How to Link Powerpoint to Excel for Dynamic Data Updates

We will use the following dataset.

Method 1 – Use the Automatic Update Option in PowerPoint

Steps:

• Hold the left mouse key and drag it to highlight your Table in Excel.
• Right-click and select Copy.

• Open your MS PowerPoint. In the left top corner, click the down arrow under the Paste icon.
• Select Paste Special. A pop-up box will open.

• Click the Paste Link in the pop-up and choose Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object option.
• Click OK.

• Click File on the top-left corner of your PowerPoint.

• Select the Info option.

• Click on the Edit Links to Files. A pop-up will open.

• In the pop-up, choose the link to your Excel Table.
• Check the Automatic Update option.
• You can also click on the Update now option to update the data manually.

• In the following Figure, the Quantity of Ice cream was 840 initially.

• We changed the value to 1000 in Excel and the value is automatically updated in PowerPoint.

Method 2 – Apply the Paste Special Link Feature to Link for Dynamic Data Updates

Steps:

•  Copy the Table from Excel.

• Open PowerPoint.
• Click on the down arrow under the Paste option in PowerPoint‘s top left corner.
• Choose Paste Special to open a pop-up box.

• Click Paste link and then select Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object.
• Press OK.

• The copied Table will appear in PowerPoint.
• Save the file and close PowerPoint.

• Change any data in the Excel file and reopen PowerPoint.
• A pop-up box will appear.
• Click on Update Links. It will update any change made in the Excel file.

Method 3 – Use the Regular Paste Option to Link PowerPoint to Excel

Steps:

• Create a Chart in Excel and Copy it.

• Open PowerPoint and click on the down arrow under Paste at the top left corner.
• Select Use Destination Theme from Paste Options.

• It will change the Format to Default PowerPoint Format.

• You can also choose Keep Source Formatting.

• This will keep the Format of the Excel file.

• Any data alteration in Excel will automatically update the data in PowerPoint.
• To see that it works, go to Excel and change any data. We changed the value for Quantity of Ice cream from 980 to 1220 in Excel.

• The Excel file is linked to PowerPoint. This change automatically updated the Chart data in PowerPoint.

• If the Chart data does not get updated, click the Chart Design tab and press Refresh Data.

Download the Practice Workbook

Related Articles

• [Solved] Embedded Excel in PowerPoint Not Showing All Data
• How to Open Existing PowerPoint File from Excel VBA

<< Go Back to Excel to PowerPoint | Export Data from Excel | Learn Excel