When you paste an Excel chart into PowerPoint, you can embed it or link it. Embedding makes the presentation self-contained. Linking keeps the chart connected to the source workbook so it can update later.
Does this affect you?
Use this for PowerPoint and Excel for Microsoft 365, 2021, and 2019 on Windows or Mac when a chart needs to appear in a slide deck and you need to choose whether updates or portability matter more.
Embed a chart
Use embedding when the deck must work without the original Excel file.
- In Excel, select the chart and copy it.
- Switch to PowerPoint and click the destination slide.
- Right-click and choose a paste option that says Embed Workbook, such as Use Destination Theme & Embed Workbook or Keep Source Formatting & Embed Workbook.
- Position and resize the chart on the slide.
The chart data is stored inside the PowerPoint file. You can edit it from PowerPoint, but changes in the original Excel workbook no longer update the chart.
Link a chart
Use linking when the presentation should reflect ongoing changes in Excel.
- Copy the chart in Excel.
- Switch to PowerPoint.
- Right-click the slide and choose a paste option that says Link Data.
- Use destination theme or keep source formatting depending on the look you want.
- Right-click the chart later and choose Refresh Data or Update Chart if it does not refresh automatically.
A linked chart depends on the source workbook staying available at the saved path. Moving or renaming the Excel file can break the link.
More control
Fix a broken link
In PowerPoint, open File > Info > Edit Links to Files, choose the broken source, and use Change Source to point PowerPoint to the workbook in its new location.
Choose embedding for email or travel
If the presentation will be sent to someone else or used on a different computer, embedding is safer because the data travels inside the PowerPoint file.
Choose linking for recurring reports
If a monthly or weekly deck should update from the same workbook, linking keeps the presentation smaller and avoids repasting the chart every cycle.
Switch methods by repasting
There is no reliable one-click conversion between linked and embedded charts. Delete the chart, copy it again from Excel, and paste with the other option.
Sources
- Microsoft Support – Link or embed a chart from an Excel spreadsheet in PowerPoint (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Edit links to other files (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Copy an Excel chart to another Office program (2024)