b. Method of Inserting as a Linked Object
This method is a good way to make sure the charts in PowerPoint always get the latest data from Excel. This way, you can keep the data displayed in the presentation as the original data in the Excel file.
Steps:
- Open the Excel file and select the chart you want to paste into PowerPoint. After that, press Ctrl + C to copy it.
- Open the PowerPoint presentation and locate the slide where you want to place the graph.
- Once you are on the desired slide, click the “Paste” button in the “Home” tab. Select “Paste Special…” from the menu that appears.
- In the Paste Special dialog box, select “Paste link” and then select “Microsoft Excel Chart Object”. This will insert the graph as a linked object, so any changes in Excel will automatically be visible in PowerPoint.
Pros:
This way, whenever there is a change in the Excel file, the chart in PowerPoint will be automatically updated without the need to copy it again.
Graphics inserted as linked objects still have good visual quality, so they look professional in presentations.
Cons:
To perform the update, you must have access to the Excel file that holds the original data. Without the file, updating the graphics cannot be performed.
One of the risks of this is that if the Excel file is moved elsewhere or renamed, the link between the PowerPoint and the Excel file will be broken, so the chart can no longer be updated.
c. Method of Inserting as Embedded Object
The Insert as Embedded Object method is another way to connect charts from Excel to PowerPoint. Unlike the Linked Object method, this method embeds Excel charts and data directly into a PowerPoint file. This makes your presentation more self-contained because it doesn’t require a separate Excel file during the presentation. However, this method also has some drawbacks that need to be noted.
Steps:
- Open the Excel file and select the chart you want to insert. After that, press Ctrl + C to copy it.
- Open the PowerPoint presentation and locate the slide where you want to place the graph.
- Once you are on the desired slide, click the “Paste” button in the “Home” tab. Select “Paste Special…” from the menu that appears.
- In the Paste Special dialog box, select “Paste” and then select “Microsoft Excel Chart Object”. This will embed the graph into the presentation so that the data is saved directly in the PowerPoint file.
Pros:
This way, you don’t have to worry about the presence of Excel files during presentations, as all the data is already in the PowerPoint file.
If you need to change the chart data, simply double-click on the chart in PowerPoint to open the Excel interface and make live edits.
Cons:
Because data from Excel is embedded directly into the PowerPoint file, the size of the presentation file can increase significantly, especially if the graphics used have a lot of data or high complexity.
One of the main drawbacks of this method is that if there are changes to the original data in Excel after the graph has been embedded, the update will not be reflected automatically in PowerPoint. You must manually edit the chart to update the information displayed.