How to Copy Visual from Power BI to PowerPoint

You've built the perfect dashboard in Power BI, slicing and dicing data to uncover key insights. Now comes the hard part: presenting those findings to your team, boss, or clients. The easiest way to do that is often by bringing your visuals into a PowerPoint presentation. This article will show you exactly how to copy a visual from Power BI to PowerPoint using a few different methods, from creating a static image to embedding a fully interactive report.

Why Move Power BI Visuals to PowerPoint?

While Power BI is fantastic for interactive data exploration, PowerPoint remains the king of presentations. Bringing your visuals into slides lets you tell a compelling story around your data, adding context, narrative, and key takeaways that a raw dashboard might not instantly convey. Here are a few common scenarios:

• Executive Summaries: Creating high-level reports for leadership who need the key numbers without drilling down into a live report.
• Static Reports: Sharing performance snapshots via email or a print-friendly PDF where internet access or Power BI licenses might be an issue.
• Guided Analysis: Walking an audience through a specific data journey, step-by-step, without the risk of getting lost in filters and slicers during a live presentation.
• Archiving Results: Keeping a historical record of a report from a specific point in time, like the end of a quarter or a marketing campaign.

Whatever your reason, bridging the gap between Power BI’s analytical power and PowerPoint’s storytelling clarity is a valuable skill.

Method 1: Exporting a Static Image of a Single Visual

The simplest and most common method is to export a single visual as a high-quality image. This captures the visual exactly as you have it configured - with all your filters and slicers applied - and places it directly onto a new PowerPoint slide.

This method is perfect when you want to highlight a specific chart or metric and build a narrative around that one piece of information. The resulting image is static, so it’s not interactive, but it provides a clean, professional snapshot.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open Your Report in Power BI Service: Log into your Power BI account on the web (app.powerbi.com) and navigate to the report containing the visual you want to export. Note that this feature works in the Power BI Service, not just the Desktop application.
2. Select the Visual: Hover over the specific visual (e.g., a bar chart, pie chart, or KPI card) that you want to copy.
3. Find the “More options” Icon: In the top-right corner of the visual’s container, you’ll see an ellipsis icon (...). This is the "More options" menu. Click on it.
4. Choose “Open in PowerPoint”: From the dropdown menu, select the option that says "Open in PowerPoint." You may need to click an "Export" submenu first, depending on your version.
5. Confirm the Export: A dialog box will appear, letting you know that PowerPoint is opening. After a few moments, a new PowerPoint file will download or open automatically (depending on your browser settings).
6. View Your Visual in PowerPoint: Open the downloaded .pptx file. You will see a new slide with two key elements:

That's it! You can now copy and paste this visual into any other presentation, resize it, and build content around it. The included link back to the live report is incredibly useful for anyone who wants to explore the data further on their own.

Tips for This Method:

• Apply Filters First: The exported image is a snapshot. Be sure to apply all relevant filters, slicers, and drill-downs in Power BI before you export, so the image shows exactly the data view you want to present.
• Clean Up Titles: Power BI might add a default title to your PowerPoint slide. Be sure to edit the slide title to match your presentation’s narrative.
• Check Image Quality: This method produces a high-resolution PNG, so it should look sharp even on large screens. However, always double-check the clarity before presenting.

Method 2: Embedding a Live, Interactive Report into PowerPoint

For a truly modern and dynamic presentation, you can embed a fully interactive Power BI report directly onto a PowerPoint slide. This is a game-changer for live meetings where you might get follow-up questions or want to explore the data with your team in real-time.

Instead of a static image, you’ll have the actual Power BI visual inside your slide, allowing you to click on data points, apply filters, and showcase insights without ever leaving your presentation. This requires the official Power BI add-in for PowerPoint.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Part A: Installing the Power BI Add-in

You only need to do this once. If you already have the add-in, you can skip to Part B.

1. Open PowerPoint: Launch the desktop version of PowerPoint.
2. Go to the Insert Tab: In the ribbon at the top, click on the “Insert” tab.
3. Click “Get Add-ins”: Look for the "Add-ins" group and click the “Get Add-ins” button. The Office Add-in store will open.
4. Search for Power BI: In the search box, type "Microsoft Power BI" and press Enter.
5. Add the Add-in: The official Power BI add-in will appear. Click the “Add” button next to it. After accepting the terms, the add-in will be installed and ready to use.

Part B: Embedding Your Report

1. Get the Report URL from Power BI Service: Go back to your Power BI report in your web browser. You need a link that the add-in can use. You can either copy the URL directly from your browser's address bar or click File > Embed report > Website or portal to generate a secure embed link. A standard URL works fine in most cases.
2. Back in PowerPoint, Insert the Add-in on a Slide: Go to the slide where you want the report to appear. Click on the Insert tab again. You should now see the "My Add-ins" button with the Power BI logo available. Click it to add the Power BI tile to your slide.
3. Paste the URL: A large placeholder box will appear on your slide, prompting you for a URL. Paste the link to your Power BI report that you copied earlier into this field and click the “Insert” button.
4. Let It Load: The add-in will connect to the Power BI Service and load your interactive report directly onto the slide. You can now resize the box to fit your slide layout.

You now have a live, clickable Power BI dashboard right in the middle of your PowerPoint presentation! You can present the slide and interact with the data as if you were in the Power BI app.

Tips and Considerations for Live Embedding

• Connectivity is Required: This method requires a stable internet connection during your presentation to load and interact with the data from the Power BI Service.
• Audience Permissions: Anyone viewing the presentation also needs permission to view the original Power BI report. If your audience doesn't have the appropriate Power BI licenses or access rights, they will see an error instead of the visual. Adjust the sharing settings in Power BI accordingly.
• Lock the View as an Image: The add-in has a great feature for when you want to switch back to a static view. In the bottom-right corner of the embedded report, you'll find some add-in options. One allows you to "Show as Saved Image," which freezes the current view. This is perfect for sharing the presentation file without requiring recipients to have Power BI access or for creating a final PDF version.

Choosing the Right Method for Your Needs

So, which approach should you use? The answer depends entirely on your audience and the goal of your presentation.

• Choose the Static Image (Method 1) when:
• Choose the Live Embedded Report (Method 2) when:

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to seamlessly move your powerful insights from Power BI into PowerPoint transforms your data from numbers on a dashboard into a compelling story that drives decisions. Whether you choose a simple static image to highlight a key takeaway or an embedded live report for a deep-dive discussion, you’re now equipped to bridge the gap between analysis and communication.

While mastering visualization tools makes presentations smoother, we know the hours spent building reports in the first place is the bigger challenge. Pulling data, wrangling it, and getting dashboards just right takes time from your actual job. At Graphed, we've simplified this entire process. You can connect your marketing and sales data sources - like Google Analytics, Shopify, and Salesforce - and then just describe the dashboard you want in plain English. Graphed builds your real-time, interactive dashboards in seconds, so you can skip the manual setup and jump straight to the insights.