Inserting Charts
Learn how to insert charts into PowerPoint, choose the right chart type, edit chart data, and format your chart to communicate information visually.
By the end of this lesson you can
- Insert a chart and edit its underlying data
- Choose a chart type that answers the audience's question
- Simplify a chart so it reads from the back of a room
- Update a chart when the source figures change
Lesson Notes
Read through the key concepts before you try the challenge.
A presentation chart needs to be simpler than a report chart
You present spending trends at Lakeside Medical Associates.
You paste the chart from your Excel report: eight series, gridlines, a legend on the right, and axis labels at nine point. In the report, where a reader can study it, it works. Projected, it is a colored tangle.
Your task: Rebuild the chart for a glance from six meters away, not for a reader at a desk.
A report chart is read; a presentation chart is glanced at. That difference means fewer series — two or three, not eight — larger type, no gridlines, and direct labels on the lines rather than a legend the eye has to travel to and match by color.
| The question | Chart |
|---|---|
| How did this change over time? | Line |
| How do these categories compare? | Column or bar |
| What share of the whole is each part? | Pie, five or fewer slices |
| Are these two measures related? | Scatter |
Why Use Charts in Presentations?
Charts transform raw numbers into visuals that are far easier to interpret at a glance. A bar chart comparing sales figures communicates instantly what a table of numbers takes time to process.
In professional presentations, charts are among the most effective tools for presenting data-driven arguments and trends.
Common Chart Types
PowerPoint includes many chart types. These are the most commonly used in business presentations:
- Column and Bar — compare values across categories. Column charts are vertical; bar charts are horizontal.
- Line — show trends over time. Best when data has a clear sequence like months or years.
- Pie — show proportions of a whole. Use only when you have a small number of categories.
- Area — similar to line charts but filled with color, emphasizing volume.
Inserting a Chart
Go to the Insert tab and click Chart.
The Insert Chart dialog opens. Choose a chart type from the left panel and select a specific subtype from the top row, then click OK.
A sample chart appears on your slide alongside a small Excel-style spreadsheet where you enter your actual data.
Editing Chart Data
Replace the placeholder data in the spreadsheet with your own numbers. The chart on the slide updates automatically as you type.
Column headers become the chart's legend labels. Row headers become the category labels along the axis.
Close the spreadsheet when you're done. To edit the data again later, right-click the chart and select Edit Data.
Chart Design and Format Tabs
When a chart is selected, the Chart Design and Format tabs appear on the ribbon. These tabs contain all chart customization tools.
Applying a Chart Style
The Chart Design tab includes a Chart Styles gallery with pre-built color and shading combinations that coordinate with your theme.
Click Change Colors to select a different color palette for your chart's data series.
Changing the Chart Layout
Quick Layouts on the Chart Design tab let you change what elements appear on the chart — such as the title, legend, gridlines, and data labels.
You can also use Add Chart Element to turn individual elements on or off, such as axis titles, data labels, and the legend.
Changing the Chart Type
If you decide that a different chart type would represent your data better, you don't have to start over.
Click Change Chart Type on the Chart Design tab, select the new type, and click OK. Your data transfers to the new chart format.
Completed Chart Example
A well-chosen chart type with a matching style and clear labels can make even complex data easy to understand at a glance.
Knowledge Check
Which chart type is best suited for showing a trend over a period of time?
How do you update the data in a chart after it has been inserted?
Practice File
Download this file and follow along with the lesson.
Challenge
Apply what you've learned in this lesson.
Open the practice presentation and complete the following tasks:
- Insert a new slide with a Title and Content layout.
- Add the title: Regional Sales — Q1.
- Insert a Clustered Column chart.
- Replace the placeholder data with four regions (North, South, East, West) and their sales figures.
- Close the data spreadsheet.
- Apply a chart style that uses your theme colors.
- Use Add Chart Element to add data labels above each column.
- Remove the chart legend since the data labels make it redundant.
- Review the result and ensure the chart is clearly readable at slide size.
Finished this lesson?
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