Putting a Sankey diagram in PowerPoint or Google Slides
Neither PowerPoint nor Google Slides has a Sankey chart type, so the diagram always comes from outside. What decides whether it looks professional is the export format and the label size, not the tool.
SVG for PowerPoint and Keynote
Both accept SVG and keep it vector, which means it stays sharp on a 4K projector and when someone prints the deck. PowerPoint will even let you ungroup an SVG into editable shapes if you need to nudge a label.
PNG at 2x for Google Slides
Slides handles SVG inconsistently. A PNG exported at twice the display size is the safer choice there; it survives zooming and screen sharing without artefacts.
Size the labels for the room
Text that is comfortable on your monitor is often unreadable from the back of a meeting room. Aim for labels that end up at least 12pt on the final slide, which usually means cutting nodes rather than shrinking type.
One chart, one message per slide
A Sankey needs the whole slide. If it is competing with three bullets and a logo, either the chart or the bullets are not needed.
Export a deck-ready chart →Save the chart in the cloud rather than only in the deck. Next quarter you update the numbers and re-export, instead of rebuilding from a screenshot someone pasted.
Frequently asked
Can PowerPoint make a Sankey diagram natively?
No. PowerPoint has no Sankey chart type; you build it elsewhere and insert it, ideally as SVG so it stays vector.
SVG or PNG for slides?
SVG for PowerPoint and Keynote, PNG at 2x for Google Slides. SVG stays sharp at any size, PNG is more predictable in tools with partial SVG support.