Convert Externally Linked Graphs Into Pictures In Your PowerPoint Presentation
What This VBA Code Does
This PowerPoint VBA macro code will cycle through all the externally linked charts in your presentation and change those linked graphs into Pictures (while at the same time deleting the graph). This will make your final presentations look much more professional and a whole lot easier to edit. Click the Download button below if you want to see my example file I put together that will show this code in action!
Sub LinkedGraphsToPictures()
'PURPOSE: Change Excel linked graphs into regular images
'SOURCE: www.TheSpreadsheetGuru.com/the-code-vault
Dim shp As Shape
Dim sld As Slide
Dim pic As Shape
Dim shp_left As Double
Dim shp_top As Double
'Loop Through Each Slide in ActivePresentation
For Each sld In ActivePresentation.Slides
For Each shp In sld.Shapes
If shp.Type = msoChart Then
'Retrieve current positioning
shp_left = shp.Left
shp_top = shp.Top
'Copy/Paste as Picture
shp.Copy
sld.Shapes.PasteSpecial DataType:=ppPastePNG
Set pic = sld.Shapes(sld.Shapes.Count)
'Delete Linked Shape
shp.Delete
'Reposition newly pasted picture
pic.Left = shp_left
pic.Top = shp_top
End If
Next shp
Next sld
End SubLearn More With This Example Workbook
I have created a sample PowerPoint file to show you how this code works in a real-life scenario. The file and its code are completely unlocked so you can dig in and discover how the magic works.
Using VBA Code Found On The Internet
Now that you’ve found some VBA code that could potentially solve your Excel automation problem, what do you do with it? If you don’t necessarily want to learn how to code VBA and are just looking for the fastest way to implement this code into your spreadsheet, I wrote an article (with video) that explains how to get the VBA code you’ve found running on your spreadsheet.
Getting Started Automating Excel
Are you new to VBA and not sure where to begin? Check out my quickstart guide to learning VBA. This article won’t overwhelm you with fancy coding jargon, as it provides you with a simplistic and straightforward approach to the basic things I wish I knew when trying to teach myself how to automate tasks in Excel with VBA Macros.
Also, if you haven’t checked out Excel’s latest automation feature called Power Query, I have put together a beginner’s guide for automating with Excel’s Power Query feature as well! This little-known built-in Excel feature allows you to merge and clean data automatically with little to no coding!
How Do I Modify This To Fit My Specific Needs?
Chances are this post did not give you the exact answer you were looking for. We all have different situations and it’s impossible to account for every particular need one might have. That’s why I want to share with you: My Guide to Getting the Solution to your Problems FAST! In this article, I explain the best strategies I have come up with over the years to get quick answers to complex problems in Excel, PowerPoint, VBA, you name it!
I highly recommend that you check this guide out before asking me or anyone else in the comments section to solve your specific problem. I can guarantee that 9 times out of 10, one of my strategies will get you the answer(s) you are needing faster than it will take me to get back to you with a possible solution. I try my best to help everyone out, but sometimes I don’t have time to fit everyone’s questions in (there never seem to be quite enough hours in the day!).
I wish you the best of luck and I hope this tutorial gets you heading in the right direction!
After 10+ years of creating macros and developing add-ins, I've compiled all the hacks I wish I had known years ago!
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Chris Newman
Chris is a finance professional and Excel MVP recognized by Microsoft since 2016. With his expertise, he founded TheSpreadsheetGuru blog to help fellow Excel users, where he shares his vast creative solutions & expertise. In addition, he has developed over 7 widely-used Excel Add-ins that have been embraced by individuals and companies worldwide.