Charts help you visualize your data in a way that creates maximum impact on your audience. Learn to create a chart and add a trendline. You can start your document from a recommended chart or choose one from our collection of pre-built chart templates.
Create a chart
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Select data for the chart.
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Select Insert > Recommended Charts.
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Select a chart on the Recommended Charts tab, to preview the chart.
Note: You can select the data you want in the chart and press ALT + F1 to create a chart immediately, but it might not be the best chart for the data. If you don’t see a chart you like, select the All Charts tab to see all chart types.
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Select a chart.
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Select OK.
Add a trendline
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Select a chart.
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Select Design > Add Chart Element.
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Select Trendline and then select the type of trendline you want, such as Linear, Exponential, Linear Forecast, or Moving Average.
Note: Some of the content in this topic may not be applicable to some languages.
Charts display data in a graphical format that can help you and your audience visualize relationships between data. When you create a chart, you can select from many chart types (for example, a stacked column chart or a 3-D exploded pie chart). After you create a chart, you can customize it by applying chart quick layouts or styles.
Charts contain several elements, such as a title, axis labels, a legend, and gridlines. You can hide or display these elements, and you can also change their location and formatting.
Chart title
Plot area
Legend
Axis titles
Axis labels
Tick marks
Gridlines
You can create a chart in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. However, the chart data is entered and saved in an Excel worksheet. If you insert a chart in Word or PowerPoint, a new sheet is opened in Excel. When you save a Word document or PowerPoint presentation that contains a chart, the chart’s underlying Excel data is automatically saved within the Word document or PowerPoint presentation.
Note: The Excel Workbook Gallery replaces the former Chart Wizard. By default, the Excel Workbook Gallery opens when you open Excel. From the gallery, you can browse templates and create a new workbook based on one of them. If you don’t see the Excel Workbook Gallery, on the File menu, click New from Template.
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On the View menu, click Print Layout.
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Click the Insert tab, and then click the arrow next to Chart.
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Click a chart type, and then double-click the chart you want to add.
When you insert a chart into Word or PowerPoint, an Excel worksheet opens that contains a table of sample data.
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In Excel, replace the sample data with the data that you want to plot in the chart. If you already have your data in another table, you can copy the data from that table and then paste it over the sample data. See the following table for guidelines for how to arrange the data to fit your chart type.
For this chart type
Arrange the data
Area, bar, column, doughnut, line, radar, or surface chart
In columns or rows, as in the following examples:
Series 1
Series 2
Category A
10
12
Category B
11
14
Category C
9
15
or
Category A
Category B
Series 1
10
11
Series 2
12
14
Bubble chart
In columns, putting x values in the first column and corresponding y values and bubble size values in adjacent columns, as in the following examples:
X-Values
Y-Value 1
Size 1
0.7
2.7
4
1.8
3.2
5
2.6
0.08
6
Pie chart
In one column or row of data and one column or row of data labels, as in the following examples:
Sales
1st Qtr
25
2nd Qtr
30
3rd Qtr
45
or
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
Sales
25
30
45
Stock chart
In columns or rows in the following order, using names or dates as labels, as in the following examples:
Open
High
Low
Close
1/5/02
44
55
11
25
1/6/02
25
57
12
38
or
1/5/02
1/6/02
Open
44
25
High
55
57
Low
11
12
Close
25
38
X Y (scatter) chart
In columns, putting x values in the first column and corresponding y values in adjacent columns, as in the following examples:
X-Values
Y-Value 1
0.7
2.7
1.8
3.2
2.6
0.08
or
X-Values
0.7
1.8
2.6
Y-Value 1
2.7
3.2
0.08
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To change the number of rows and columns included in the chart, rest the pointer on the lower-right corner of the selected data, and then drag to select additional data. In the following example, the table is expanded to include additional categories and data series.
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To see the results of your changes, switch back to Word or PowerPoint.
Note: When you close the Word document or the PowerPoint presentation that contains the chart, the chart’s Excel data table closes automatically.
After you create a chart, you might want to change the way that table rows and columns are plotted in the chart. For example, your first version of a chart might plot the rows of data from the table on the chart’s vertical (value) axis, and the columns of data on the horizontal (category) axis. In the following example, the chart emphasizes sales by instrument.
However, if you want the chart to emphasize the sales by month, you can reverse the way the chart is plotted.
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On the View menu, click Print Layout.
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Click the chart.
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Click the Chart Design tab, and then click Switch Row/Column.
If Switch Row/Column is not available
Switch Row/Column is available only when the chart’s Excel data table is open and only for certain chart types. You can also edit the data by clicking the chart, and then editing the worksheet in Excel.
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On the View menu, click Print Layout.
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Click the chart.
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Click the Chart Design tab, and then click Quick Layout.
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Click the layout you want.
To immediately undo a quick layout that you applied, press
+ Z .
+ Z .Chart styles are a set of complementary colors and effects that you can apply to your chart. When you select a chart style, your changes affect the whole chart.
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On the View menu, click Print Layout.
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Click the chart.
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Click the Chart Design tab, and then click the style you want.
To see more styles, point to a style, and then click
.To immediately undo a style that you applied, press
+ Z .
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On the View menu, click Print Layout.
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Click the chart, and then click the Chart Design tab.
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Click Add Chart Element.
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Click Chart Title to choose title format options, and then return to the chart to type a title in the Chart Title box.
See also
Update the data in an existing chart
Chart types
Create a chart
You can create a chart for your data in Excel for the web. Depending on the data you have, you can create a column, line, pie, bar, area, scatter, or radar chart.
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Click anywhere in the data for which you want to create a chart.
To plot specific data into a chart, you can also select the data.
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Select Insert > Charts > and the chart type you want.
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On the menu that opens, select the option you want. Hover over a chart to learn more about it.
Tip: Your choice isn’t applied until you pick an option from a Charts command menu. Consider reviewing several chart types: as you point to menu items, summaries appear next to them to help you decide.
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To edit the chart (titles, legends, data labels), select the Chart tab and then select Format.
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In the Chart pane, adjust the setting as needed. You can customize settings for the chart’s title, legend, axis titles, series titles, and more.
Available chart types
It’s a good idea to review your data and decide what type of chart would work best. The available types are listed below.
Data that’s arranged in columns or rows on a worksheet can be plotted in a column chart. A column chart typically displays categories along the horizontal axis and values along the vertical axis, like shown in this chart:
Types of column charts
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Clustered column A clustered column chart shows values in 2-D columns. Use this chart when you have categories that represent:
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Ranges of values (for example, item counts).
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Specific scale arrangements (for example, a Likert scale with entries, like strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree).
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Names that are not in any specific order (for example, item names, geographic names, or the names of people).
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Stacked column A stacked column chart shows values in 2-D stacked columns. Use this chart when you have multiple data series and you want to emphasize the total.
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100% stacked column A 100% stacked column chart shows values in 2-D columns that are stacked to represent 100%. Use this chart when you have two or more data series and you want to emphasize the contributions to the whole, especially if the total is the same for each category.
Data that is arranged in columns or rows on a worksheet can be plotted in a line chart. In a line chart, category data is distributed evenly along the horizontal axis, and all value data is distributed evenly along the vertical axis. Line charts can show continuous data over time on an evenly scaled axis, and are therefore ideal for showing trends in data at equal intervals, like months, quarters, or fiscal years.
Types of line charts
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Line and line with markers Shown with or without markers to indicate individual data values, line charts can show trends over time or evenly spaced categories, especially when you have many data points and the order in which they are presented is important. If there are many categories or the values are approximate, use a line chart without markers.
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Stacked line and stacked line with markers Shown with or without markers to indicate individual data values, stacked line charts can show the trend of the contribution of each value over time or evenly spaced categories.
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100% stacked line and 100% stacked line with markers Shown with or without markers to indicate individual data values, 100% stacked line charts can show the trend of the percentage each value contributes over time or evenly spaced categories. If there are many categories or the values are approximate, use a 100% stacked line chart without markers.
Notes:
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Line charts work best when you have multiple data series in your chart—if you only have one data series, consider using a scatter chart instead.
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Stacked line charts add the data, which might not be the result you want. It might not be easy to see that the lines are stacked, so consider using a different line chart type or a stacked area chart instead.
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Data that is arranged in one column or row on a worksheet can be plotted in a pie chart. Pie charts show the size of items in one data series, proportional to the sum of the items. The data points in a pie chart are shown as a percentage of the whole pie.
Consider using a pie chart when:
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You have only one data series.
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None of the values in your data are negative.
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Almost none of the values in your data are zero values.
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You have no more than seven categories, all of which represent parts of the whole pie.
Data that is arranged in columns or rows only on a worksheet can be plotted in a doughnut chart. Like a pie chart, a doughnut chart shows the relationship of parts to a whole, but it can contain more than one data series.
Tip: Doughnut charts are not easy to read. You may want to use a stacked column or stacked bar chart instead.
Data that is arranged in columns or rows on a worksheet can be plotted in a bar chart. Bar charts illustrate comparisons among individual items. In a bar chart, the categories are typically organized along the vertical axis, and the values along the horizontal axis.
Consider using a bar chart when:
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The axis labels are long.
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The values that are shown are durations.
Types of bar charts
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Clustered A clustered bar chart shows bars in 2-D format.
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Stacked bar Stacked bar charts show the relationship of individual items to the whole in 2-D bars
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100% stacked A 100% stacked bar shows 2-D bars that compare the percentage that each value contributes to a total across categories.
Data that is arranged in columns or rows on a worksheet can be plotted in an area chart. Area charts can be used to plot change over time and draw attention to the total value across a trend. By showing the sum of the plotted values, an area chart also shows the relationship of parts to a whole.
Types of area charts
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Area Shown in 2-D format, area charts show the trend of values over time or other category data. As a rule, consider using a line chart instead of a non-stacked area chart, because data from one series can be hidden behind data from another series.
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Stacked area Stacked area charts show the trend of the contribution of each value over time or other category data in 2-D format.
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100% stacked 100% stacked area charts show the trend of the percentage that each value contributes over time or other category data.
Data that is arranged in columns and rows on a worksheet can be plotted in an scatter chart. Place the x values in one row or column, and then enter the corresponding y values in the adjacent rows or columns.
A scatter chart has two value axes: a horizontal (x) and a vertical (y) value axis. It combines x and y values into single data points and shows them in irregular intervals, or clusters. Scatter charts are typically used for showing and comparing numeric values, like scientific, statistical, and engineering data.
Consider using a scatter chart when:
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You want to change the scale of the horizontal axis.
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You want to make that axis a logarithmic scale.
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Values for horizontal axis are not evenly spaced.
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There are many data points on the horizontal axis.
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You want to adjust the independent axis scales of a scatter chart to reveal more information about data that includes pairs or grouped sets of values.
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You want to show similarities between large sets of data instead of differences between data points.
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You want to compare many data points without regard to time — the more data that you include in a scatter chart, the better the comparisons you can make.
Types of scatter charts
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Scatter This chart shows data points without connecting lines to compare pairs of values.
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Scatter with smooth lines and markers and scatter with smooth lines This chart shows a smooth curve that connects the data points. Smooth lines can be shown with or without markers. Use a smooth line without markers if there are many data points.
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Scatter with straight lines and markers and scatter with straight lines This chart shows straight connecting lines between data points. Straight lines can be shown with or without markers.
Data that is arranged in columns or rows on a worksheet can be plotted in a radar chart. Radar charts compare the aggregate values of several data series.
Type of radar charts
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Radar and radar with markers With or without markers for individual data points, radar charts show changes in values relative to a center point.
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Filled radar In a filled radar chart, the area covered by a data series is filled with a color.
Add or edit a chart title
You can add or edit a chart title, customize its look, and include it on the chart.
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Click anywhere in the chart to show the Chart tab on the ribbon.
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Click Format to open the chart formatting options.
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In the Chart pane, expand the Chart Title section.
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Add or edit the Chart Title to meet your needs.
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Use the switch to hide the title if you don’t want your chart to show a title.
Add axis titles to improve chart readability
Adding titles to the horizontal and vertical axes in charts that have axes can make them easier to read. You can’t add axis titles to charts that don’t have axes, such as pie and doughnut charts.
Much like chart titles, axis titles help the people who view the chart understand what the data is about.
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Click anywhere in the chart to show the Chart tab on the ribbon.
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Click Format to open the chart formatting options.
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In the Chart pane, expand the Horizontal Axis or Vertical Axis section.
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Add or edit the Horizontal Axis or Vertical Axis options to meet your needs.
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Expand the Axis Title.
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Change the Axis Title and modify the formatting.
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Use the switch to show or hide the title.
Change the axis labels
Axis labels are shown below the horizontal axis and next to the vertical axis. Your chart uses text in the source data for these axis labels.
To change the text of the category labels on the horizontal or vertical axis:
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Click the cell which has the label text you want to change.
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Type the text you want and press Enter.
The axis labels in the chart are automatically updated with the new text.
Tip: Axis labels are different from axis titles you can add to describe what is shown on the axes. Axis titles aren’t automatically shown in a chart.
Remove the axis labels
To remove labels on the horizontal or vertical axis:
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Click anywhere in the chart to show the Chart tab on the ribbon.
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Click Format to open the chart formatting options.
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In the Chart pane, expand the Horizontal Axis or Vertical Axis section.
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From the dropdown box for Label Position, select None to prevent the labels from showing on the chart.
Need more help?
You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.
What Is Excel Bar Chart?
Bar charts in Excel are one of the options found in the Charts group used to display the values in the bar-chart format. They represent the values in horizontal bars. Categories are displayed on the Y-axis in these charts, and values are shown on the X-axis.
To create or make a bar chart, a user needs at least two variables, i.e., independent and dependent variables.
For example, consider the below table showing the marks obtained by students. Now, let us learn how to create bar chart in excel for the given data.
The steps used to create bar chart in excel are:
- Step 1: First, select the values in the table.
- Step 2: Next, go to Insert and click on Insert column or bar chart from the Charts group.
- Step 3: Choose the desired bar chart type.
As soon as we click on the chart type, Excel will display the values in the bar-chart type as shown in the image below.
Likewise, we can create bar chart in excel.
Explanation And Usage
Before using bar chart in excel, let us learn the three types of bar charts in Excel.
- Stacked Bar Chart: It is also referred the segmented chart. It represents all the dependent variables by stacking them together and on top of other variables.
- Clustered Bar Chart: This chart groups all the dependent variables to display in a graph format. A clustered chart with two dependent variables is the double graph.
- 3D Bar Chart: This chart represents all the dependent variables in 3D representation.
Table of contents
- What Is Excel Bar Chart?
- Explanation And Usage
- How To Create A Bar Chart in Excel?
- Examples
- Uses Of Bar Chart
- Important Things To Note
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Recommended Articles
- Bar Chart in excel is used to display the values in bar chart format.
- A bar chart is only useful for small sets of data.
- The bar chart ignores the data if it contains non-numerical values.
- It is hard to use the bar charts if data is not arranged properly in the Excel sheet.
- Bar charts and column charts have a lot of similarities except for the visual representation of the bars in horizontal and vertical format. These can be interchanged with each other.
How To Create A Bar Chart In Excel?
Creating bar chart in excel is easy. Let us see the steps used to create bar chart in excel;
- Step 1: Select the table.
- Step 2: Go to the Insert tab.
- Step 3: Click the drop-down button of the Insert Column or Bar Chart option from the Charts group.
- Step 4: Select the type of chart from the drop-down list.
Likewise, we can create bar chart in excel.
Examples
You can download this Bar Chart Excel Template here – Bar Chart Excel Template
Example #1 – Stacked Bar Chart
This example illustrates how to create a stacked bar graph in simple steps.
- First, we must enter the data into the Excel sheets in the table format, as shown in the figure.
- Then, select the entire table by clicking and dragging or placing the cursor anywhere in the table, and then, press CTRL+A to select the whole table.
- Next, we will go to the Insert tab and move the cursor to the insert bar chart option.
- Under the 2D bar chart, we select the stacked bar chart, as shown in the figure below.
- We may see the stacked bar chart as shown below.
- We will add Data Labels to the data series in the plotted area.
We will click on the chart area to select the data series.
- Now, as shown in the screenshot, we will right-click on the data series and choose the add data labels to add the data label option.
- We can move the bar chart to the desired place in the worksheet. Then, we can click on the edge and drag it with the mouse.
- We can change the design of the bar chart utilizing the various options available, including changing color, changing the chart type, and moving the chart from one sheet to another sheet.
We get the following stacked bar chart.
We can use the Format Chart Area to change color, transparency, dash type, cap type, and join type.
Example #2 – Clustered Bar Chart
This example illustrates how to create a clustered bar chart in simple steps.
- Step 1: As shown in the figure, we must enter the data into the Excel sheets in the Excel table format, as shown in the figure.
- Step 2: We must select the entire table by clicking and dragging or placing the cursor anywhere and pressing CTRL+A to choose the whole table.
- Step 3: We will go to the Insert tab and move the cursor to the insert bar chart option. Then, under the 2D Bar Chart, select the clustered bar chart shown in the figure below.
- Step 4: Next, we will add a suitable title to the chart, as shown in the figure.
- Step 5: Now, we will right-click on the data series and choose the add data labels to add the data label option, as shown in the screenshot.
The data is added to the plotted chart, as shown in the figure.
- Step 6: We will now apply to format to change the charts’ design using the chart’s Design and Format tabs, as shown in the figure.
As a result, we can get the following chart.
We can also change the chart’s layout using the Quick Layout feature.
Therefore, we will get the following clustered bar chart.
Example #3 – 3D Bar Chart
This example illustrates creating a 3D bar chart in Excel in simple steps.
- Step 1: First, we must enter the data into the Excel sheets in the table format, as shown in the figure.
- Step 2: We will now select the whole table by clicking and dragging or placing the cursor anywhere and pressing CTRL+A to choose the table completely.
- Step 3: Next, we will go to the Insert tab and move the cursor to the insert bar chart option. Under the 3D Bar Chart, select the 100% stacked bar chart, as shown in the figure below.
- Step 4: Now will add a suitable title to the chart, as shown in the figure.
- Step 5: We will now right-click on the data series and choose Add Data Labels to add the data label option, as shown in the screenshot.
The data is added to the plotted chart, as shown in the figure.
Using the format chart area, we will apply the required formatting and design. As a result, we will get the following 3D bar chart.
Uses Of Bar Chart
Let us understand the uses of bar chart in Excel;
- Easier planning and making decisions based on the data analyzed.
- Determination of business decline or growth in a short time from the past data.
- Visual representation of the data and improved abilities in the communication of complex data.
- Comparing the different categories of data to enhance the proper understanding.
- Finally, summarize the data in the graphical format produced in the tables.
Important Things To Note
- We can turn any Excel data into a stacked bar graph that can display comparisons between categories of data, ranking, part-to-whole, deviation, or distribution.
- Bar Charts in excel compare parts of a whole with the ability to break down.
- We can also use the clustered bar chart to represent more than one data series in clustered horizontal columns when the data is complex and difficult to understand.
- In addition, we can also use a 3D bar chart to provide the chart’s title and define labels and values to make the chart more understandable.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is bar chart in excel?
Bar chart in excel is used to display small data into bar charts. There are bar charts, clustered bar charts, and 3D bar charts in excel.
2. What are independent and dependent variables?
• Independent Variable: This does not change concerning any other variable.
• Dependent Variable: This change concerns the independent variable.
3. How to create 2D bar chart in excel?
For example, consider the below table showing the price of various items. Now, let us learn how to create bar chart in excel.
The steps used to create bar chart in excel are:
• Step 1: First, select the values in the table.
• Step 2: Next, go to Insert and click on Insert column or bar chart from the Charts group.
• Step 3: Choose the desired bar chart type. In our example, we have selected 2D clustered bar.
As soon as we click on the chart type, Excel will display the values in the bar-chart type as shown in the image below.
Likewise, we can create bar chart in excel.
Recommended Articles
This article is a guide to Bar Chart in Excel. We discuss how to create different types of bar chart in Excel (stacked, clustered, and 3D), along with examples. You can have a look at other articles on Excel functions: –
- Stock Chart in Excel
- Create Control Charts in Excel
- Create Excel Combo Chart
- Make Dot Plots in Excel
A bar chart (or a bar graph) is one of the easiest ways to present your data in Excel, where horizontal bars are used to compare data values. Here’s how to make and format bar charts in Microsoft Excel.
Inserting Bar Charts in Microsoft Excel
While you can potentially turn any set of Excel data into a bar chart, It makes more sense to do this with data when straight comparisons are possible, such as comparing the sales data for a number of products. You can also create combo charts in Excel, where bar charts can be combined with other chart types to show two types of data together.
RELATED: How to Create a Combo Chart in Excel
We’ll be using fictional sales data as our example data set to help you visualize how this data could be converted into a bar chart in Excel. For more complex comparisons, alternative chart types like histograms might be better options.
To insert a bar chart in Microsoft Excel, open your Excel workbook and select your data. You can do this manually using your mouse, or you can select a cell in your range and press Ctrl+A to select the data automatically.
Once your data is selected, click Insert > Insert Column or Bar Chart.
Various column charts are available, but to insert a standard bar chart, click the “Clustered Chart” option. This chart is the first icon listed under the “2-D Column” section.
Excel will automatically take the data from your data set to create the chart on the same worksheet, using your column labels to set axis and chart titles. You can move or resize the chart to another position on the same worksheet, or cut or copy the chart to another worksheet or workbook file.
For our example, the sales data has been converted into a bar chart showing a comparison of the number of sales for each electronic product.
For this set of data, mice were bought the least with 9 sales, while headphones were bought the most with 55 sales. This comparison is visually obvious from the chart as presented.
Formatting Bar Charts in Microsoft Excel
By default, a bar chart in Excel is created using a set style, with a title for the chart extrapolated from one of the column labels (if available).
You can make many formatting changes to your chart, should you wish to. You can change the color and style of your chart, change the chart title, as well as add or edit axis labels on both sides.
It’s also possible to add trendlines to your Excel chart, allowing you to see greater patterns (trends) in your data. This would be especially important for sales data, where a trendline could visualize decreasing or increasing number of sales over time.
RELATED: How to Work with Trendlines in Microsoft Excel Charts
Changing Chart Title Text
To change the title text for a bar chart, double-click the title text box above the chart itself. You’ll then be able to edit or format the text as required.
If you want to remove the chart title completely, select your chart and click the “Chart Elements” icon on the right, shown visually as a green, “+” symbol.
From here, click the checkbox next to the “Chart Title” option to deselect it.
Your chart title will be removed once the checkbox has been removed.
Adding and Editing Axis Labels
To add axis labels to your bar chart, select your chart and click the green “Chart Elements” icon (the “+” icon).
From the “Chart Elements” menu, enable the “Axis Titles” checkbox.
Axis labels should appear for both the x axis (at the bottom) and the y axis (on the left). These will appear as text boxes.
To edit the labels, double-click the text boxes next to each axis. Edit the text in each text box accordingly, then select outside of the text box once you’ve finished making changes.
If you want to remove the labels, follow the same steps to remove the checkbox from the “Chart Elements” menu by pressing the green, “+” icon. Removing the checkbox next to the “Axis Titles” option will immediately remove the labels from view.
Changing Chart Style and Colors
Microsoft Excel offers a number of chart themes (named styles) that you can apply to your bar chart. To apply these, select your chart and then click the “Chart Styles” icon on the right that looks like a paint brush.
A list of style options will become visible in a drop-down menu under the “Style” section.
Select one of these styles to change the visual appearance of your chart, including changing the bar layout and background.
You can access the same chart styles by clicking the “Design” tab, under the “Chart Tools” section on the ribbon bar.
The same chart styles will be visible under the “Chart Styles” section—clicking any of the options shown will change your chart style in the same way as the method above.
You can also make changes to the colors used in your chart in the “Color” section of the Chart Styles menu.
Color options are grouped, so select one of the color palette groupings to apply those colors to your chart.
You can test each color style by hovering over them with your mouse first. Your chart will change to show how the chart will look with those colors applied.
Further Bar Chart Formatting Options
You can make further formatting changes to your bar chart by right-clicking the chart and selecting the “Format Chart Area” option.
This will bring up the “Format Chart Area” menu on the right. From here, you can change the fill, border, and other chart formatting options for your chart under the “Chart Options” section.
You can also change how text is displayed on your chart under the “Text Options” section, allowing you to add colors, effects, and patterns to your title and axis labels, as well as change how your text is aligned on the chart.
If you want to make further text formatting changes, you can do this using the standard text formatting options under the “Home” tab while you’re editing a label.
You can also use the pop-up formatting menu that appears above the chart title or axis label text boxes as you edit them.
READ NEXT
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Once created, you can customize charts in many ways. Themes are preset color and shape combinations available in Excel. Changing the theme affects other options, as well as any other charts created in the future. If you only want to change the current chart, use the Chart Styles option.
To change the theme, click the Home tab, then click Themes, and make your choice.
Other versions of Excel: Click the Page Layout tab, click Themes, and then make your choice.
To change the style, click Charts, and scroll through the options under Chart Styles on the same ribbon.
Other versions of Excel: Click Chart Tools or Chart Design tab, and click Layout to scroll through the options under Chart Styles. If you have a Chart Design tab, the different layouts will appear in the ribbon, similar to the image above.
Adding Titles
If the data presented in the chart isn’t quite clear, a title can help. Titles aren’t needed for charts with a single dependent variable.
Click on Chart Layout, click Chart Title, and click your option. Using the overlap/overlay option may cover part of the chart, so be sure the title doesn’t cover key information.
Other versions of Excel: Click Chart Tools tab, then click Layout, click Chart Title, and click your option.
If the categories in the horizontal or vertical axis need a title, follow the steps above. However, select Axis Titles instead, and then choose the horizontal axis or vertical axis.
To change the font and appearance of titles, click Chart Title and then click More Title Options. Additionally, in some versions of Excel, you can click on the title in the chart and a side menu will appear with options to customize the text.
To reword a title, just click on it in the chart and retype.
Adjusting Axes
To adjust the horizontal or vertical axis, you can resize by clicking on a square in the corner and dragging an edge.
For finer adjustments, right click the axis and choose Format Axis…
For a numeric axis, you can change the the start and end points, as well as the units displayed. Simply change the numbers in the boxes to make the starting and ending point the minimum and maximum, respectively.
Formatting Text
To format the copy, right-click any text in the chart and click Format Text (or Format Title or Format Legend, etc. — depending on your version of Excel and the area of the chart you wish to change). From this menu, you can change the font style and color, and add shadows or other effects.
Adding Data Labels
Data labels show the value associated with the bars in the chart. This information can be useful if the values are close in range. To add data values, right-click on one of the bars in the chart, and click Add Data Labels. This will create a label for each bar in that series. For clustered charts, one of each color will have to be labeled.
Moving the Legend
Click and drag the legend to a new location on the chart, or click on it and press the delete button on your keyboard to remove it completely.
Data Order
The items will appear in reverse order from the spreadsheet. Rather than changing the order there, it’s easier to right-click the axis, click Format Axis…, and then click the box next to Categories in Reverse Order. This change will also affect the order of the data clusters, if that was the chart format chosen.
In some versions of Excel, you can also change the data order by selecting one of the bars and editing the formula bar.
Adjusting Axis Text
If the text on an axis is long, pivot it on an angle to occupy less space. Right-click the axis, click Format Axis, click Text Box, and enter an angle.
You can also opt to only show some of the axis labels. Right-click the axis, click Format Axis, then click Scale, and enter a value in the Interval between labels box. A value of 2 will show every other label; 3 will show every third.
If you want to create a cleaner, less cluttered chart, hiding some labels is a good option. But the context of the hidden text is still obvious.
Changing Chart Values
Update the spreadsheet and the values in the chart will update, too. But remember, if the chart has been copied to a non-Microsoft Office document, it won’t update — in this case, copy the updated version and replace it in the document.
Changing the Look of the Bars
Right-click a bar, then click Format Data Series… and make adjustments. In addition to changing the color, you can also add a gradient or pattern, as well as many other effects.
For clustered bar charts, any changes will only affect the bars associated with the same dependant variable of the selected bar. Repeat to update all the bars in the chart.
If bars don’t look right, select the chart, right-click the chart and click Change Chart Type…. In addition to the 2D bars demonstrated in this tutorial, there are options for 3D bars/columns, cylinders, cones, and pyramids.
Changing the Background of the Chart and Plot Area
To change the background, right-click in a blank area of the chart and click Format Chart Area… or right-click the plot area and click Format Plot Area…. Like the bars, you can change the color, add a gradient or pattern, adjust the color and size of lines, as well as other effects.
Adding a Data Table
A data table displays the spreadsheet data that was used to create the chart beneath the bar chart. This shows the same data as data labels, so use one or the other.
To add a data table, click the Chart Layout tab, click Data Table, and choose your option. If the legend key option is chosen, you can remove the legend as demonstrated in the image below.
Changing Chart Orientation
To swap the vertical and horizontal axes, right-click on the chart and click Change Chart Type. If you chose a column chart, chose bar chart instead, and vice versa. There are other ways to do this, but this is the simplest.
Bar Chart in Excel (Table of Contents)
- Introduction to Bar Chart in Excel
- How to Create a Bar CHART in Excel?
Introduction to Bar Chart in Excel
Bar Chart in Excel is one of the easiest types of the chart to prepare by just selecting the parameters and values available against them. We must have at least one value for each parameter. Bar Chart is shown horizontally, keeping their base of the bars at Y-Axis. Bar Chart can be accessed from the insert menu tab from the Charts section, which has different types of Bar Charts such as Clustered Bar, Stacked Bar and 100% Stacked Bars available in 2D and 3D types.
In this article, I will take you through the process of creating Bar Charts.
How to Create Bar Chart in Excel?
Bar Chart in Excel is very simple and easy to create. Let us understand the working of the Bar Chart in Excel by Some Examples.
You can download this Bar Chart Excel Template here – Bar Chart Excel Template
Example #1
Take a simple piece of data to present the bar graph. I have sales data for 4 different regions East, West, South, and North.
Step 1: Select the data.
Step 2: Go to insert and click on Bar chart and select the first chart.
Step 3: once you click on the chart, it will insert the chart as shown in the below image.
Step 4: Remove gridlines. Select the chart go to layout > gridlines > primary vertical gridlines > none.
Step 5: select the bar, right-click on the bar, and select format data series.
Step 6: Go to fill and select Vary Colours by Point.
Step 7: Moreover, we can make the bar colors look attractive by right click on each bar separately.
Right, click on the first bar > go to Fill > Gradient Fill and apply the below format.
Step 8: To give the Chart Heading, go to layout>Chart Title > Select Above chart.
Chart Heading will be displayed as here it is Sales by Region.
Step 9: To add Labels to the bar Right click on bar > Add Data Labels; click on it.
Data Label is added to each bar.
Similarly, you can choose different colors for each bar separately. I have chosen different colors, and my chart is looking like this.
Example #2
There are multiple bar graphs available. In this example, I am going to use the CONE type of bar chart.
I have sales data from Jan to Dec. To present the data to the management to review the sales trend, I am applying a bar chart to visualize and present better.
Step 1: Select the data > Go to Insert > Bar Chart > Cone Chart
Step 2: Click on the CONE chart, and it will insert the basic chart for you.
Step 3: Now, we need to modify the chart by changing its default settings.
Remove gridlines of the above Chart.
Change the chart title to Sales by month.
Remove Legends from the chart and enlarge to make visible all months vertically.
Step 4: Select each cone separately and filled with beautiful colors. After all the modifications, my chart looks likes this.
For the same data, I have applied different bar chat types.
Cylinder Chart:
Pyramid Chart:
Example #3
In this example, I am going to use a stacked bar chart. This chart tells the story of two series of data in a single bar.
Step1: Set up the data first. I have the commission data for a sales team, which has been separated into two sections. One is for the first half-year, and another one is for the second half of the year.
Step 2: Select the data > Go to Insert > Bar > Stacked bar in 3D.
Step 3: Once you click on that chat type, it will instantly create a chart for you.
Step 4: Modify each bar color by following the previous example steps.
Step 5: Change the number format to adjust the spacing. Select the X-Axis and right-click > Format Axis.
Step 6: Go to Number > Custom > Apply this code [>999.5]#,##0,”k”;#,##0.
This will format the lakhs into thousands. For example, format the 1, 00,000 as 100K.
Step 7: Finally, my chart looks like this.
Advantages of Bar Chart in Excel:
- Easy comparison with better understanding.
- Quickly find the growth or decline.
- Summarize of the table data into visuals.
- Make quick planning and take decisions.
Disadvantages of Bar Chart in Excel:
- Not suitable for a large amount of data.
- Do not tell many assumptions associated with the data.
Things to Remember
- Data arrangement is very important here. IF the data is not in a suitable format, then we cannot apply a bar chart.
- Choose a bar chart for a small amount of data.
- Any non-numerical value is ignored by the bar chart.
- Column and bar charts are similar in terms of presenting the visuals, but the vertical and horizontal axis is interchanged.
Recommended Articles
This has been a guide to a BAR chart in Excel. Here we discuss its uses and how to create Bar Chart in Excel with excel examples and downloadable excel templates. You may also look at these useful functions in excel –
- Grouped Bar Chart
- Excel Stacked Bar Chart
- Excel Clustered Bar Chart
- Free Excel Template