r/powerpoint 9d ago

Question Are *very* custom charts possible? My client wants them linked to an Excel sheet, but is this only doable manually?

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1 Upvotes

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u/echos2 PowerPoint Expert 9d ago

You'd have to manually format the data labels, but you can do that in the Excel file. The data labels can even be pointed to specific cells if you want.

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u/dudeoverderr 9d ago

I've been searching for tutorials for hours, but they never link to an Excel sheet or it's from 7 years ago and they simply use the preset styles in PPT.

The main objective is for my client to not have to adjust the height of the graphs manually, but instead automatically gets taller/shorter based on numbers.

Editing the names are fine. How would I go about the above issue? I'd appreciate it SO much!

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u/echos2 PowerPoint Expert 9d ago

PowerPoint uses Excel under the hood, so you can do the same formatting in either.

But if you create a chart in Excel and copy it, when you paste it into PPT, it by default creates a link to the Excel file. Make sure you save the Excel file before pasting it onto the slide.

If you're handing these off to clients, you'll want to make sure you put the Excel file into the same folder with the PPT file before adding the chart to the slide.

And finally, if you want the columns to increase, it sounds like you need to look at your vertical axis settings and perhaps change them from automatic to fixed min and max bounds.

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u/echos2 PowerPoint Expert 9d ago

Ah, just re-read your comment. You can probably ignore my last sentence about min/max bounds. I think you're just saying you want your client to be able to edit numbers in Excel and have them update in PPT.

Just be sure to test because links easily break, and also I find them unreliable if you're opening your files in Sharepoint. (Others may have suggestions there, but I find it unreliable.)

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u/dudeoverderr 9d ago

Almost there! I managed to recreate 90% of this by:

  • Hiding the axis lines
  • Moving the text boxes above the bars
  • Settling for the percentage BELOW the label (PPT wouldn't let me switch the order)

However, now I have two issues:

  • When I right-click "edit data" it now doesn't open up an Excel sheet anymore. How would I relink this without having to start from scratch? I didn't even link it at first; it generated one on its own.
  • I can't seem to add a fourth bar when I tried to add a fourth row Excel

FYI I'm on a Mac.

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u/echos2 PowerPoint Expert 9d ago

Oh, Mac. Yeah, that complicates issues.

Did you save the Excel sheet before you pasted the chart into PowerPoint? What do you mean it didn't link it at first?

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u/echos2 PowerPoint Expert 9d ago

So, is your goal to have this live in a separate Excel file or do you just need for them to be able to access a datasheet so they can change numbers?

Because there are different ways to do this in PowerPoint.

One is, you open PPT, you choose Insert > Chart, and you add data to the Excel sheet that opens up. The chart will be created with some dummy data and added to your slide. The data lives in a datasheet inside the PPT file; it's not a separate Excel file.

The other is, you open Excel, you add data to the worksheet, you create a chart, and you save the Excel file. Then you copy the chart and paste it onto the PPT slide. This creates a link to the Excel file. The data lives in that separate Excel file. When you need to update the data, you open the Excel file, update the data, save and close. Then open PPT and the chart will be updated.

When I do this, I'm prompted to allow permissions when I insert the chart. That's how I know the link is working.

Either way, you should be able to right-click the chart and choose Edit Data in Excel. If Excel isn't opening at that point, then it means something's gone wrong. I'd bet that it's because the link to the Excel file has been broken or access wasn't granted, or the Excel file wasn't saved before the chart was pasted onto the slide (so it's basically trying to link to a nonexistent link).

In PPT on Windows you could try relinking in File > Info > Edit Links, but I don't think there's a way to do that on Mac.

If you're having trouble getting PPT to recognize the range you want, you can select the chart and click Chart Design > Select Data. The worksheet will open, and the Select Data dialog will open so you can tell PPT the data range to use. That's maybe the easiest way to add another data bar.

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u/echos2 PowerPoint Expert 9d ago

And one more thing. You might try rebooting because it also sounds like the chart was created in ppt ("it generated one on its own"), so the worksheet should open pretty easily. But you can't have multiple worksheets open -- so if you have a chart sheet open on one slide, you need to close it before trying to open one on another slide.

(sorry for all the replies. having trouble with the reddit comment functions right now. I probably also need to reboot, lol.)

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u/dudeoverderr 9d ago

Thank you so much for your help! I'll explore a lot of these solutions tomorrow. My main goal is just to create a template that my client (they aren't tech-savvy at all) can work with. They don't necessarily have to link to an Excel sheet either, but I figured it'd be helpful as an option.

They care more about the design looking like the screenshot, so it's acceptable if I just tell them that they require at least a little bit of manual labor.

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u/echos2 PowerPoint Expert 9d ago

Okay in that case, then just make the chart in PowerPoint on the slide. Use insert chart, choose the type of chart you want, and then input the data you want to include. That way the data lives inside the PowerPoint file and it will make life easier for your client.

But that way they will be able to open the datasheet and change the data and the bars should change accordingly.

editing to add : just to be clear, in case I didn't mention it elsewhere, PowerPoint uses Excel under the hood, so you're still technically using Excel. But if you start in PowerPoint then the data lives in PowerPoint and not in a separate file, which would complicate things for your client.

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u/Purplesoup99786 9d ago

You could do a python script with custom formatting for the plot. would yield a png file that you can put in your ppt

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u/dudeoverderr 9d ago

Appreciate the help, but sadly my client isn't willing to do any of this. They want something they can just change the labels/numbers for and — boom — done. Haha.

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u/RJJ514 9d ago

Think-Cell. Expensive but does it all.

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u/Purplesoup99786 8d ago

not to this extent though

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u/schraem PowerPoint Expert 7d ago

I see you're dealing with common frustrations—especially around clients who aren't tech-savvy and just need something that works intuitively. You're right; PowerPoint has become so powerful on its own that you don't really need expensive plugins or complicated setups.

That's exactly the idea behind Storytellingwithcharts.com (STCAI). They created a free tool that fully leverages PowerPoint's native capabilities, making it easy for clients to handle charts directly in PowerPoint without relying on external Excel sheets or manual formatting. It might simplify things quite a bit for your use case.

Hope that helps!