If an Excel chart already exists, it's a simple matter to link or embed one into a 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.
- Launch MS Word and Excel.
- Open both Word and Excel files.
- Switch to Word and place the insertion point where you want the charge to be inserted.
- Choose Edit | Paste Special to see the dialog box.
- 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 fit on a page; just be sure to insert section breaks above and below the charge before you change to landscape.
Carol Bratt is the Office Applications Editor at Daves Computer Tips. She has authored several informative Microsoft Office books and writes the monthly Word Bytes Newsletter with more tips and tricks in each issue. Visit Carol's website for more great Microsoft Office tips and tricks! Click here to see her latest books! You can read more about Carol here.