Creating Charts in Excel

Linking Charts to Other Applications

You can insert Excel charts into other Microsoft applications several ways; however, inserting charts as linked objects allows you to make changes to the chart and update those changes. When you do this, the changes are reflected both in the Excel chart and in the other application. Keep in mind, it is only possible to link charts that are created on a different sheet in the Excel workbook. You CANNOT link embedded charts. In our examples in this section, we basically change from one chart type to another; however, this is not the only change that can be made. You can also change any element in the appearance of the chart as well as which chart in a workbook you use.

Linking Charts to PowerPoint

• Create a presentation in PowerPoint as you normally would.
• Select the slide or slide layout into which you want to insert the cart.
• Click on Insert from the PowerPoint menu bar.
• Select Object.

  

• Select Create from file in the Insert Object dialog box.
• Click on Browse to find the file you want to insert.
• Select the Excel file containing the chart you want to insert.
• Click on the Link check box.
• Click on OK.

  

• The chart will be automatically inserted into your presentation.
• If necessary use the sizing handles, the object formatting tools, or the picture formatting tools to adjust your chart.

  

Updating Linked Charts to PowerPoint

In the example below, we wanted to update the chart in our presentation so that it reflected the change from a pie chart to a column chart. We also wanted to delete the chart title and the chart legend.

• Make the desired changes to your chart in Excel.
• Save your work.
• Open PowerPoint.
• Find and select the linked chart.
• Right click on your mouse.
• Select Update Link.

  

• Your chart will be automatically updated in PowerPoint.
• Make any necessary formatting and sizing changes to your chart.

  

Editing Linked Charts from PowerPoint

You can also make linked changes to your chart from PowerPoint. In the example below we decided that we wanted to go ahead use the pie chart. To do so, we simply opened the Excel file from PowerPoint. However, you need to remember that when changes are made to the chart in this manner, the changes are also made to the original Excel file.

• Select the linked chart in PowerPoint.
• Right click your mouse.
• Select Linked Worksheet Object.
• Select Edit or Open.
  We selected Edit.

  

• The chart will open up in Excel.
• Make the desired changes to the chart.
• Return to PowerPoint.
• You will see that the changes have been made to your chart.

  

• Close Excel.
• Decide whether or not to keep the changes. If you decide not to keep the changes in Excel, it will not affect the chart in PowerPoint. The chart in PowerPoint will maintain your changes until you update or edit it.