Excel Charts in PowerPoint

I deal with a lot of very large data reports that include charts and graphs that summarize the data. I sometimes have to add these charts and graphs to executive-level PowerPoint presentations for others to see.

The problem with doing a simple copy and paste of a chart from Excel to PowerPoint is that although you only see the chart in the PowerPoint slide, the entire workbook is copied into PowerPoint as well. If someone double-clicks the chart in the slide, PowerPoint will open the entire Excel workbook.

This poses a couple of problems. First, unless the PowerPoint file has been password protected (not really an option for mass distribution) user could easily adjust the data feeding into the chart and corrupt accuracy.

Secondly, since the entire Excel workbook is copied into the PowerPoint file, this can dramatically increase the total size on the PowerPoint file, possibly making it too cumbersome for distribution.

One simple solution is to modify how the pasting into PowerPoint is done. Follow these steps:

1. In Excel, copy the chart as you normally would. (For instance, select the chart and press Ctrl+C.)
2. In PowerPoint, display the slide where you want the chart to appear.
3. Choose the Paste Special option from the Edit menu. PowerPoint displays the Paste Special dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.)
4. Select the Picture option. (Either of the two available will be fine.)
5. Click OK.

This time, only the image of the chart is pasted into the slide. This maintains the accuracy and security of your chart and significantly reduces the size of your PowerPoint presentation.