This tutorial shows how to insert Excel charts into Microsoft Word documents. We will also look at how to update and edit Excel charts in Word.
All the steps listed here are demonstrated in real-time on my YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/VJsAgv0wpNQ
Table of Contents:
- How to Insert Excel Charts into Microsoft Word
- How to Update Excel Charts in Microsoft Word
- How to Edit Excel Charts in Microsoft Word
These steps apply to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016. These steps don’t apply to Word for Mac, Word for the web, or Word for mobile.
How to Insert Excel Charts into Microsoft Word
- Select the chart in Excel.
- Select the Home tab.
- Select the Copy button.
Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C to copy the chart.
- Place your cursor in the Word document where you want to insert the chart.
- Select the Home tab.
- Select the Paste menu arrow.
- Select a pasting option from the drop-down menu:
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- Use Destination Theme & Embed Workbook inserts the chart with the Excel workbook using Word’s theme (styles). The chart won’t be linked to the original Excel file, but you can update the data in the embedded workbook.
- Keep Source Formatting & Embed Workbook inserts the chart with the Excel workbook using Excel’s formatting (styles). The chart won’t be linked to the original Excel file, but you can update the data in the embedded workbook.
- Use Destination Theme & Link Data inserts the chart using Word’s theme (styles). The chart will be linked to the original Excel file. When the Excel file is updated, the chart should automatically update in Word.
- Keep Source Formatting & Link Data inserts the chart using Excel’s formatting (styles). The chart will be linked to the original Excel file. When the Excel file is updated, the chart should automatically update in Word.
- Picture inserts the chart as an image that can’t be updated.
Excel charts inserted with the Use Destination Theme & Link Data or Keep Source Formatting & Link Data options will only update in Word if both files are in their original storage location.
Therefore, if you need to email the Word file containing the Excel chart, one solution is to save both the Word and Excel files in cloud storage before inserting the chart.
Then, email a link to the Word file from the cloud storage rather than attaching the file itself.
The Excel chart should be inserted into your Word document.
If you chose any of the paste options other than Picture, you can now select the chart, select the Chart Design tab, and adjust the formatting as you would a chart created in Word.
How to Update Excel Charts in Microsoft Word
If you used the Use Destination Theme & Link Data or Keep Source Formatting & Link Data paste option, the chart should automatically update to match the edited data in the Excel file. However, you can manually update linked charts whenever necessary.
- Select the chart.
- Select Chart Design in the ribbon.
- Select Refresh Data in the Data group.
How to Edit Excel Charts in Microsoft Word
Unless you inserted your chart as an image using the Picture option, you can edit the chart data by accessing the corresponding Excel workbook through Word.
- Select the chart.
- Select Chart Design in the ribbon.
- Select the Edit Data menu arrow.
- Select Edit Data or Edit Data in Excel from the drop-down menu.
- Edit the data in the corresponding Excel workbook.