How to Automate Word & PowerPoint Reports From Excel Data

Save time and increase accuracy with the Excel-to-Word Document Automation add-in. Automate your Word and PowerPoint reports from Excel content. The add-in allows you to update content from any Excel spreadsheet to any Word or PowerPoint report. The add-in can update text, titles, or paragraphs from cells in Excel. Tables can be updated from named ranges or tables in Excel. Charts can be linked from their Excel data or image. Any Excel shape, picture, or image can also be transferred to Word or PowerPoint as part of an update.

There is a smarter way to update documents. Forget copy-paste; our add-in accurately updates even complex files in seconds. No more broken links when documents are shared, renamed, or reorganized. For recurring reports, link once and update quickly -with no manual work and no wasted time.

I will demonstrate how the add-in updates content after it is linked. Before updating in Word, I will make changes in Excel. I will change some text and some data in this range, which will change this chart and these two shapes. Then, in the Excel add-in on the ‘Submit’ tab, I will click ‘Submit Content’. Over in Word on the ‘Update’ tab, I will click ‘Update Document’. And now, I can see the changes that were submitted from Excel.

A common way the add-in is used is updating financial reports. I will update gross sales to 10,000. Click ‘Submit Content’ in Excel. Over in Word, click ‘Update Document’, and the numbers quickly update.

The add-in needs to be installed in Excel and either Word or PowerPoint. It is easiest to install it directly from within Microsoft Office. On the home page of Excel, click the Add-ins icon and search for Excel to Word. Click ‘Add’, and the add-in will open in the right-hand panel. Repeat the same steps in Word or PowerPoint.

A great resource is the sample content documents. Simply click Insert Sample Content on the ‘Start’ tab of the add-in, and the workbook will open. Then in Word, do the same thing. These documents have already been linked with the add-in and contain examples, instructions, and tips on updating a variety of content types. Find more helpful tips inside the add-in and through our videos. Get started today!