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:

• Select the chart on your slide that needs to be modified. For the explanation purpose, we have used (and selected) a Column chart as shown in the figure below.

Figure A: Chart selected on the slide.

• After selecting the chart, select the Chart Tools and then the Design tab from the Ribbon and then click the bottom half of the Edit Data

Figure B: Edit Data button.

• When you do as said the Edit Data drop-down menu containing two options would be opened, as shown below in Figure C.

 

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.

• You can either select the Edit Data directly or the Edit Data in Excel options. And you can change the Category and/or Series names and also their given values within the resultant Excel sheet itself. In order to do that, you have to first select the specific cell in the Excel sheet, and then enter the new value (or name). Figure F shows all values except the names, of the sample chart changed. Compare Figures D and F.

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.

• When you are finished with editing values and names within the Excel sheet, you can close the small Excel sheet (or Excel itself). The changes you made will automatically reflect in the chart on the PowerPoint slide.
• Now, Save your PowerPoint presentation.

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.

• From the chart, select a data series you want, and then click Chart Layout

For example, in a row chart, click any row, and all the rows of that data series will be selected.

• Below Current Selection, select Format Selection.

• Now in the navigation pane, click Order, and then click a series name, and then click Move Down or Move Up.

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

• From the chart, select a data series, and then click Charts.
• Suppose, from a column chart, if you simply click a column, then all columns of that data series will be selected.
• Below Data, click the arrow beside Edit, and then go for Select Data in Excel.
• From the Select Data Source box, do any one of the below listed:

To	Do This
Add a series	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

• From the chart, select a data series which you want to edit, and then click Format

For example, in a row chart, click a column, and all the rows of that data series become selected.

• From the Chart Element Styles, click the arrow beside Fill Color button, and then click the color of your choice.

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.

• After selecting the chart, click the Chart Layout
• Under Labels, click Data Labels, and then in the top portion of the list, choose and select the data label type that you prefer.
• Now under Labels, click Data Labels, and then in the bottom portion of the list, choose and select where you want the data label to appear.

Again some options may not be available, depending on the chart type.

To Add a data table

• Click the chart, and then the Chart Layout
• Below Labels, click Data Table, and then select the option of your choice.

For this also, some options may not be available, depending on the chart type.