How to Link an Excel File to a Word Document

Need to reference an Excel chart, table, or data set in your Word document? You can easily add a quick link to any Excel file in a Word document, or even embed the file within the document to avoid the possibility broken links. This wikiHow article will teach you how to create a quick link to any Excel file in your Microsoft Word document.

Steps

  1. Image titled Link an Excel File to a Word Document Step 1
    1
    Open your Word document. You can either open it from Word by going to File > Open or you can right-click the .doc(x) file and select Open with > Word.
  2. Image titled Link an Excel File to a Word Document Step 2
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    Click the Insert tab. It's in the editing ribbon above your document.
    • On Mac, this tab is along the top of your screen instead.
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  3. Image titled Link an Excel File to a Word Document Step 3
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    Click Object and Object. It's in the Text grouping and will open an Object Dialog Box.
  4. Image titled Link an Excel File to a Word Document Step 4
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    Click the Create from File tab. It's at the top of the window.
  5. Image titled Link an Excel File to a Word Document Step 5
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    Click Browse. Your file manager (File Explorer for Windows and Finder for Mac) will open so you can look for your Excel file.
  6. Image titled Link an Excel File to a Word Document Step 6
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    Double-click to select your Excel file. Alternatively, you can single-click the file to select it, then click Open/OK to choose it.
  7. Image titled Link an Excel File to a Word Document Step 7
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    Check the box next to "Link to file" and click OK. This will create a link to your file that others can click to view the Excel data. Clicking the link will open the Excel data at its original location.
    • If you'd rather embed the Excel file within your Word document, check the box next to "Display as an icon" and click OK.
    • If you have a chart or table from Excel that you'd like to insert in your Word document, copy the chart in Excel (Ctrl + C (Windows) or Cmd + C (Mac)) and paste it into Word (Ctrl + V (Windows) or Cmd + V (Mac)). Update the chart in Word after you've changed it in Excel by clicking the chart in Word, then going to Chart Design/Chart Tools Design > Data > Refresh.[1]
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How do I dynamically embed an XLSX table in a DOCX file?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    You can copy your chart in Excel then paste it in Word. To update it in Word, select your chart, then go to "Chart Design" or "Chart Tools Design" and click Data > Refresh.
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References

  1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-a-chart-from-an-excel-spreadsheet-into-word-0b4d40a5-3544-4dcd-b28f-ba82a9b9f1e1

About This Article

Darlene Antonelli, MA
Written by:
Darlene Antonelli, MA
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been viewed 71,750 times.
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Co-authors: 5
Updated: August 25, 2022
Views: 71,750
Categories: Microsoft Excel
Article SummaryX

1. Open your Word document.
2. Click the Insert tab.
3. Click Object and Object.
4. Click the Create from File tab.
5. Click Browse.
6. Double-click to select your Excel file.
7. Click to check the box next to "Link to file" and click OK.

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