PowerPoint how can I update linked excel data during a looping slideshow

Alex Wilhelmsen 41 Reputation points
2022-03-05T19:15:39.117+00:00

I want to use Excel to keep scores and results in a sports tournament. The Excel spreadsheet is not very presentable, so I would like to present the results and score in a looping PowerPoint presentation with timed advancing slides through linked data from the Excel Spreadsheet. The problem is that data is currently not updated during slideshow mode. The data can only be refreshed in edit mode, is there a way to update this data during slideshow mode? It would be really cool with the option to mix in other information on a big screen.

Microsoft 365 and Office PowerPoint For business Windows
Microsoft 365 and Office Excel For business Windows
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  1. John Korchok 6,126 Reputation points
    2022-03-06T18:55:31.447+00:00

    PowerPoint isn't built to do that easily. The non-cost solution is to periodically stop and restart the show.

    The paid solution is to buy this add-in, which promises to do what you want: DataPoint


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  1. Alex Wilhelmsen 41 Reputation points
    2022-03-07T06:47:15.073+00:00

    Thank you for your reply. I found a workaround. You can still edit the presentation while presenting and also right-click the tables/graphs and click "Update Link". Just have to remember to resume the slideshow as the auto transition sometimes tends to stop when editing it or switching focus to Excel. Quite cumbersome, but it saved me this weekend. Checked out DataPoint, but the prices are out of the league for a small amateur sports team like mine. Hopefully Microsoft will add this feature. I know there is software out there doing this as a package, but the flexibility of Excel and PowerPoint is great.

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