Excel Link Manager

Via the Excel link manager, you can view all Excel links present in a PowerPoint presentation at once.

In addition, you can view information about the links such as their status and last update, the file path, their position in the presentation and which element or chart type has been linked.

Furthermore, you can make changes to the links, refresh, edit or break them.

Number separators for linked shapes and tables can also be set in the Excel link manager window.

To access the Excel link manager, navigate to the group empower and click on the button Excel Link (Figure 1, “Button Excel-Link”).

Then, choose the option Excel Link Manager.

In the list, you can select one or multiple Excel links (Figure 3, “Selection and Highlighting Options” (1)).

If you click on one element, it will be highlighted in the presentation with an orange frame (Figure 3, “Selection and Highlighting Options” (2)).

Alternatively, you can select the element from the list and click on the button Highlight in PowerPoint (Figure 3, “Selection and Highlighting Options” (3)).

If you click on a link, the Excel file with the linked Excel range opens (Figure 4, “Path Settings And Refresh Options” (1)).

In addition, you can change the path type from absolute path to relative path and vice-versa. To do so, choose your preferred option from the drop-down menu (Figure 4, “Path Settings And Refresh Options” (2)).

You can also decide if you want to update a single Excel link automatically when opening the presentation. To do so, choose your preferred option from the drop-down menu (Figure 4, “Path Settings And Refresh Options” (3)).

If you want to set one of these settings for multiple Excel links, select the links from the list and click on the button Bulk Action… (Figure 5, “Button Bulk Action…”).

To use absolute paths for all selected Excel links in the list, choose the option Use Absolute Path (Figure 6, “Path Options” (1)).

To use relative paths for all selected Excel links in the list, choose the option Use Relative Path (Figure 6, “Path Options” (2)).

To update all selected Excel links automatically when opening the presentation, choose the option Set to Auto Refresh on Open (Figure 7, “Automatic Refresh Options” (1)).

To disable the automatic update, choose the option Set to Refresh Manually (Figure 7, “Automatic Refresh Options” (2)).

On the right-hand side of the window, the link status and the last update time stamp is displayed (Figure 8, “Status Display for Valid and Broken Links”).

If the link is valid, a link symbol is displayed.

If the link is not valid because the linked range cannot be found, e.g. because the file or sheet have been deleted, a X symbol is displayed.

If the link is invalid because of issues during an update, e.g. the file can be found but the data structure is invalid, a warning symbol is displayed.

For linked online files and files with an unknown status, separate status symbols are displayed (Figure 9, “Status Display for Online Links and Unknown Status”).

If the link for an online file is valid and there is a connection, a cloud symbol with a checkmark is displayed.

If the status of an online file is not known yet and still loading, a cloud symbol is displayed.

If the status of a locally linked file is unknown, a paper symbol with a question mark is displayed.

Hover over the symbols to show further information.

If you make changes to your presentation and to your Excel links while the Excel link manager is open, you can reload the list to view the most recent information.

To do so, click on the button Rescan Presentation (Figure 10, “Button Rescan Presentation”).