Numbers on a slide are far easier to grasp as a picture than as a paragraph. By the end of this page you will know how to add a chart or a table in Powerpoint, how to change the numbers behind it later, and how to decide which of the two you actually need.
If you have ever sat through a slide listing ten numbers in a sentence, you will know how quickly the meaning of the numbers gets lost. Powerpoint lets you turn numbers into a chart, which shows a shape the eye can read instantly, or a table, which lines numbers up neatly in a grid so they can be compared row by row. Both live under the Insert tab, and neither requires you to already know Excel.
To add a chart, go to Insert > Chart, choose a chart type such as a column, line or pie chart from the list on the left, and click OK. Powerpoint immediately opens a small spreadsheet-style window alongside your slide, already filled with example numbers and labels. This is not a separate program: it is a mini version of Excel's grid, there purely so you can replace the example numbers with your own. Type over the sample labels and figures, and the chart on your slide updates as you go. When you close that little window, the chart stays on the slide with your real data already in it.
- Opens the chart types list
- Use this for exact figures instead
- Both live on this tab
If the numbers change later, or you spot a typo, you do not need to delete and redo the chart. Click the chart once to select it, then look for Chart Design on the ribbon and choose Edit Data (or right-click the chart and choose Edit Data). The little spreadsheet reopens, you correct the figures, and the chart redraws itself automatically. A table works differently: go to Insert > Table, drag across the small grid to choose how many rows and columns you want, or choose Insert Table and type the numbers, then click into any cell and type directly, much like a small Word table.
Try it yourself
On a slide, go to Insert > Chart, pick Clustered Column from the list, and click OK.
Column charts are the easiest starting point because most people already read bar-shaped comparisons instinctively.
In the small spreadsheet window that opens, replace the example category names and numbers with your own.
The example data is only a placeholder; the chart is not finished until it shows your real figures.
Close the small spreadsheet window and check the chart on the slide has updated to match.
Confirming the update now saves confusion later if you assume the chart is still using old sample data.
Click the chart, choose Chart Design > Edit Data, change one number, and watch the chart redraw.
This shows you exactly how to come back and fix figures weeks later without rebuilding the whole chart.
On a new slide, go to Insert > Table, drag to select 3 columns and 4 rows, and type in some sample figures.
Practising both in the same session makes the difference between a chart and a table concrete rather than abstract.
Words people use
As a rule of thumb, reach for a chart when you want the audience to notice a trend, a difference, or a proportion at a glance, and reach for a table when people need to look up or compare specific exact figures, such as prices or dates. Many good slides use only one or the other, not both, so the audience's eye is not pulled in two directions at once.
Check yourself
If you can say yes to each of these, you are ready for the next lesson.
- I can insert a chart using Insert > Chart and enter my own data.
- I know the little spreadsheet window is only there to hold the chart's data.
- I can go back and change a chart's numbers later using Edit Data.
- I can insert and fill in a table using Insert > Table.