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Tell your story with illustrated charts
You can use charts to illustrate important financial or
numerical data. Charts help turn data into
information, which makes it easier to identify trends
and relationships. For example, you can greatly
improve a table containing a list of financial results
when you turn it into a chart that helps viewers
identify variances or areas that need improvement.
PowerPoint charts use Microsoft Excel chart tools, but
you do not need to know how to use Excel to be
successful in using charts. When you insert a chart
into a slide, a sample chart is inserted with sample
data opened in a spreadsheet for you to edit. You
can type your data over the sample data, and as you
do, the chart updates automatically. This allows you
to create a chart to suit your needs without having to
create a separate Excel workbook.
The slide’s design theme determines the fonts that
are used in the charts and the colors that are used
on the bars to make your charts blend in with other
elements in your slides.
1 Navigate to the slide in which
you want to insert the
spreadsheet.
2 Click the Insert tab.
3 Click Chart.
The Insert Chart dialog box
appears.
4 Click the chart category you
want to use.
5 Click the chart type you want
to use.
6 Click OK.
* PowerPoint inserts a
default chart into the
slide.
* The chart’s underlying
data appears in an Excel
worksheet.
* Click and drag the lower
right corner of the range
to adjust the size of the
charge data range.
7 Use the worksheet to
type the data on which
you want to base the
chart.
PowerPoint updates the
chart automatically with
your new data.
8 In Excel, click Office.
9 Click Exit Excel.
Note: If you prefer to leave Excel running
for other tasks, click Close on the Office
menu, instead.
The PowerPoint window returns to its
normal size and your chart appears in
the slide.
Change It!
You can change the chart to
any of the other chart styles,
including Bar, Line, Pie, and
more. Click the chart, click
the Design tab under Chart
Tools, and then click Change
Chart Type. In the Change
Chart Type dialog box, click a
chart category, click a chart
type, and then click OK.
Try This!
You can edit the chart
data after you have inserted
it. Click the chart, click the
Design tab under Chart
Tools, and then click Edit
Data. PowerPoint launches
an Excel worksheet and
displays the chart data.
Did You Know?
You can change the
colors that PowerPoint uses
to display the chart data
markers. Click the chart,
click Design, and then click
Colors. Right-click the color
scheme you want to use,
and then click Apply to
Selected Slides.