Link or Embed Excel Charts: MS Word

Dennis Faas's picture

If an Excel chart already exists, it's a simple matter to link or embed one into an MS Word document. The techniques are similar to those for linking and embedding Excel worksheets by using the Paste Special command.

Documents dealing with numeric data can often bog you down in details, causing a reader to miss the main point. A well-placed chart can show at a glance the trend or relationship among the numbers. While you can create a chart from scratch in MS Word, you don't need to do so if the chart already exists in Excel.

Follow the steps below to link or embed an Excel chart into a Word document.

  1. Launch MS Word and Excel.
  2. Open both Word and Excel files.
  3. Switch to Word and place the insertion point where you want the charge to be inserted.
  4. Choose Edit | Paste Special to see the dialog box.
  5. Click Paste and Microsoft Excel Chart Object to embed, or click Paste Link to link the chart.

The chart appears as a picture within the document, surrounded by sizing handles to adjust it, and change the text wrapping to position it on the page so that text wraps around it. Double-click it to modify the contents of the chart using Excel, as with worksheets.

Don't just dump a charge into a document. Always label it as a Figure, Exhibit or Chart and refer to it specifically by name in the document.

Even if an Excel chart requires an entire page, don't just print it in Excel and insert the sheet between your report pages. Instead, insert the chart right into the document so the page numbering and headers and footers are consistent throughout. If necessary, change to landscape orientation to make a large chart.

You can find tips like this and many, many more in the Carol's Corner Office Tips and Tricks eBook. Click the link to download your copy today!


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