A linked Sheets chart added through the Slides API can later be refreshed from its source. This is useful for a generated reporting deck. Keep the chart’s spreadsheet ID, embedded chart ID, destination slide, and resulting Slides object ID distinct; they identify different resources.
Prepare source access
Create or identify the chart in Google Sheets first. Google’s chart guide describes reading its embedded chart ID through the Sheets API. The integration needs suitable authorization to access the chart source as well as the presentation; the guide recommends the narrower Sheets read-only scope when appropriate.
Insert a linked chart
Use CreateSheetsChartRequest in a Slides batch update with the source spreadsheet and chart identifiers. Choose LINKED when future refresh is intended. Google’s guidance distinguishes this from NOT_LINKED_IMAGE, a static import that cannot be refreshed.
Set the destination element’s geometry and retain the returned object identity needed for later chart operations. Do not treat a successful source lookup as proof that the chart is suitable for the presentation’s audience.
Verify the displayed evidence
Open the resulting slide and compare categories, units, dates, and plotted values with the verified source. Use RefreshSheetsChartRequest for later synchronization of a linked chart when appropriate. Avoid recreating another chart on every refresh, which can produce duplicate objects. Review source and destination access separately, and test with a limited dataset before using the integration on reporting material. The link supports maintenance; it does not establish accuracy or guarantee that every exported copy remains current.
References
- Adding Charts to Your Slides | Google Slides | Google for Developers
- Choose Google Slides API scopes | Google for Developers
Reviewed against the linked official product guidance on November 3, 2026. Features, limits, screen labels, and access can vary by account, platform, region, and organization policy.