How to Insert Excel into PowerPoint (2 Easy Ways)

Inserting Excel data into PowerPoint is useful for creating professional presentations with up-to-date data and calculations. There are two easy ways to insert Excel content into PowerPoint slides – you can either embed the entire Excel file or copy and paste parts of it.

Embed an Excel File into PowerPoint

Embedding allows you to link the Excel file to your PowerPoint presentation. When the Excel data updates, it will automatically update in PowerPoint too (as long as both files stay in the same location). Here is how to embed Excel into PowerPoint:

1. Open the PowerPoint presentation you want to add the Excel file to
2. Select the slide you want the Excel data to appear on
3. On the PowerPoint ribbon, go to the Insert tab
4. Click the Object button and select Microsoft Excel Worksheet from the drop-down menu Insert Excel Object
5. This will open a new Excel window inside PowerPoint Embedded Excel
6. Enter the data you want into the Excel sheet as you normally would
7. Once finished, close the Excel window to return to PowerPoint
8. Resize and position the embedded Excel area as needed

The Excel data will now show on your PowerPoint slide. As long as you don’t break the link between the files, it will update automatically if the Excel data changes.

Copy and Paste from Excel into PowerPoint

Embedding links the Excel data but can sometimes cause file size and formatting issues. If you just want to insert part of an Excel sheet, copying and pasting is a good option. Here is how to copy Excel data into PowerPoint:

1. Open both the Excel workbook and PowerPoint presentation
2. In Excel, select the cells you want to copy
   • To select the whole sheet, click the corner box between the row and column headers
   Select Excel Data
3. Copy the selected cells (CTRL+C / ⌘+C on Mac)
4. Switch to PowerPoint, select the slide to paste the data onto
5. Paste the copied Excel cells (CTRL+V / ⌘+V on Mac) Paste Excel into PowerPoint
6. The Excel data will appear in a PowerPoint table that is disconnected from the original Excel file
7. Format the table as needed by adding borders, adjusting column widths, etc.

Because the copied data is disconnected from the Excel file, it won’t update automatically. You’ll need to recopy and repaste any changes made to the Excel sheet. But pasting avoids linking issues and gives you more formatting control in PowerPoint.

Tips for Inserting Excel into PowerPoint

• Check for formatting issues after inserting Excel data and adjust the PowerPoint table formatting if needed
• Add borders and shading to make Excel tables stand out on PowerPoint slides
• Resize columns and rows for better fit after pasting Excel data
• Paste links to Excel sheets or workbook instead of embedding the entire file if it is very large
• Break links between embedded Excel data and the original file using PowerPoint’s Break Link command before sharing the presentation to avoid updating issues
• Consider saving a PowerPoint slide with an embedded Excel sheet as a PDF to “flatten” it into static content