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Short answer: Microsoft Office does not offer Equal Earth as a native Map Chart projection. To use Equal Earth, download a free map file and insert it as an image or SVG. If you need regions colored from spreadsheet data, create an Excel Map Chart instead, then copy that chart into Word or PowerPoint; it will use one of Excel’s supported projections rather than Equal Earth.
The two workflows look similar on screen but produce different results. A downloaded Equal Earth file is a static visual (possibly an editable SVG, depending on the file). Excel’s Map Chart is a data-driven object that can be refreshed from geographic values. Choose the workflow before you start so you do not spend time trying to force a projection Office does not support.
Equal Earth is a projection, not an Office chart type
Equal Earth is a world-map projection designed to show continents with equal-area proportions. A file labelled “Equal Earth map” is a particular rendering of that projection: it may include country borders, labels, colors, or grouped vector shapes. Inserting that file into Office is a picture-insertion task, not a chart-creation task. The projection’s background and development details are described by the map’s publisher at Equal Earth projection.
Excel’s native Map Chart is a separate feature for comparing values or categories across geographic regions. Microsoft documents four projection choices—Mercator, Miller, Albers, and Robinson—in its Map Chart formatting guide. Equal Earth is not listed, so there is no supported “select Equal Earth” setting for that chart type.
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| Approach | What you get | Best use | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download and insert an Equal Earth image or SVG | A static Equal Earth visual; an SVG may retain vector structure | Handouts, posters, slides, reports, annotation and reference maps | It is not a live data chart; editing depends on the file structure and Office version |
| Create an Excel Map Chart | A geographic chart driven by worksheet values or categories | Coloring regions from data and updating the display when data changes | Equal Earth is unavailable as a projection; subscription and online-creation requirements apply |
Choose the right free map file
Start at the Equal Earth Wall Map page. It offers free downloads and notes that the files can be printed; the page showed version 1.5 dated October 8, 2026. Check the individual download’s format, license and intended use before you redistribute the file or publish it outside your organization.
For a labelled reference map
Choose a version that already contains place names, borders and any legend you need. This is the quickest option for a classroom sheet, an orientation slide or a report in which the map is explanatory rather than data-driven. Because labels are part of the artwork, they generally cannot be updated as ordinary Office text after insertion.
For annotation or a custom legend
Use a blank Equal Earth map. You can add text boxes, callouts, arrows and a legend in Word or PowerPoint without trying to remove labels from a finished map. Keep annotations in separate Office objects so they remain movable when the map is resized.
For coloring individual countries
Look for a grouped SVG in which country paths are separate objects. The Wikimedia Commons blank Equal Earth SVG is one example described as a grouped file. Grouping is useful because it can allow individual regions to be selected, but support for ungrouping or converting SVG elements to editable shapes varies by desktop Office edition. Do not assume that every Word, Excel or PowerPoint channel exposes the same commands.
Check licensing before sharing
“Free download” does not automatically mean “no conditions.” Read the license attached to the exact file, retain any required attribution, and confirm that your intended redistribution—such as a public PDF, client deliverable or printed booklet—is allowed. If a map will be printed at a very large size, the publisher notes that a print shop can produce it; that is an optional production service, not a requirement for inserting the file in Office.
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Insert an Equal Earth map in Word
Word treats a downloaded map as a picture. The following path applies to current desktop Word installations; command names can vary slightly by platform.
- Download the chosen PNG, JPEG or SVG file and save it locally. Keep the original file so you can replace it without quality loss.
- Open the document and place the cursor where the map should appear.
- Select Insert > Pictures > This Device (the wording may be Insert > Picture on some versions), choose the file and select Insert.
- With the map selected, open Picture Format or Graphics Format. Set a precise width or height in the Size controls, and keep the aspect ratio locked so the projection is not stretched.
- Use Layout Options to choose In Line with Text for predictable pagination, or a wrapping option such as Square when text should flow beside it.
- Add a caption, source credit and license note beneath the map if the file’s terms require them.
SVG is preferable when the map will be resized repeatedly because it remains vector-based. A raster image can look soft when enlarged, especially in a printed document. If Word displays an SVG with unexpected colors or missing elements, reopen the original in a graphics editor, export a high-resolution raster copy, and insert that copy instead of altering the projection.
Add the map to PowerPoint without distortion
- Open the destination slide and select Insert > Pictures > This Device.
- Choose the Equal Earth image or SVG and insert it.
- Resize from a corner handle or use Graphics Format > Size. Do not drag a side handle, which changes the map’s aspect ratio.
- Use Arrange > Align to center the map on the slide, then add a title, legend or callouts as separate objects.
- For a full-bleed slide, check the map in Slide Show view and export a test PDF. Thin borders and small labels can disappear when a presentation is projected or compressed.
PowerPoint can recolor an SVG only when its current graphics tools recognize the file’s internal elements. If the map behaves as one picture, use overlays, a pre-colored file or a raster editor; do not promise that every SVG can be turned into individually editable country shapes.
Insert a static Equal Earth map in Excel
Excel can hold the same static asset, which is useful when a worksheet combines a reference map with a table or notes.
- Select Insert > Pictures > This Device and choose the downloaded map.
- Place the map beside the data table or on a dedicated worksheet. Use Picture Format > Align to keep it aligned with cells.
- Set an explicit width and height and lock the aspect ratio. If the map should move with a table, use Format Picture > Properties > Move and size with cells; use Move but don’t size with cells when the map must retain a fixed size.
- Add a nearby note identifying the projection, file source and date of the download. This prevents readers from mistaking the image for Excel’s live Map Chart.
Use Excel Map Chart when the map must follow data
Choose this route when your input is a table of countries, states, provinces or other recognized geographic areas and the colors or values must update with the worksheet. Microsoft’s documented creation path is Insert > Charts > Maps > Filled Map, described in Create a Map chart in Excel.
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Prepare geographic data first
Use one geographic field per row and a separate value or category field. Include a country, region or state column rather than relying on ambiguous city names. Add a country column when a place name could exist in more than one country. Keep headings clear—for example, “Country,” “State,” and “Sales”—and remove duplicate rows that would make the intended value unclear.
Create the chart
- Place the geographic field and its values in adjacent columns, including headers.
- Select the range, then choose Insert > Charts > Maps > Filled Map.
- Wait for Excel to resolve the locations and draw the map. Review the result for unrecognized or incorrectly matched places.
- Select the chart and open Format options to choose the data series, map area, colors and legend. The available projection choices are the ones Microsoft documents—Mercator, Miller, Albers and Robinson—not Equal Earth.
- Save the workbook after confirming that every region in the source table is represented as intended.
Availability and connection requirements
Microsoft states that Map Chart availability requires access through a Microsoft 365 subscription. Creating a map or appending map data requires an online connection to the Bing Map service; an existing map can be viewed offline. An organization’s privacy, firewall or service policies may therefore prevent creation even when Excel itself opens normally.
Why this is not an Equal Earth map
A Filled Map can be the correct tool for updating geographic values, but its projection is controlled by Excel. Changing colors, borders or labels does not change the projection. If the visual must be Equal Earth, create the static Equal Earth asset separately and use the chart only for data analysis or for a second, clearly labelled comparison visual.
Copy an Excel chart into Word or PowerPoint
Word and PowerPoint can receive a chart made in Excel. This is different from inserting an Equal Earth file: the copied object remains an Excel-derived chart and retains Excel’s projection behavior.
- In Excel, select the chart and choose Home > Copy (or press
Ctrl+Con Windows). - Open the Word document or PowerPoint presentation and place the cursor or select the destination slide.
- Choose Home > Paste, then select the paste option that matches your need: an embedded workbook for future editing, a linked object for a live connection to the source workbook, or a picture for a fixed appearance.
- After pasting, resize from a corner and verify the legend, labels and data values in the destination file.
Microsoft’s mobile guidance at Insert a chart in PowerPoint or Word on a mobile device says the listed mobile Word and PowerPoint versions cannot create charts themselves and instructs users to copy a chart from Excel. On mobile, prepare the chart in Excel first rather than looking for a chart-creation command in the document or presentation app.
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Can an SVG be converted into editable country shapes?
Sometimes, but this is a desktop- and version-dependent operation. An SVG may contain one path per country, several paths per country, a single flattened path, or groups that include labels and borders. Office may expose a command to convert a recognized SVG into shapes, or it may insert the file as one graphic with no country-level selection.
If you need editable regions, test the exact file in the exact desktop Office edition that will be used for production:
- Insert the SVG into a blank file and click an individual region.
- Check whether Graphics Format offers an ungroup or convert-to-shape command.
- Confirm that labels, borders and islands remain positioned correctly after any conversion.
- Save a copy before editing; conversion can greatly increase file size and may alter line weights.
Because Microsoft’s cited guidance does not establish one conversion path for every Office platform and edition, treat any ribbon-by-ribbon conversion recipe as conditional. If the test fails, use the SVG as a static graphic, choose a different grouped file, or edit the vector in a dedicated graphics application before importing the result.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting common problems
The map looks stretched
Undo the resize and set only one dimension while the aspect-ratio lock is enabled. Equal Earth’s visual balance depends on its original proportions; stretching it changes the apparent geography.
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Excel cannot find a location
Make the geographic field more specific by adding the country or higher-level region, remove spelling variants, and check for duplicate names. If the organization blocks the Bing Map service, connect to an approved network or use a static map instead.
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The chart is blank or missing colors
Confirm that the selected range includes both geography and values, that values are numeric or valid categories, and that the locations were recognized. Reopen the data table and inspect the chart’s data-selection range before changing formatting.
Labels are unreadable in a slide or PDF
Use a larger source file, enlarge the map area, reduce competing text, or split the map across slides. Test the exported PDF at its intended viewing size rather than judging only at 100% zoom on a monitor.
SVG editing commands are unavailable
That usually indicates either a platform limitation or a file whose elements are not separately exposed. Keep the SVG as an image, use a grouped source that you have tested, or prepare the colored version outside Office.
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For a report or handout, export a test PDF from Word or PowerPoint and inspect thin borders, small labels and color contrast. A vector SVG is generally the safer source for large output. The Equal Earth publisher notes that large maps can be produced by a print shop; obtain a proof if the map is being printed at poster size, and verify that the file license permits the planned distribution.
Which workflow should you use?
| Your requirement | Recommended workflow | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| The projection must be Equal Earth | Download and insert an Equal Earth SVG or image | Office Map Chart does not list Equal Earth as a projection |
| Values must recolor regions when the spreadsheet changes | Create an Excel Filled Map | It is data-driven and can be refreshed, subject to geographic matching |
| You need a map in a Word report or PowerPoint deck | Insert the static file directly, or copy an Excel chart | Choose static projection fidelity or live data behavior |
| You need individually editable countries | Test a grouped SVG in the target desktop Office version | Editing support depends on file structure and Office edition |
| You are working only on mobile Word or PowerPoint | Prepare the chart in Excel and copy it | Microsoft’s mobile guidance says the listed apps cannot create charts directly |
For most readers asking specifically for an Equal Earth map, the dependable free path is to download the appropriate file, insert it as an SVG or image, preserve its aspect ratio, and document its license. Use Excel Map Chart only when live geographic data matters more than keeping the Equal Earth projection.
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