Use charts and graphs in your presentation

Applies to: PowerPoint for Office 365, PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010, PowerPoint 2007.

You can create a chart in PowerPoint or Excel. If you have plenty of data to chart, create your chart in Excel, and then copy it into your presentation. This is also the optimal way if your data updates routinely and you want your chart to always match the newest numbers. In that case, when you copy and paste the chart, keep it linked to the original Excel file.

Tip: Check out these YouTube videos from PowerPoint community experts for more help with charts!

To design a basic chart from scratch in PowerPoint, pick Insert > Chart and select your desired chart.

1. Select Insert > Chart.

2. Pick the chart type and then double-click your preferred chart.

Tip: For help deciding which chart is best for your data, see Available chart types.

3. In the worksheet that displays, overwrite the placeholder data with your personal information.

When you’ve finished, close the worksheet.

Tip: When you add a chart, small buttons emerge beside its upper-right corner. Use the Chart Elements  button to display, hide, or format things like axis titles or data labels. Or use the Chart Styles  button to quickly change the colour or style of the chart. The Chart Filters  button is a more advanced option that shows or hides data in your chart.