Copying numbers into a chart tool every week gets old fast. Connect the chart to your Google Sheet instead, and it reads the latest figures every time someone opens it, including charts you've embedded on a website.
1. Set up the Sheet
Put your data in a simple table: a header row, then one row per item. The first column holds labels (months, countries, products) and the next columns hold numbers. Each chart's page shows the exact columns it needs. Numbers like 1,200, £45 and 12% are fine.
2. Share it so the chart can read it
In Google Sheets, choose Share, set General access to Anyone with the link, and leave the role as Viewer. If you'd rather not share the whole file, use File → Share → Publish to web and publish just one tab.
The chart only ever reads the Sheet; it can't change it.
3. Connect it
- Open the tab you want in Google Sheets, then copy the link from your browser's address bar.
- Open a chart, for example a line chart.
- Paste the link into Or connect a Google Sheet in the Data section (or straight into the data box) and press Connect.
You'll see Live from Google Sheets with the time it last updated. Change a number in the Sheet and the chart picks it up within a minute while the page is open.
4. Share or embed it
Style the chart, then press Share & export. A share link or embed code remembers the Sheet, so anyone who opens it sees the latest data. Embedded charts on websites also refresh every five minutes, which makes them handy for dashboards on office screens.
If it doesn't work
- "Couldn't read that Sheet": the Sheet is still private. Check step 2.
- Wrong tab: open the right tab before copying the link; the link includes the tab.
- "Couldn't find a column of numbers": make sure the number columns contain only numbers (and maybe a unit).
- It disconnected: typing in the chart's data box disconnects the Sheet, so your edits aren't overwritten. Paste the link again to reconnect.