To Prepare Excel Figure and Then Insert It Into Word Document

To Insert Excel Figure into Word

[Based on Macintosh Word 2011]

Open the Excel file.

Prepare the figure as outlined in “Prepare Excel Figure for Use in Word Document.”

Select the Chart area by right-clicking on a corner.

Select copy.

Click in Word document where figure should go.

Right click and select Paste. This method allows you to change the figure in Word and retains the type size when resizing the figure (see below).

Another option is to use Paste Special, which allows you to make changes in the Excel file that then appear in the Word file. Go to Edit menu at top of screen and pull down to Paste Special. Select Paste: Microsoft Excel Chart Object.

Both pasting methods require excellent group communication skills.

Be sure the figure has a source. Adding it in Word is probably easier than including it in Excel. Use the same font as in the figure (and have those fonts correlate to the tables’ and figures’ type styles.)

Make the figure fit inside the 1.5-inch left and right margins

For paste special”

1.  Click on the white background of the figure.

2.  Select a corner black square handle.

3.  Drag toward center of figure. Holding down the shift key keeps the figure proportional, if that is important.

4.  If this action shrinks the type because Paste Special was used to insert the figure, undo the resize (control z or the curved blue arrow). Go back into the Excel file and resize the figure, then reinsert it into the Word document.

5.  Make sure type sizes and fonts are consistent within the figure and across all the figures in the report.

Add the figure title as part of the Word document, and Word will magically number the figures for you

1.  Right click on figure and select Insert Caption.

2.  Under Label, select Figure.

3.  Position caption above the selected item.

4.  Click OK

5.  Add a space and/or a colon if necessary. Be tidy and consistent.

6.  Type the figure’s title.

If you forgot to delete the figure’s title in Excel so it now appears twice, either go into Excel, delete the title (right click and select Delete) or, in Word, right click on the figure’s title and select Delete.