Inserting Charts into PowerPoint Slides

We have already seen how charts can be saved and reused as a template. Now we want to insert charts into another Microsoft Office application's document, specifically into one created in the PowerPoint application. We can paste a chart into a PowerPoint slide, embed a chart in a slide as an object, or link the slide to the Excel worksheet.

These methods are described below:

• You can simply copy selected charts in Excel and then use the Paste or Paste Special commands in PowerPoint to insert the charts into a presentation. The Paste Special command gives more flexibility in that it allows charts to be pasted in a variety of formats.
• An embedded object is an object that maintains a direct connection to its original program, known as the source program. An embedded object can easily be edited by double-clicking it, which gives you access to the appropriate commands on the Ribbon. Embedding an object in a presentation increases the file size since PowerPoint has to store the data as well as information about how to display the data.
• A linked object is just a representation on a slide of information that is still stored in the original document, known as the source document. When you edit the source document in the source program after adding a linked object to a slide, PowerPoint will update the representation of the object. PowerPoint stores only the data needed to display the information, and so linking results in a smaller file size than embedding.

In this workshop, we will explore using the Paste and the Paste Special commands to insert charts into PowerPoint slides.

Using the Paste Command

One method of bringing an Excel chart into a PowerPoint presentation is by using the regular Copy and Paste commands. The results of a copy and paste method can vary in Microsoft Office applications, depending on what is being pasted and which Microsoft applications are involved. For example, an Excel data range copied and pasted into Word is pasted as a static table. However, an copied Excel chart is pasted into PowerPoint as a link.

Let's launch PowerPoint, open the desired presentation file, and insert a chart into it by using the regular Copy and Paste command.

Step1. Launch PowerPoint.

The application appears. We want to open an existing file.

Step2. To begin to open the file, in the left pane,

Click Open Other Presentations

NOTE for MacOS Users: To begin to open the file, on the menu bar, in the File menu, Click Open.

Step3. To browse for the file,

Click

NOTE for MacOS Users: To browse for the file, Click.

Step4. To open the desired file,

navigate into the ExcelCharts folder on your Desktop,

Double-Click Results.pptx

You will see three slides that are currently in the PowerPoint presentation.

Step5. To access the second slide, press:

Page Down key

We see a slide titled Survey Results, with a placeholder containing six different content icons in the center of the slide.

Step6. To select the slide placeholder,

Click any blank area within the placeholder

The placeholder is selected:

Step7. To switch back to Excel,

Click the Microsoft Excel file

Step8. Select the first bar chart in the Survey Data worksheet.

Step9. To copy the selected Excel chart, press:

Control key+c

NOTE for MacOS Users: To copy the selected Excel chart, press Command key+c.

Now that we have copied the chart, we will move back to the PowerPoint file that has already been created.

Step10. To switch to the PowerPoint presentation,

Click the Microsoft PowerPoint file

Step11. To paste the copied chart, press:

Control key+v

NOTE for MacOS Users: To paste the copied chart, press Command key+v.

By default the chart is pasted as a link to the Excel data using the destination theme.

Step12. To view the Paste Options button, at the bottom right corner of the chart,

Click

The Paste Options menu appears. In Excel 2016 for Windows, it looks like:

This menu has the following options:

• Use Destination Theme & Embed Workbook
• Keep Source Formatting & Embed Workbook
• Use Destination Theme & Link Data (the default)
• Keep Source Formatting & Link Data
• Picture

NOTE for MacOS Users: The wording of the options in the menu is slightly different.

We will keep source formatting and embed the workbook.

Step13. To keep source formatting and embed the workbook,

Click Keep Source Formatting & Embed Workbook

NOTE for MacOS Users: To keep source formatting and embed the workbook, Click both the "Keep Source Formatting" and the "Excel Chart (entire workbook)" radio buttons.

The chart and the Excel workbook it is from is embedded into the PowerPoint file. This will make editing the chart very easy to perform, but the PowerPoint file size is now much greater, because it also contains the Excel file.

Step14. Resize the chart, if necessary.

Step15. Deselect the chart.

Using the Paste Special Command

Now that we have seen how the regular copy and paste command works, we will explore some of the Paste Special commands. If we are certain that our chart is a final copy and that future changes will not be made to it, then pasting the chart as a picture using the Paste Special method is a good choice. The Paste Special command gives us more control and allows us to choose the most appropriate option.

Next we will paste a chart into a PowerPoint presentation using the Paste Special command.

Step1. To access the third slide, on the keyboard, press:

Page Down key

You see a slide with a placeholder.

Step2. To select the slide placeholder,

Click any blank area within the placeholder

The placeholder is selected.

Step3. To switch to Excel,

Click the Microsoft Excel file

Step4. To select the Scatter Chart worksheet,

Click the Scatter Chart worksheet tab

Step5. To select the chart with the callout,

Click the chart area

Step6. To copy the selected Excel chart, press:

Control key+c

NOTE for MacOS Users: To copy the selected Excel chart, press Command key+c.

Now that we have copied the chart, we will move back to the PowerPoint file that has already been created.

Step7. To switch to the PowerPoint presentation,

Click the Microsoft PowerPoint file

Step8. To paste the chart, in the Clipboard group,

Click, Click Paste Special...

The Paste Special dialog box appears:

When a chart is copied to the Clipboard in Excel, the Paste Special dialog box in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows provides the following options:

• Microsoft Excel Chart Object - inserts the chart as an object floating on a layer, just as an embedded chart floats above the cells in a worksheet. Attempting to edit it will open Excel.
• Microsoft Office Graphic Object - inserts the chart as a graphic object that can be edited by using the chart tools on the Ribbon. This option is not available when using compatibility mode.
• Picture (PNG) - the chart is pasted as a PNG (Portable Network Graphics) image. The PNG format is similar to GIF, but it provides better color support. It compresses solid areas of color while preserving sharp details, such as detail in line art or logos. PNG format does not support animation.
• Picture (Enhanced Metafile) - the chart is pasted as a picture. Picture format generally provides better display than bitmap format. You can save a picture as a 32- bit graphic, which supports more sophisticated graphics functions.
• Picture (JPEG) - the chart is pasted as a JPEG image, which may result in a fuzzy image. The JPEG file format supports 16 million colors and is best suited for photographs and complex graphics.
• Picture (GIF) - the chart is pasted as a GIF image. GIF is a good format for line drawings, black and white images, small text that is only a few pixels high, and animation.
• Picture (Windows Metafile) - the chart is pasted as a picture. This format can be saved as a16-bit graphic for use with Windows 3.x and later.
• Device Independent Bitmap - the chart is pasted as a bitmap image, related to a device's output display resolution.
• Bitmap - the chart is pasted as a bitmap image. The BMP format can display millions of colors and is practical to use when providing an image for someone who does not have the program in which you created the image.

NOTE for MacOS Users: The Paste Special options in Powerpoint 2016 for Mac are Microsoft Excel Chart Object (can edit in Excel), Microsoft Office Graphic Object (can edit with Ribbon tools), PDF, and Picture (TIFF).

Since we don't plan to change our data or further edit this scatter chart, we will choose the Picture option.

Step9. To begin to paste the chart as a picture,

Click Picture (Enhanced Metafile)

NOTE for MacOS Users: To begin to paste the chart as a picture, Click Picture (TIFF).

NOTE: The Picture (Windows Metafile) and Picture (Enhanced Metafile) both produce similar results. However, the Picture (Enhanced Metafile) allows for more graceful resizing of the picture once it is pasted into PowerPoint.

Step10. To finish pasting the chart,

Click

The chart is now in the PowerPoint slide.

Step11. Resize the chart, if necessary.

We're finished with this workshop, so we can save our files and exit the applications.

Step12. Save the PowerPoint presentation.

Step13. Exit PowerPoint

You see the Excel workbook.

Step14. Save the workbook ChartData.xlsx.

Step15. Exit Excel.