File Sharing Problems

How to Fix Excel Chart Links Not Refreshing in PowerPoint from OneDrive

Olivia Miller Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users experience issues with Excel charts not refreshing correctly in PowerPoint when the source workbook is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint.

How to Fix Excel Chart Links Not Refreshing in PowerPoint

Product: Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, OneDrive, SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Embedding or linking an Excel chart from OneDrive or SharePoint into a PowerPoint presentation.
Observed behavior: The chart fails to refresh, and the link may open a renamed file containing URL-encoded characters (such as %20 for spaces or %3F) instead of the actual source file.

Before you start

Ensure both your PowerPoint presentation and the source Excel workbook are fully synced to your cloud storage and that you have a stable internet connection before modifying link paths.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Simple File Names and Hyperlink Instead of Embedding

Avoid special characters in your file names and use a direct hyperlink to the workbook rather than relying on standard OLE embedding.

Cloud storage services like OneDrive and SharePoint use URL encoding for spaces and special characters. When PowerPoint tries to read an embedded OLE link containing these encoded characters, the connection often breaks.

Rename the Excel file

Navigate to your OneDrive or SharePoint folder and rename the source Excel workbook using only simple alphanumeric characters, avoiding spaces or symbols that generate %20 or %3F.

Remove broken embedded links

Open your PowerPoint presentation, locate the broken embedded chart, and delete it. Alternatively, go to 'File' > 'Info' > 'Edit Links to Files' and remove the broken link.

Insert a direct hyperlink

Instead of embedding the chart directly, insert a text box or shape in PowerPoint. Go to the 'Insert' tab, click 'Link' or 'Hyperlink', and paste the direct URL to the renamed OneDrive Excel workbook.

Use Simple File Names and Hyperlink Instead of Embedding

Best Practice: Using CamelCase or underscores (e.g., Sales_Data_2023) in filenames completely prevents space-encoding issues in SharePoint and OneDrive.

Solution 2

Manually Update and Repair Links in PowerPoint

Force PowerPoint to refresh the file paths if the document was recently moved or renamed in OneDrive.

Solution 3

Escalate to Microsoft 365 Administrator

If links continually break across multiple files, it may be a tenant-level OneDrive or SharePoint configuration issue requiring backend investigation.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for Seamless Presentation and Spreadsheet Integration

Tired of broken links and sync errors between Excel and PowerPoint? WPS Office offers a free, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative. With WPS Presentation and WPS Spreadsheet, you can easily insert and manage charts without worrying about complex cloud encoding issues.

1. Download and Install WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website, download the free suite, and install it on your device.
2. Open your files: Launch WPS Office and seamlessly open your existing .pptx and .xlsx files without losing formatting.
3. Manage your charts easily: Copy charts from WPS Spreadsheet and paste them into WPS Presentation, using local or WPS Cloud storage to ensure stable connections.

Free and lightweight office suite for all your productivity needsHigh compatibility with Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx) and Excel (.xlsx) formatsSeamlessly embed and update charts between WPS Spreadsheets and WPS PresentationFamiliar user interface ensures a quick and easy migration process

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Excel chart link show %20 or %3F in PowerPoint?

When files are stored in cloud environments like OneDrive or SharePoint, spaces and special characters in the filename are URL-encoded. For example, a space becomes %20. PowerPoint sometimes struggles to resolve these encoded URLs for OLE objects, causing the data link to break.

Can I still embed an Excel chart from OneDrive without using hyperlinks?

Yes, but it is highly recommended to sync the OneDrive folder locally to your PC using the OneDrive desktop app. Once synced, insert the chart using the local file path (e.g., C:\Users\Name\OneDrive\...) rather than relying on the cloud URL. This significantly reduces refreshing issues.

How do I know if my PowerPoint link to Excel is broken?

If the linked chart does not update when the source Excel data changes, or if you receive an error stating the source file cannot be found or cannot be accessed when right-clicking the chart and selecting 'Edit Data', the link is broken and needs to be refreshed or replaced.

Document & File Issues