Google Sheets and Google Slides are two incredibly useful apps for data analysis and presentations. Luckily, Google makes it simple to integrate a spreadsheet from Sheets into a slide deck in Slides.
Benefits of Inserting Google Sheets into Slides
Inserting a Google Sheet into Google Slides provides several key benefits:
- Real-time updating: When you insert a linked Google Sheet into Slides, it stays connected to the original Sheet. So when the source data changes, the version in the slide deck updates automatically.
- Visualizing data: Turning raw data from Sheets into charts, graphs, and tables in a Slides presentation makes it easier to visualize insights and trends.
- Saving time: Rather than manually building tables and charts in Slides, you can simply insert them straight from Sheets. This saves tons of time and effort.
- Collaboration: Multiple people can collaborate on analyzing the data in Sheets, while someone else focuses on building the presentation in Slides. The linkage keeps everything in sync.
Ways to Insert Google Sheets into Slides
There are a few different options for bringing Google Sheet data into your presentation:
1. Copy and Paste
- Select the cells you want to insert in Google Sheets
- Copy them
- Paste into your slide in Google Slides
- When prompted, link the pasted data to the original sheet
2. Insert Chart
- Create a chart in Google Sheets
- In Google Slides, go to Insert > Chart > From Sheets
- Select the chart you want to insert
3. Insert Table
- Make a table in Google Sheets
- In Google Slides, go to Insert > Sheets
- Choose which sheet and data range to insert
Linking Options for Inserted Sheets Content
When you insert content from Sheets, Slides gives two options for how to link the data:
Link to Spreadsheet
- The inserted data remains connected to the original sheet
- When the source sheet updates, the version in the slide deck updates too
Paste Unlinked
- The inserted data is disconnected from the original sheet
- It is a static copy, not dynamically linked
- You won’t be able to refresh or update the copied data later
Updating Linked Spreadsheets in Slides
If you choose the “Link to Spreadsheet” option, your inserted sheets content will stay connected to the source. Here is how to update it:
- In Google Slides, click on the linked table/chart that needs updating
- In the upper-right corner, click the “Update” button
- The content will refresh with the latest data from Google Sheets
Formatting Inserted Spreadsheets
Once you’ve inserted your Google Sheet into Slides, you can format it to optimize the visual presentation:
- Resize the table or chart using the handles at the corners and sides
- Move it to the desired location on the slide
- Edit the colors, fonts, and other formatting
Keep in mind that if you’ve inserted a linked spreadsheet, any formatting changes will be lost when you refresh the linkage. So you may want to format within Sheets before insertion.
Examples of Inserting Google Sheets into Slides
Here are just a few examples of how businesses, teachers, and presenters can utilize Google Sheets integrations in Slides:
- A marketing team links their campaign data spreadsheet into a results presentation
- A teacher inserts a grades sheet into a slide deck to display student performance metrics
- An event planner connects their guest list Sheet to build RSVP tracking slides
- A sales manager links a deals pipeline Sheet to create rolling quota reports
- A financial analyst pulls figures from a Sheet into their quarterly earnings slides
The options are endless! Inserting Sheets into Slides unlocks tons of use cases.
Tips for Effective Spreadsheet Integrations
Follow these tips when inserting Google Sheets into your presentations:
- Clean your data in Sheets before inserting: filter, format, remove errors
- Build your slides around the spreadsheet story you want to tell
- Label and color code sheet tabs and cells for easy identification
- Link charts and tables to keep data connected
- Refresh linked spreadsheets right before presenting
More Resources for Better Slide Decks
For additional help building better presentations using Google Slides, explore these resources:
Inserting Google Sheets into your Slides unlocks powerful data visualization and collaboration capabilities to make your presentations pop!
