How to Put Power BI Dashboard in PowerPoint

You’ve done the hard work of building an insightful Power BI dashboard, turning raw data into a clear story. Now it’s time for the big presentation, and you need to get those clean, interactive visuals out of Power BI and into your PowerPoint slides. We’ll guide you through the best methods for bringing your data to life in your presentation, covering everything from simple static images to fully interactive, live-updating dashboards.

Why Combine Power BI and PowerPoint?

Before jumping into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Integrating your dashboards directly into your presentations isn't just about saving time, it's about telling a more compelling and credible story with your data.

• Elevate Your Storytelling: Data visuals should support your narrative. Embedding them directly makes your presentation flow smoothly, allowing you to fluidly reference key metrics and trends without awkwardly switching windows or showing screenshots.
• Maintain a Single Source of Truth: When you present live data, you ensure every stakeholder is seeing the most up-to-date information. This eliminates confusion caused by outdated reports and conflicting spreadsheets.
• Increase Engagement and Credibility: A live, interactive chart is far more engaging than a static image. You can answer questions on the fly by filtering and slicing the data in real time, demonstrating a deep command of the information and building trust with your audience.
• Save Time and Reduce Errors: Recreating charts in PowerPoint is a tedious, error-prone process. Using your already-built Power BI visuals saves hours of work and ensures your numbers are always accurate.

Method 1: The Quick and Simple Static Image

This is the most straightforward and reliable method. It involves a simple export or screenshot of your Power BI report. While you lose interactivity, you gain an image that will work in any presentation environment, online or offline, without fail.

When to Use This Method

This approach is perfect for one-off meetings, report summaries, or situations where the underlying data won't change before you present. It's also your safest bet if you're unsure about the reliability of your internet connection at the presentation venue.

Step-by-Step Instructions (Export Entire Report Page)

1. Navigate to the report you want to embed in the Power BI service (the web version).
2. From the top menu bar, click Export and then select PowerPoint.
3. You'll get a pop-up with two options:
4. Once you make your selections, click Export. The process may take a few minutes.
5. Power BI will generate a .pptx file. Open it, and you'll find each report page converted into a high-quality static slide.

Step-by-Step Instructions (Export a Single Visual)

If you only need one specific chart for a slide, exporting it as an image is more efficient.

1. Hover over the visual you want within your Power BI report.
2. Click the More options (...) icon that appears in the corner of the visual.
3. From the dropdown menu, select Export data.
4. In the pop-up, choose the Summarized data option.
5. Under File format, make sure to select Image with current layout if available, or simply use your computer's built-in screenshot tool (like Snipping Tool on Windows or Shift+Command+4 on Mac) for a perfect-pixel image.
6. Save the image file.
7. In PowerPoint, go to the Insert tab and click Pictures > This Device... and select your saved image file to add it to your slide.

This method is simple and dependable. Your chart will look exactly as you designed it, but remember, you won't be able to click on bars, filter dates, or drill down into the data during your presentation.

Method 2: Link Directly to Your Live Dashboard

This hybrid approach offers a gateway to your live data without the complexities of embedding. You place a static image of your dashboard on your slide, but this image acts as a hyperlink that opens the live Power BI report in a web browser when clicked.

When to Use This Method

Use this when you want the option to explore data live but don't want to risk the potential technical glitches of a fully embedded dashboard. It’s a great middle-ground that gives you flexibility. You can stick to your planned presentation flow using the static image, but if a question arises that requires a deeper dive, you can click the link and go straight to the source.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. First, get the link: Open your report in the Power BI service. Click Share in the top menu. Click Copy link to get a shareable URL to your dashboard. Make sure your intended audience has permission to view it.
2. Next, grab a screenshot: Take a clear screenshot of the dashboard or visual you want to feature on your slide. This will serve as your clickable preview image.
3. Now, head to PowerPoint: Insert the screenshot onto your desired slide.
4. Create the hyperlink: Right-click on the screenshot image you just inserted and select Link (or 'Hyperlink' in older versions).
5. In the "Address" field of the pop-up window, paste the Power BI report URL you copied earlier. Click OK.

Now, when you’re in presentation mode, your cursor will change when you hover over the image. A single click will launch your web browser and take you directly to the interactive Power BI report. You can even add a small text box that says Click to explore the live dashboard to prompt your audience.

Method 3: Embed a Live, Interactive Dashboard with the Power BI Add-in

This is the most powerful and impressive method. By using the official Microsoft Power BI storytelling add-in for PowerPoint, you can embed a fully functional, interactive Power BI report directly onto your slides. Your audience can watch you filter, slice, and drill down into the data without ever leaving your presentation.

Your dashboard will look like a seamless part of your slide deck, allowing for a dynamic and engaging data presentation.

What You'll Need (Prerequisites)

• An Office 365 account.
• The Power BI report saved in your Power BI service account.
• Permissions to access and share the report you want to embed.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Install the Add-in: In PowerPoint, go to the Insert tab on the ribbon. Click on Get Add-ins.
2. In the Office Add-ins store, search for "Microsoft Power BI". When you find it, click the Add button. After a quick confirmation, the add-in will be ready to use.
3. Get your Power BI Report URL: Navigate to your report in the Power BI service. Copy the URL directly from your browser's address bar. It should look something like app.powerbi.com/groups/me/reports/...
4. Insert the Dashboard: Back in PowerPoint, go to your Insert tab. You should now see a My Add-ins dropdown. Click it and select Microsoft Power BI.
5. A new Power BI pane will appear on your slide, prompting you to paste a report URL. Paste the URL you copied earlier into the field and click the Insert button.
6. Voilà! Your live Power BI report will load directly on the slide. You can now resize the box to fit perfectly within your slide design. You'll see a toolbar at the bottom allowing you to switch pages, apply filters, and refresh the data on demand.

Tips for Presenting Your Data Effectively

Whichever method you choose, success depends on more than just the technology. Follow these tips to ensure your data makes an impact.

• Tailor to Your Audience: Is your audience in the weeds or looking for a high-level summary? If you're embedding a live report, consider creating a specific, simplified tab just for the presentation to avoid overwhelming stakeholders with too many visuals.
• Keep it Focused: Dedicate each slide to a single insight or narrative point. Don't try to cram an entire complex dashboard onto one slide. A focused chart with clear takeaways is more powerful than a screen full of numbers.
• Test Everything: If you're using a live-linked or embedded dashboard, test your internet connection and permissions beforehand. Always have a static image version of your slide saved as a backup in case of Wi-Fi issues.
• Guide the Narrative: Don’t just show the chart, explain what it means. Use your dashboard to support the story you're telling. Start with the main insight ("As you can see, our Q3 sales increased by 20%"), then use the interactive elements to explore the "why" behind it ("...and if we drill down by region, we can see most of that growth came from the West Coast.").

Final Thoughts

Bringing your Power BI dashboards into PowerPoint can transform a standard presentation into an engaging, data-driven conversation. You can stick with fast and reliable static images, offer a gateway to live insights with hyperlinks, or go all-in with a fully interactive dashboard using the Power BI add-in. The right method depends on your audience, your data, and your presentation environment.

While Power BI is a fantastic tool, building the perfect dashboard can be a slow, technical process - especially when you’re pulling data from marketing or sales platforms. We built Graphed to cut through that complexity. Instead of wrestling with a dashboard builder, you can just describe what you want to see - like “Show me my top-performing ad campaigns by revenue last month” - and we’ll instantly generate a real-time dashboard for you. It lets you get to the insights without the steep learning curve, so you can focus on the story, not the setup.