Copy Excel data, chart to Word or PowerPoint

There are always easy things we think we already know, yet we actually don't. There are also easy things that we might have used or tried before but have forgotten them already. Such as the case of a friend who asked me how to copy Excel data and charts to Word or PowerPoint, without importing the entire workbook into your Word document or PowerPoint slide.

Here are the easy steps.

1. Select the data or chart you want to copy.
2. Click Copy Button image.
3. Switch to Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint.
4. Click in the document or presentation where you want to put the Microsoft Excel data or chart, and do one of the following:

How to Copy and Paste the Excel data into Word
1. Click Paste on the Formatting toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, click Customize on the Tools menu, and then click the Toolbars tab.).

2. Click Paste Options next to the data, and then do one of the following:

- To paste the data as a Word table, click Match Destination Table Style or Keep Source Formatting.

- To paste a link to the Excel data, so that the data in the Word document is updated whenever you change the data in the original Excel workbook, click Match Destination Table Style and Link to Excel or Keep Source Formatting and Link to Excel.

- To paste the data as text with each row in a separate paragraph and tabs separating the cell values, click Keep Text Only.

How to Copy and Paste an Excel chart into Word
1. Click Paste on the Formatting toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, click Customize on the Tools menu, and then click the Toolbars tab.).

2. Click Paste Options next to the chart, and then do one of the following:

- To paste the chart as a chart, so that when you double-click the chart in the Word document you can use Excel to edit it, click Excel Chart.

- To paste a link to the Excel chart, so that the chart in the Word document is updated whenever you change the chart in the original Excel workbook, click Link to Excel Chart.

- To paste a bitmap picture of the chart, click Picture of Chart.

How to Copy and Paste the Excel data into PowerPoint
* On the Edit menu, click Paste Special, and then do one of the following:

- To paste the data as an Excel range, so that when you double-click the range in the presentation you can edit it with Excel, click Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object. If data is cut off, double-click the object and resize the columns to show all the data.

- To paste a link to the Excel data, so that the data in the presentation is updated whenever you change the data in the original Excel workbook, click Paste link, and then click Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object.

- To paste the data as text that you can edit in PowerPoint, click Formatted Text (RTF) or Unformatted Text.

- To paste a bitmap picture of the data, click Picture or Bitmap.

How to Copy and Paste an Excel chart into PowerPoint
* On the Edit menu, click Paste Special, and then do one of the following:

- To paste the chart as a chart, so that when you double-click the chart in the presentation you can use Excel to edit it, click Microsoft Excel Chart Object.

- To paste a link to the Excel chart, so that the chart in the presentation is updated whenever you change the chart in the original Excel workbook, click Paste link, and then click Microsoft Excel Chart Object.

- To paste a bitmap picture of the chart, click Picture.