How to Create an Org Chart in PowerPoint (+ Free Template)

You have a board meeting on Thursday. You need an org chart. You have PowerPoint open.

It's the standard workflow for 90% of companies. But standard doesn't mean efficient. Most people spend hours fighting with lines that won't stay connected, boxes that aren't aligned, and text that shrinks to microscopic size as the chart grows.

There are two ways to do this: the SmartArt method (fast but rigid) and the Manual method (flexible but slow).

Here is how to master both—and when to stop using PowerPoint entirely.

Method 1: The SmartArt Quick Fix (Best for < 20 people)

PowerPoint SmartArt Org Chart Example

SmartArt is PowerPoint's built-in tool for diagrams. It handles the layout for you, which is both its biggest strength and its fatal flaw.

Step 1: Insert SmartArt

Go to Insert > SmartArt
Select Hierarchy from the list on the left
Choose the first option (Organization Chart)

Step 2: Enter your data

Do not click on the boxes. Clicking boxes is slow.

Instead, look for the small arrow on the left edge of the SmartArt block. Click it to open the Text Pane. This is where you should do all your work.

Type a name + Title
Press Enter to add a new person
Press Tab to move them down a level (make them a direct report)
Press Shift + Tab to move them up a level (promote them)

If you have your roster in a list already, you can paste it right into this text pane. PowerPoint interprets the indentation as hierarchy.

Step 3: Delete the assistant box

SmartArt always inserts a weird "assistant" box off to the side of the top role. It throws off the symmetry. Click that box and hit Delete immediately unless you actually have an Executive Assistant to map.

Step 4: Fix the hanging layout

By default, PowerPoint likes to stack reports vertically to save space ("Hanging" layout). It makes the chart hard to read.

To fix it:

Click the manager box above the vertical stack
Go to the SmartArt Design tab at the top
Click Layout > Standard

Now everyone sits in a horizontal row. Much better.

Method 2: The Manual Build (Best for custom styling)

PowerPoint Manual Org Chart Example

If SmartArt feels too restrictive—or you just hate the default colors—you can build from scratch.

Step 5: Connect boxes with lines

Here's where the manual method gets tedious—but there's a right way and a wrong way.

Wrong way: Draw regular lines from the Lines menu. These don't attach to boxes. When you move a box, the line stays where it was. You end up with floating lines pointing at nothing.

Right way: Use connectors. These attach to anchor points on shapes and stay connected when you move things.

To add a connector:

Go to Insert > Shapes
In the Lines section, choose Elbow Connector (the one with right angles) or Straight Connector
Hover over a box—you'll see small dots appear on the edges (anchor points)
Click an anchor point on the first box, drag to an anchor point on the second box, release

The connector now links those two boxes. If you move either box, the line follows.

For org charts, elbow connectors work best. They create clean right-angle paths between boxes at different levels.

Step 6: Format your connectors

Select a connector line and go to Shape Format:

Shape Outline – Change color and line weight
Dashes – Make the line dashed (useful for dotted-line reporting relationships)

For a clean look, use a neutral gray for connector lines rather than black. Match the line weight to your box outlines.

Step 7: Adding and rearranging people

This is where the manual method requires patience.

To add someone:

Duplicate an existing box
Edit the text
Position the box
Draw new connector lines

To move someone to a different manager:

Delete the old connector line
Draw a new connector line to their new manager
Reposition the box
Realign surrounding boxes
Check that nothing looks off

To delete someone:

Delete their box
Delete their connector lines
Reposition remaining boxes to close the gap
Redraw any connectors that were affected

None of this is automatic. Every change is manual labor.

When to use the manual method

The extra work is worth it when:

You need dotted-line relationships (matrix structures, dual reporting)
You want custom visual groupings (colored backgrounds behind departments)
SmartArt's layouts don't match your org structure
You need precise control over spacing, sizing, and alignment

For straightforward hierarchies, SmartArt is faster.

Tips for better org charts in PowerPoint

A few things that save time regardless of method:

Start with Name and Title layout (SmartArt). If you need both fields, pick this layout from the start. Switching layouts later can scramble your hierarchy.

Use the Text Pane for bulk entry (SmartArt). It's significantly faster than clicking individual boxes.

Duplicate styled shapes (manual method). Format one box perfectly, then duplicate it. Don't style each box individually.

Always use connectors, not lines (manual method). Regular lines don't stay attached to shapes. Connectors do.

Lock the chart when finalized. For SmartArt, right-click and select Convert to Shapes. This freezes the layout so no one accidentally scrambles it. The tradeoff: you can no longer edit it as SmartArt.

Keep a master file. If your org chart appears in multiple presentations, maintain one source file. Copy the slide into other decks as needed.

Where PowerPoint org charts work well

Creating an org chart in PowerPoint is a solid choice when:

The org chart lives inside a presentation. No exporting, no format conversion—it's already where you need it.
You have under 30 people. Both methods handle small-to-medium teams well.
The structure is relatively stable. A few updates per quarter is manageable.
One person maintains it. No collaboration conflicts.

For a departmental overview in a quarterly deck, or an "About Us" slide for investors, PowerPoint does the job.

Where PowerPoint org charts get difficult

The limits show up in specific situations:

Large organizations. Past 30-40 people, the chart becomes hard to fit on a single slide while keeping text readable. You end up splitting across slides with no way to link them, or shrinking everything until it's illegible.

Frequent changes. If your org restructures often, updating the chart means reopening the file, editing SmartArt (or worse, manually repositioning shapes and redrawing connectors), re-exporting. Manageable occasionally; tedious monthly.

Data already exists in a spreadsheet. If you maintain employee data in Excel or Google Sheets, PowerPoint can't import it directly. You're retyping names that exist in another system.

None of these are PowerPoint failures—they're just the edges of what presentation software was designed for.

Importing data from a spreadsheet

PowerPoint doesn't have direct CSV import for org charts, but you can speed things up if your data exists elsewhere.

The workaround:

In your spreadsheet, create a column that represents hierarchy through indentation:

Sarah Chen, CEO
  Marcus Johnson, VP Engineering
    David Kim, Senior Developer

Copy that column
In PowerPoint, open the Text Pane for your SmartArt
Paste

PowerPoint interprets leading spaces or tabs as hierarchy levels. It's not perfect—you may need to clean up some entries—but it's faster than typing 50 names from scratch.

For a true import (CSV → automatic chart), you'll need dedicated org chart software.

Using your PowerPoint data elsewhere

If you've built an org chart in PowerPoint and want to move that data to another tool, you'll need to extract it manually:

Open a spreadsheet
Create columns: Name, Title, Manager
Work through your PowerPoint chart, entering each person
Save as CSV

Now you have portable data. Most org chart tools can import CSV directly, generating the hierarchy from the "Manager" column.

Free PowerPoint org chart template

If you want to skip setup, we've created an org chart template for PowerPoint to get you started faster.

Download PowerPoint Org Chart Template (PPTX)

This template includes two ready-to-use slides:

SmartArt Template: Optimized for quick text entry and auto-layout.
Manual Template: Pre-built with shapes and elbow connectors for custom styling.

How to use it:

Slide 1 (SmartArt): Click the arrow on the left edge to open the Text Pane, then paste your list.
Slide 2 (Manual): Copy and paste the pre-styled boxes and connectors to build your custom chart.

When PowerPoint isn't enough

If you're hitting the limits—large teams, frequent changes, data stuck in spreadsheets—a dedicated org chart tool makes life easier.

Org Chart Studio is built specifically for this:

CSV import: Upload a spreadsheet, map your columns, and the chart builds automatically. No manual entry.
Drag-and-drop reparenting: Move someone to a new manager by dragging their card. The layout adjusts automatically.
Three fields per card: Name, title, and department visible on every card—not buried in a second line.
Auto-layout: Five spacing presets. No manual positioning or connector wrangling.
Clean PNG export: Download your chart as an image without watermarks (with an export pass).

The free tier includes 10 charts with up to 100 people each. No subscriptions—just one-time export passes starting at $5 when you need clean exports.

Download Org Chart Studio Import Template (CSV)

This CSV template is ready for immediate import:

Replace sample data with your team (keep the headers)
Go to orgchartstudio.com/studio
Click Import and select your file
Your org chart generates automatically

PowerPoint works. For a presentation slide with a small-to-medium team, it's a solid choice. The tutorials above will get you there.

If you outgrow it, we're here: orgchartstudio.com