# How do I keep a chart's data up to date?

> Once a chart is linked to a source, a strip at the top of the Data tab shows where the data came from and when — press Refresh to pull the latest.

## Before you start

- A chart already linked to a data source.

> **Note:** Refreshing only happens while the plugin is open. A chart sitting on the canvas with the plugin closed is a picture — nothing is fetched, and nothing changes.

> **Tip:** Refreshing updates the chart in the editor. To push the new numbers onto the frame already on your canvas, press Update SVG afterwards.

> **Note:** If a refresh returns something that is not valid chart data, or data that does not suit this chart type, the plugin warns you once and keeps the last good version rather than drawing something broken.

> **Note:** Some chart types will not take a linked source at all. Trees, treemaps, sunbursts and the rest of the specialised formats refuse the link with a message saying so, rather than importing something that does not fit.

> **Tip:** Heatmaps, radars and node-link charts can link each part separately. Look for the small X-Axis Source, Y-Axis Source and Values Source buttons on a heatmap, or Connect Nodes Source and Connect Links Source on a Sankey — each part then refreshes on its own.

## Steps

1. Open the Data tab of a linked chart. The strip along the top names the source and says when it last synced — Updated 5 min ago, or Never synced if it has not run yet.
2. Press Refresh to fetch again. The chart redraws with whatever the source returns.
3. Watch for the amber warning. When the plugin notices the source no longer matches your chart it says Source data has changed and asks you to refresh — your chart is never rewritten behind your back.
4. Use Change to swap the chart onto a different saved source. The Link Data Source dialog lists everything saved in this file, with a search box and a Create New button.
5. Use the unlink button to break the connection and keep the numbers as they are. It asks for Confirm first.
6. To manage sources rather than one chart, go back to the home screen and press Data. That lists every source in the file with its last sync time, a preview of its data, and buttons to edit or delete it.

_Topics: refresh, live data, linked source_

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Install Figma Charts: https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/1345221583582136577/figma-charts

More Figma Charts help: https://systergon.com/figma-charts/help