Insert Charts in PowerPoint

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.

• 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.

• Once you’ve modified the data, close the worksheet. If you need to open it again, right-click → Edit data → Edit data.

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.

• As an alternative, go to the Design tab and, in the Chart Layouts group, click the Add Chart Element drop-down arrow.

• 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.

• If you want to change the chart type, right-click → Change Series Chart Type.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

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.

• Right-click the chart and choose Open Link.

• A browser window will open. Click Make a copy to create a Google Sheets file in your Google Drive account.

• Click File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).

• Once you’ve downloaded this file, follow the steps under “How to Insert the Data from an Excel Worksheet into PowerPoint”.