This article explains how to link to a Google Sheets document from Google Slides so that the data is always current and only the information you want to present will show up on the slide. It also describes the benefits of integrating worksheet data in a Slides presentation.

What to Know

  • Copy the cells or chart from Sheets that you want to import.Paste it into Slides, and choose Link to spreadsheet.Edit the spreadsheet to change the data in the slide.

How to Add Google Sheets to Google Slides

The steps to link Google Sheets and Google Slides are easy to follow.

Follow these steps if you need specific rows and columns to show up in Slides as a table.

  • Select and copy the range from the spreadsheet that you want to be displayed in the slideshow. Do this by highlighting the selection, and then right-click it and select Copy.
  • Visit the Google Sheets home page and use the folder icon to upload your spreadsheet if it’s on your computer.
  • Open the Slides document to the slide you want to paste the data into, and go to Edit > Paste.
  • If this is a fresh slideshow that you haven’t made any changes to yet, it’ll most likely have a few templated items that you might not want on the same slide as your spreadsheet data. Spend a few minutes before completing this step, clearing out the slide so it’s not cluttered.
  • Choose Link to spreadsheet and then PASTE on the prompt.
  • The exact columns and rows you copied from Google Sheets now appear in Google Slides.
  • Use the edges of the table to move it wherever you need it to be. You can even cut/paste the table to another slide if necessary, and it’ll still be linked to the same spreadsheet.

You can link to a chart the same way you can cells of data, by copying and pasting. But there’s another method that lets you do all of it from within Google Slides.

Select and copy the range from the spreadsheet that you want to be displayed in the slideshow. Do this by highlighting the selection, and then right-click it and select Copy.

Visit the Google Sheets home page and use the folder icon to upload your spreadsheet if it’s on your computer.

Open the Slides document to the slide you want to paste the data into, and go to Edit > Paste.

If this is a fresh slideshow that you haven’t made any changes to yet, it’ll most likely have a few templated items that you might not want on the same slide as your spreadsheet data. Spend a few minutes before completing this step, clearing out the slide so it’s not cluttered.

Choose Link to spreadsheet and then PASTE on the prompt.

The exact columns and rows you copied from Google Sheets now appear in Google Slides.

Use the edges of the table to move it wherever you need it to be. You can even cut/paste the table to another slide if necessary, and it’ll still be linked to the same spreadsheet.

  • Go to Insert > Chart > From Sheets.
  • Select the spreadsheet that contains the chart you want to import, and then choose Select.
  • Pick the chart you want to use in Google Slides and ensure the check next to Link to spreadsheet is selected.
  • Select Import.

Editing a Linked Spreadsheet in Google Slides

If you make changes to the data, the table’s menu in Slides changes to an UPDATE button that you need to click to make changes show up in the slide (refresh Slides if you don’t see that button).

Go to Insert > Chart > From Sheets.

Select the spreadsheet that contains the chart you want to import, and then choose Select.

Pick the chart you want to use in Google Slides and ensure the check next to Link to spreadsheet is selected.

Select Import.

The spreadsheet data in Google Slides might look editable (and some of it technically is), but instead of changing the data right there in the slideshow, revisit the spreadsheet and make your edits there.

It’s easy to do this: just click the table or chart once to reveal a small menu at the top. Select that, and then choose Open source to open Google Sheets.

If it’s a table you’re dealing with, also in that menu is the self-explanatory option to Change range. This is where you can edit how much of the spreadsheet shows up in Slides, without needing to erase the import and start over from scratch.

You can make changes to the table in Slides without visiting Sheets, but those changes don’t apply back to the spreadsheet. If you make a change in Slides and then make a difference change in the spreadsheet, that edit will override everything you edited from the slideshow.

Benefits of Putting a Google Spreadsheet in Google Slides

Importing spreadsheet data into a slideshow eliminates the need for you to copy all that information over manually. Also, since Slides does a great job at formatting it, you don’t even have to make the table or chart yourself; it’s all done automatically in seconds, and looks just like it does in Sheets.

Since spreadsheets created in Google Sheets live online, updating what you see in the slideshow is as easy as updating the spreadsheet. When you link this kind of document, any changes you make are reflected everywhere else it’s accessed from, including your Slides files. This means you can still benefit from the structured format, the helpful formulas, etc., that’s provided by Sheets, even though it’s being accessed in your slideshow.

This integration is useful even if you don’t want to share the Sheets file. For example, you can share the slideshow with someone without sharing the spreadsheet; only the portion of the file that you copied (e.g., the chart) is visible by whoever views the presentation.

Anyone viewing the slideshow will also have access to the Sheets link, but if you haven’t shared the spreadsheet itself with those people, then they won’t have any access (i.e., the link won’t show them the full spreadsheet). If you don’t need the data to be current with what’s in the spreadsheet, you can avoid even the link from being visible by selecting Paste unlinked when asked.

  • How do I insert an Excel spreadsheet into Google Slides?
  • Copying and pasting an Excel spreadsheet may not work as well as a Google Sheet; for one thing, you won’t be able to instantly update the copied version. Some third-party services will let you link an Excel spreadsheet into Slides. However, it’s easier (and probably more secure) to first paste the Excel sheet’s data into a Google Sheet and link from there.
  • How do I fit a spreadsheet on one slide in Google Slides?
  • Once you’ve pasted the spreadsheet over to Slides, you can resize it using the handles on the corners. Make sure the text is still legible after you make it small enough to fit on the slide.

Copying and pasting an Excel spreadsheet may not work as well as a Google Sheet; for one thing, you won’t be able to instantly update the copied version. Some third-party services will let you link an Excel spreadsheet into Slides. However, it’s easier (and probably more secure) to first paste the Excel sheet’s data into a Google Sheet and link from there.

Once you’ve pasted the spreadsheet over to Slides, you can resize it using the handles on the corners. Make sure the text is still legible after you make it small enough to fit on the slide.

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