How to insert an Excel file into PowerPoint as an icon

Neha is a software professional with 13+ years of experience in the IT Industry. She enjoys writing technical tutorials.

Embed files in a PowerPoint Presentation

How to Embed a File as an Object (7 Steps)

Are you looking for a way to embed a file into your presentation as an object or attachment? Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to embed a file as an object or an attachment in a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation.

1. Click on Insert > Object

• Open your Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation.
• Go to the slide where you want to embed the file.
• Click on Insert from the top menu and locate 'object' on the banner options to insert any file to the presentation.
• You can add a Microsoft Excel Workbook, a Microsoft Word Document, a pdf, or any other file type if it is listed in the options.

Insert Object

2. Create New or Create from a File

You could either create a new file or add an existing file to your Microsoft Powerpoint Presentation.

To add an existing file you would have to choose to create from a file and then browse to select the file from your computer. The file could be any of the types available in the dropdown. Most of the Office file types are already available in the list.

If you choose to create a new file, you can create a new file of any type available in the dropdown and embed it into your presentation.

Create New or Create from a File

3. Add an Existing File

To add an existing file, select 'Create' from File. Browse and select the file from your computer. This helps you select the file from the location where you have stored it on your computer.

TIP: It is easier to create all the files that you need in advance, and then create your presentation and embed the files by using the existing file.

Create from File > Browse

4. Display as Icon

Select the display as an icon object so that you can show it as an embedded object in your slide deck.

I would definitely recommend using this option if you want to have a nice icon displayed for the embedded file. It certainly looks much neater and cooler with the icon.

Display as Icon

5. Change Icon

You can use the Change Icon option to change the display icon. You can select from a list of icons relevant to the file type you have chosen.

If you do not want to choose, you can go with the default icon too.

Change Icon

You can also update the caption, if you wish to change the caption to something more meaningful rather than the default caption, for example, "Microsoft Excel Worksheet".

This is another option I strongly recommend utilizing as the default caption is pretty generic and I personally like having custom names for each of my embedded files.

7. Click 'Ok'

When you are done, click ok and voila! The file you had chosen has been embedded in your Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation Slide.

This comes in very handy when you are giving a presentation and are supposed to share the deck along with additional material with the audience. It gives you an easy way to embed all the additional material in the appendix section of the presentation and share a single file instead of having to share multiple things.

Click Ok

Thank you for reading! Here's a fun poll for you.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

There are a few ways to insert Microsoft Excel data into a PowerPoint presentation. Here’s what to do.

All Microsoft Office software allows you to combine content from other Office apps. If, for example, you have a data-heavy PowerPoint presentation, you might want to support it with further data from Microsoft Excel.

This is entirely possible, and there are a few ways to do it. For example, you can insert an entire Excel spreadsheet, similar to how you might insert PDFs into PowerPoint. You can also paste parts of a spreadsheet into a PowerPoint slide using your clipboard.

Here’s how to insert Excel data into Powerpoint using either method. These instructions should work for all recent versions of Microsoft Office, including Office 365 and Online.

Inserting an Excel Spreadsheet into PowerPoint

Using the Insert Object tool, you can insert data from your Excel spreadsheet as an object. For example, this will add the most recently accessed worksheet contents into PowerPoint for you to view.

You’ll need to make sure that the worksheet you want to use is visible and active when you next save your Excel spreadsheet.

To start, open your PowerPoint presentation and press the Insert tab on the ribbon bar.

To insert your Excel data, click the Object button. This may appear as a large or small icon, depending on your current screen resolution and the size of the PowerPoint window.

This will load the Insert Object options box. To add your Excel data, press the Create from file radio button, then press Browse to find and select your Excel spreadsheet.

If you choose the Link option, your data will continually update. Any changes you make in Excel will be reflected in PowerPoint when you next save your Excel file.

To add your data to PowerPoint, press the OK button.

The data will be inserted as an object onto your PowerPoint slide, which you can then resize and manipulate.

Double-clicking the object will load the file in Excel, allowing you to make further changes, where necessary.

Copying Excel Data into PowerPoint

The powerful copy and paste tools that Microsoft offers in its Office suite allow you to copy and paste Excel data into PowerPoint directly. This data can be formatted in different ways. For example, you can format it into a table, paste it as an image, or remove all formatting and place the data into a text box.

To do this, open your Excel spreadsheet and select the data. Then, to copy the data, press Ctrl + C or press Home > Copy.

Return to your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide where you intend to paste the data.

In the position where you’d like to place the pasted data on your slide, right-click and choose one of the Paste options.

Alternatively, press the Home tab on the ribbon bar, then press the Paste button to view the available options instead.

If you click the Use Destination Styles (1) option, this will paste the data as a table, merging it with the style of your PowerPoint theme. Choosing Keep Source Formatting (2) will also paste it as a table, but it will maintain the formatting from your Excel spreadsheet.

You can also choose the Embed (3) option, which will paste it as an object and allow you to edit the data in Excel later. You can also press Picture (4) to paste the data as an image, which won’t allow you to edit it.

Finally, if you’d prefer to remove any formatting, choose Keep Text Only. This will paste the data into a new text box.

Depending on the option you choose, your Excel data will be pasted into PowerPoint at this point. You can then edit it using the options available to you, depending on which paste method you choose.

Using PowerPoint with Other Office Apps

By inserting Excel data into PowerPoint, you’re using the full range of the Microsoft Office suite to your advantage. You can take things even further by converting a PowerPoint presentation to a Word document, for instance.

You can even think about reducing your PowerPoint file size if it gets too big to share. Let us know your tips for creating better PowerPoint presentations in the comments below.

Microsoft, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Powerpoint