Using Excel Charts in Word Documents


To create a quick chart from scratch in Word, click Chart in the Illustrations group on the Insert tab on the Ribbon in Word. All 2007 Office release applications share a common charting engine, so-provided you're working with a Word 2007 document format (as opposed to a Word 97-2003 document)-you'll be greeted by the same Insert Chart dialog box you might see in Excel:

image from book

After you select a chart type from this gallery, you will arrive at a worksheet containing dummy data values for your chart (the worksheet will be titled Chart in Microsoft Office Word - Microsoft Excel). Edit those values, and then close the worksheet window. Your chart will then appear in your Word document.

If you're working with the Word 97-2003 format, you won't have the benefit of the familiar 2007 Office release charting engine. Instead, the Insert Chart command will summon a Microsoft Graph window:

image from book

This is a more awkward environment for creating a chart, and we don't recommend it. Instead of using Microsoft Graph, you're better off creating a chart in Excel and then transferring it to your Word document via the Clipboard. Your graph will arrive in Word as a picture, and you'll have the Word picture-formatting options at your disposal.

If you paste an Excel chart into a Word 2007 document, the chart will arrive (by default) as a chart, not a picture, and because Excel 2007 and Word 2007 use a common charting engine, all the formatting tools available to you in Excel will also be available in Word. With the chart selected in your Word document, three new tabs-Design, Layout, and Format-appear on the Ribbon, under Chart Tools. Using these tabs, you can work with the chart in Word exactly as you would in Excel. The chart will, by default, be linked to its source data. With the chart selected, the Design tab includes an Edit Data command and a Refresh Data command. You can use these to return to and modify the source, or to perform a manual update, ensuring that your chart reflects the current numbers in Excel.

If you prefer, you can paste the chart as a picture by using the Paste As Picture command on the smart tag menu that appears right after you paste. If you do this, your chart is no longer linked to the source, but you have the Word picture-formatting tools available for adding shadows, borders, and other visual effects.

An additional command on the smart tag menu lets you embed the source workbook in your Word document. You might want to use this option if you need access to the entire source workbook and you plan to take the Word document offline. Be aware that embedding an Excel workbook means embedding the whole source file, which can add significantly to the size of your Word file.



Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Inside Out
MicrosoftВ® Office ExcelВ® 2007 Inside Out (Inside Out (Microsoft))
ISBN: 073562321X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 260

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