Changing the data in charts/diagrams in PowerPoint for Windows
While inserting a new chart in PowerPoint, you might see an instance of the Excel sheet containing some model data for your chart jumps up in the PowerPoint. You have to change the data within that small part of excel sheet to auto-update the changes on the chart on your slide. This small Excel sheet that stores your data has no separate existence. There is no separate Excel sheet saved containing your data and is stored within the PowerPoint presentation itself.
What to do, if you want to edit the chart data after a few weeks, a month, or even a year after you have created that chart? Very simple, you just have to summon the instance of the Excel sheet containing the data again and make the necessary changes. Follow the below steps to learn more:
Figure A: Chart selected on the slide.
Figure B: Edit Data button.
Figure C: Drop-down menu of Edit Data.
Edit Data: Selecting the Edit Data option will open a small part of Excel sheet which contains the chart data within the PowerPoint as shown in the below Figure D.
Figure D: A small part of the Excel sheet which contains the chart data opened inside PowerPoint.
You can also get the same above result by either clicking the top portion of the Edit Data button or by simply right-clicking the chart and then selecting the Edit Data option within the menu that pops up.
Edit Data in Excel: when you select this option, a new sheet of Excel 2016 containing the same chart data will be launched as shown in Figure E.
Figure E: An excel sheet containing the chart data.
Figure F: Modified Chart data.
Tip: To launch the complete Excel interface, as shown in Figure E, you just have to click the small icon representing Excel (highlighted in red within Figure F, top portion) within the smaller Excel window.
To Change the order of the data series
To change the order of a data series, you need to work with a chart that has more than one data series.
For example, in a row chart, click any row, and all the rows of that data series will be selected.
NOTE: For almost all the chart types, changing the order of the data series affects both the chart and the legend.
To Remove or add a data series
To | Do This |
Add a series
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Under Series, click the Add, and then from the Excel sheet, select all the data that you need to include in the chart. |
Remove a series | Under Series, choose and select the data series that you want to remove, and then just click Remove. |
To Change the fill color of the data series
For example, in a row chart, click a column, and all the rows of that data series become selected.
TIP: To vary the color by a data point in a chart which has only a single data series, click the series, and then the Chart Layout tab. Below Current Selection, you will see Format Selection, click it. In the navigation pane, click Fill, and then according to the chart, select the Vary color by slice checkbox or the Vary color by point check box.
To Add data labels
Labels are added to show the data point values from the Excel sheet in the chart.
Again some options may not be available, depending on the chart type.
To Add a data table
For this also, some options may not be available, depending on the chart type.