The atomic force microscope (AFM) is capable of imaging surfaces at very high resolution. The AFM has been used to image living glial cells in culture. Typical images reveal the three‐dimensional shape of the cell and often internal cellular structures are visible. In this report, it is shown that by increasing the imaging force, cells can be removed from the surface on which they are grown. Although the forces involved in this process are complex, it is possible to compare relative adhesion of different types of living cells to a particular substrate.