How to Insert Charts in PowerPoint

How to Insert Charts in PowerPoint | Quick Tips & Tutorial for your presentations

Including a chart in your presentation is always a good way to display your numerical or statistical data in a visual manner. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create charts in PowerPoint and how to insert an already existing chart from an Excel document. You’ll also learn how to work with the ones included in our templates.

How to Create Charts

  • Select the slide where you want to include the chart.
  • Go to the Insert tab and, in the Illustrations group, click Chart. A new window will open.
Inserting a chart in PowerPoint
Inserting a chart in PowerPoint
  • Select the type of chart you want and click OK.
  • A chart will be generated, along with a new worksheet containing the data, which you can modify.
Chart's worksheet
Chart's worksheet
  • Once you’ve modified the data, close the worksheet. If you need to open it again, right-click → Edit data → Edit data.
Edit Data option
Edit Data option

How to Edit Your Charts

  • Once you’ve inserted the chart, click the “+” button, located in the top right corner. You’ll be able to add elements, such as titles, data labels or error bars, among others.
Adding elements to a chart
Adding elements to a chart
  • As an alternative, go to the Design tab and, in the Chart Layouts group, click the Add Chart Element drop-down arrow.
Adding elements to a chart
Adding elements to a chart
  • To apply different presets for the elements of the chart (color palette, layout, legend…), go to the Design tab and, in the Chart Layouts group, click the Quick Layout drop-down arrow.
Quick Layout options
Quick Layout options
  • If you want to change the chart type, right-click → Change Series Chart Type.
Change Series Chart Type option from right-click menu
Change Series Chart Type option from right-click menu
  • To modify the color palette, select the chart and, on the Design tab, in the Chart Styles group, click the Change Colors drop-down arrow.
  • Remember that the colors of the charts are adapted to the color palette of our template. If you want to apply a different color, select the desired object from the chart and go to the Format tab. Then click Shape Fill or Shape Outline and choose the color you want.
Changing a chart's colors
Changing a chart's colors

How to Insert the Data from an Excel Worksheet into PowerPoint

  • Open the Excel document where you have the chart that you want to insert into PowerPoint.
Excel document
Excel document
  • Right-click the chart that you want to use and select Copy. You can also select it and press Ctrl/Cmd + C.
  • Return to PowerPoint, select the slide where you want to paste the chart into and press Ctrl/Cmd + V.
Pasting a chart into a presentation
Pasting a chart into a presentation

How to Work with the Charts of Our Templates

  • Download one of our templates and open it in PowerPoint. Select the slide where the chart is.
Selecting a chart
Selecting a chart
  • Right-click the chart and choose Open Link.
Open Link option from right-click menu
Open Link option from right-click menu
  • A browser window will open. Click “Make a copy” to create a Google Sheets file in your Google Drive account.
Making a copy
Making a copy
  • Click File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).
Downloading the data as a Microsoft Excel document
Downloading the data as a Microsoft Excel document
  • Once you’ve downloaded this file, follow the steps under “How to Insert the Data from an Excel Worksheet into PowerPoint”.

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