How to Add Google Sheets to Google Slides

Evan Gower May 19, 2021

Making a presentation involves effectively communicating your ideas to other people. Being able to use spreadsheet data in a slideshow, especially one that can be easily kept up-to-date, can certainly help in that regard

How to Add Google Sheets to Google Slides

In this article, we’ll show you how to add Google Sheets to your Google Slides presentation, along with other useful tips to take advantage of the integration.

Google Sheets and Google Slides Integration

Google Slides is a very useful presentation program that only requires a Google Drive account. Although the program itself is essentially free, it’s still packed with a lot of features that can be utilized to your advantage.

Take Google Sheet integration for example. By linking a spreadsheet to your Google Slide presentation, you can easily display existing worksheet data without having to input it manually. This integration comes with the additional feature of having the presentation updated whenever the spreadsheet itself is edited. You can never downplay the importance of up-to-date data when trying to make a proper presentation.

Adding a Table to Your Presentation

Adding a Google Sheets chart to your Google Slides presentation is a simple process. You can do so by following these steps:

Open the Google Slides presentation that you want to integrate your chart into. Click the number of the slide that you want it to be displayed in.
Open the Google Sheets file that you need the data from.
Select the data that you want to use by clicking and dragging your cursor.
Either right click and select Copy, or click on Edit on the top menu then click on Copy.
On your Google Slides Presentation, either right click on the destination slide and select Paste, or click on Edit on the top menu then click on Paste.
A small window will appear asking you if you want to have the table linked to the spreadsheet. Choose the option that you wish. The Link to spreadsheet option allows you to update the table into the presentation whenever the original spreadsheet is updated. Choosing Paste unlinked will only copy the current data in the file. Click on Paste to proceed.
You can adjust the pasted table by clicking and dragging the corners or sides. Hover on a corner or the side of the table until the cursor turns into a double headed arrow. Hold and drag until the table is of the size that you wish.

If you want to change the data range that is included in the linked table, you can click on it, and then click on the link icon at the upper right side. Next, follow these steps:

On the menu choose Change Range.
Edit the data range on the small window that appears, then click on OK.

You can edit the worksheet from Google Slides, by clicking on Open Source from the Linked Options Menu. If the Google Sheets file has been updated, whether through Google Slides, or in Google Sheets alone, you’ll be given the option to update. A small Update button will appear on the upper right of the table. Click it to update your data.

Do note that while a table is linked to Google Slides, anyone that has access to the Google Slides file will have access to the Google Sheets table as well. It doesn’t matter if the users themselves don’t have permission to access to the Google Sheets file, as long as it’s linked, they’ll be able to see it.

Adding a Chart to Your Presentation

You can also add a chart made in Google Sheets to your Google Slides presentation. To do so, follow these instructions:

Open the presentation that you want to insert the chart in. Select the slide that it should be pasted to.
Click on Insert on the top menu, hover over Chart, then click on From Sheets.
You’ll be given a choice to insert a chart from your Google Drive. Once you find the spreadsheet you need, click on Select.
If you want to link the spreadsheet to Google Slides, make sure that the checkbox on the lower right side is enabled. Once done, choose Import.
Do note that if the Spreadsheet doesn’t have a chart then the Import button will be grayed out.
The chart can be adjusted by following the same instructions for table adjustments above. The options to a linked chart are limited to unlinking and opening the source file.
Any updates made to the original file can be reflected to the chart by clicking on the Update icon when it appears on the upper right of the chart.

Showing Pertinent Information

A linked Google Sheets file allows you to show pertinent information on your presentation without the hassle of copying data individually. The updating option makes sure that such data is always current to the file itself. Being able to show accurate information will contribute greatly to a well delivered presentation.

Do you have other tips on how to add google Sheets to a Google Slides presentation? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.