How to add a chart in PowerPoint (and link it to Excel)

PowerPoint gives you two ways to add a chart: build it inside the deck, or bring it in from Excel and keep it linked. Here is how to do both, and how to make the chart say one thing clearly.

Method 1: build the chart in PowerPoint

Use this when the data is small (a few rows) and only lives in this deck.

1. Insert the chartGo to Insert > Chart. Pick a category on the left (Column, Line, Pie, Bar, Area, Combo and others), then double-click the chart style you want.
2. Type your dataA small worksheet opens with sample data. Replace it with your own numbers and labels. Drag the blue outline in the corner of the data range to include more or fewer rows and columns. Close the worksheet when you are done.
3. Edit the data laterSelect the chart and go to Chart Design > Edit Data. Use the arrow under Edit Data and choose Edit Data in Excel if you want the full Excel window.
4. Change the chart typeChart Design > Change Chart Type switches between types without losing your data.

Method 2: bring a chart in from Excel and keep it linked

Use this when the data already lives in a workbook or changes every month. A linked chart keeps pointing at the Excel file, so you refresh it instead of rebuilding it.

1. Save the workbook firstSave the Excel file somewhere stable, ideally the same OneDrive or SharePoint folder as the deck. Links break when files move.
2. Copy the chartIn Excel, click the chart's border to select the whole chart and press Ctrl+C (Cmd+C).
3. Paste with a linkIn PowerPoint, right-click the slide and, under Paste Options, choose Use Destination Theme & Link Data (matches your deck's fonts and colours) or Keep Source Formatting & Link Data (keeps Excel's look).
4. Refresh when the numbers changeSelect the chart and click Chart Design > Refresh Data. To open the source workbook, use Chart Design > Edit Data.

If a linked chart will not update

• The workbook was renamed or moved. Go to File > Info > Edit Links to Files (shown when the deck has links) to see and change the source path.
• The workbook is open in another app or locked by someone else. Close it and try again.
• You pasted as a picture or embedded workbook by mistake. Delete the chart and paste again with a Link Data option.
• The person you sent the deck to does not have access to the Excel file. Linked charts only refresh for people who can open the source.

Pick the right chart

Make the chart readable from the back of the room

Default charts carry more ink than a slide needs. Select the chart and use the Chart Elements button (the plus sign next to the chart) to turn things off, and Chart Styles (the brush) for colour.

1. Write a title that states the point: "Returns fell 18% after new size guide", not "Returns by month".
2. Remove the legend if there is only one series, or label lines directly at their ends.
3. Delete or lighten gridlines.
4. Add data labels to the few values people need to read, and remove the axis if every bar is labelled.
5. Colour the one bar or line that matters in your accent colour and the rest in grey.
6. Raise all chart text to at least 18 pt.

Worked example: a monthly report chart

Say you present sales every month and the numbers live in a workbook called Sales.xlsx. Build the chart once in Excel with the formatting you want: a column chart, months along the bottom, the current month in your accent colour and the others in grey. Copy it and paste into your monthly deck with Use Destination Theme & Link Data so it picks up the deck's fonts. Title the slide with the point, for example "March was our best month since launch".

Next month, add the new row in Excel, save, open the deck, select the chart and click Chart Design > Refresh Data. Update the slide title to match the new point. If you add a month and the chart does not grow to include it, edit the data range: Chart Design > Select Data and extend the range, or format the Excel data as a table (Insert > Table in Excel) so new rows are included automatically.

Before sending the deck outside your team, decide whether it should keep the link. Recipients cannot refresh it anyway, and the link can expose a file path. Use File > Info > Edit Links to Files > Break Link on a copy to freeze the numbers.

PowerPoint for the web and Mac

On a Mac the steps are the same, though the chart gallery is a drop-down under Insert > Chart and editing opens Excel for Mac. PowerPoint for the web can insert and edit charts too, but linked-chart options are more limited, so do the linking in the desktop app.

Or describe the chart and skip the formatting

Upload your spreadsheet or type the numbers in a sentence. InstaPresentation builds a clean, animated chart with a headline that states the point.