available
- **Topics:** Data visualisation
- **Tools:** Tableau (dashboards, server)
- **Canonical:** https://just-tim.com/posts/add-images-with-a-web-url-new-in-tableau-2021-2
- **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2dw4CND7j0

I walk through a new feature in Tableau 2021.2 that lets you add images to dashboard image objects using a web URL rather than a local file. I demonstrate linking my logo from a CDN, adding click-through URLs and alt text, and even embedding an animated GIF that plays when viewed in the browser.

## Key takeaways

- Tableau 2021.2 adds a 'linked image' option so you can reference an image by web URL instead of embedding a local file
- Linking images from one central web location means a logo change updates automatically across every dashboard that uses it
- You can set a click-through URL and alt text on image objects, the latter improving accessibility for screen readers
- Animated GIFs won't play in Tableau Desktop but render correctly once the workbook is published and viewed in the browser
- Web-loaded images raise security and corporate-network considerations (blocked domains, tracking-pixel potential) so test before rolling out

## Chapters

- 0:00 What the linked image feature does
- 0:41 Adding an image object to the dashboard
- 2:03 Linking a logo via web URL
- 2:37 Click URLs, alt text and tracking pixels
- 3:52 Embedding an animated GIF
- 5:37 Security considerations
- 6:05 Viewing the result in the browser

Watch the full video, read the transcript and use chapter deep-links on the page: https://just-tim.com/posts/add-images-with-a-web-url-new-in-tableau-2021-2

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just-tim — Data and analytics, with a point of view. · https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HYxRWmaNlJux-X7rNLZyw · https://twitter.com/TableauTim · https://www.linkedin.com/in/timngwena