Data-heavy PowerPoint presentations don't have to be dull. Excel excels at transforming rows of data into clear, visual charts. When integrated with PowerPoint, you can animate those charts to captivate your audience. For more tips, check out 10 Tips for Making Better PowerPoint Presentations with Office 2016. Microsoft PowerPoint continues to set new standards. The new features of PowerPoint 2016 show its top spot as the best choice for smart and creative presentations. Read more.
Follow this step-by-step guide to bring your data to life with animations.
The first step is building your chart in Excel using your compiled data. Unsure about the best chart type? Refer to our guide: 8 Types of Excel Charts and Graphs and When to Use Them. Graphics is easier to understand than text and numbers. Charts are a great way to visualize numbers. We show you how to create charts in Microsoft Excel and when to best use which type. Read more.
For regularly updating data, like monthly reports, create auto-updating charts. See How to Create Excel Charts that Update Automatically in Three Easy Steps. We'll show you how to make your Excel charts update automatically. Just add new data and watch it automatically appear on your chart. It is fast and easy. Read more.
For one-off charts, insert directly in PowerPoint via Insert > Chart—select type and edit data in the embedded Excel window. Or use PowerPoint's shapes for simple pie charts.
With your chart ready, copy it (Ctrl + C) from Excel and paste (Ctrl + V) into a PowerPoint slide.
Head to the Animations tab for all chart animation tools.
Preview basic animations at the top; click the arrow for more options.
Using data from a spending trends budget template, we'll animate a bar chart.
Ideal for bars: animations rising from the bottom, like Wipe.
To apply:
Refine via Effect Options for sequential reveals.
Choose direction (top, bottom, left, right) and sequence:
Enable Start animation by drawing chart background for gradual buildup.
Switch animations easily—effects carry over. Watch the full process in the video below.
Match animations to your Excel chart type and data story.
Expand via the arrow for entry, exit, emphasis options, or More Entrance Effects.
Use the Animation Pane (> Advanced Animation > Animation Pane) to tweak timing, triggers, and repeats.
Test various animations, options, and speeds to match your style and data. Practice speeds up the process.
Explore new options like those in 6 New Excel Charts and How to Use Them. Do you need to get more from your Excel tables? Here's a complete guide to some of the new charts introduced in the latest version of Excel. Read more. What's your go-to tool for animating charts? Share in the comments.
