Graphs and charts in excel

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.

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Create a chart

  1. Select data for the chart.

  2. Select Insert > Recommended Charts.

  3. 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.

  4. Select a chart.

  5. Select OK.

Add a trendline

  1. Select a chart.

  2. Select Design > Add Chart Element.

  3. 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.

An Office chart with callouts

Callout 1 Chart title

Plot area

Callout 3 Legend

Callout 4 Axis titles

Callout 5 Axis labels

Callout 6 Tick marks

Callout 7 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.

  1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

  2. Click the Insert tab, and then click the arrow next to Chart.

    Click the Insert tab, and then click Chart

  3. 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.

  4. 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

  5. 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.

    Selecting more data for an Office chart

  6. 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.

Chart showing sales by category

However, if you want the chart to emphasize the sales by month, you can reverse the way the chart is plotted.

Chart showing sales by month

  1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

  2. Click the chart.

  3. Click the Chart Design tab, and then click Switch Row/Column.

    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.

  1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

  2. Click the chart.

  3. Click the Chart Design tab, and then click Quick Layout.

    Click the Chart Design tab, and click Quick Layout

  4. Click the layout you want.

    To immediately undo a quick layout that you applied, press The Command button.+ 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.

  1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

  2. Click the chart.

  3. Click the Chart Design tab, and then click the style you want.

    Click the Chart Design tab, and then click a chart style

    To see more styles, point to a style, and then click More Down Arrow.

    To immediately undo a style that you applied, press The Command button.+ Z .

  1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

  2. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Design tab.

  3. Click Add Chart Element.

    Click the Chart Design tab, and then click Add Chart Element

  4. 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

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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. 

  1. 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.

  2. Select Insert > Charts > and the chart type you want.

    Excel for the web Chart Types

  3. On the menu that opens, select the option you want. Hover over a chart to learn more about it.

    Chart Sub Types

    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. 

  4. To edit the chart (titles, legends, data labels), select the Chart tab and then select Format.

    Excel for the web Chart Format

  5. 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.

    Excel for the web Chart pane

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:

Clustered column chart

Types of column charts

  • Clustered column A clustered column chart shows values in 2-D columns. Use this chart when you have categories that represent:

    • Ranges of values (for example, item counts).

    • Specific scale arrangements (for example, a Likert scale with entries, like strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree).

    • Names that are not in any specific order (for example, item names, geographic names, or the names of people).

  • 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.

  • 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.

Line with markers chart

Types of line charts

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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: 

    • 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.

    • 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.

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.

Pie chart

Consider using a pie chart when:

  • You have only one data series.

  • None of the values in your data are negative.

  • Almost none of the values in your data are zero values.

  • 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.

Doughnut chart

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.

Bar chart

Consider using a bar chart when:

  • The axis labels are long.

  • The values that are shown are durations.

Types of bar charts

  • Clustered A clustered bar chart shows bars in 2-D format.

  • Stacked bar Stacked bar charts show the relationship of individual items to the whole in 2-D bars

  • 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.

Area chart

Types of area charts

  • 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.

  • Stacked area Stacked area charts show the trend of the contribution of each value over time or other category data in 2-D format.

  • 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.

Scatter chart

Consider using a scatter chart when:

  • You want to change the scale of the horizontal axis.

  • You want to make that axis a logarithmic scale.

  • Values for horizontal axis are not evenly spaced.

  • There are many data points on the horizontal axis.

  • 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.

  • You want to show similarities between large sets of data instead of differences between data points.

  • 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

  • Scatter This chart shows data points without connecting lines to compare pairs of values.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Radar chart

Type of radar charts

  • Radar and radar with markers With or without markers for individual data points, radar charts show changes in values relative to a center point.

  • 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.

  1. Click anywhere in the chart to show the Chart tab on the ribbon.

  2. Click Format to open the chart formatting options.

    Excel for the web Chart Format

  3. In the Chart pane, expand the Chart Title section.
    Chart Title Options for Excel on the web

  4. Add or edit the Chart Title to meet your needs.

  5. 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.

Stached Column chart with axis titles

  1. Click anywhere in the chart to show the Chart tab on the ribbon.

  2. Click Format to open the chart formatting options.

    Excel for the web Chart Format

  3. In the Chart pane, expand the Horizontal Axis or Vertical Axis section.
    Chart Axis Options for Excel for the web

  4. Add or edit the Horizontal Axis or Vertical Axis options to meet your needs.

  5. Expand the Axis Title.
    Chart Axis Options for Excel for the web

  6. Change the Axis Title and modify the formatting.

  7. 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:

  1. Click the cell which has the label text you want to change.

  2. 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:

  1. Click anywhere in the chart to show the Chart tab on the ribbon.

  2. Click Format to open the chart formatting options.

    Excel for the web Chart Format

  3. In the Chart pane, expand the Horizontal Axis or Vertical Axis section.
    Chart Axis Options for Excel for the web

  4. From the dropdown box for Label Position, select None to prevent the labels from showing on the chart.
    Chart Axis Label Options for Excel for the web

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

Building charts and graphs are one of the best ways to visualize data in a clear and comprehensible way.

business presentation on how to make a chart or graph in excel tutorial

However, it’s no surprise that some people get a little intimidated by the prospect of poking around in Microsoft Excel.

Download Now: Free Excel Graph Generators

I thought I’d share a helpful video tutorial as well as some step-by-step instructions for anyone out there who cringes at the thought of organizing a spreadsheet full of data into a chart that actually, you know, means something. But before diving in, we should go over the different types of charts you can create in the software.

Types of Charts in Excel

You can make more than just bar or line charts in Microsoft Excel, and when you understand the uses for each, you can draw more insightful information for your or your team’s projects.

Type of Chart

Use

Area

Area charts demonstrate the magnitude of a trend between two or more values over a given period.

Bar

Bar charts compare the frequency of values across different levels or variables.

Column

Column charts display data changes or a period of time.

Line

Similar to bar charts, they illustrate trends over time.

Pie

Pie charts show values as percentages of a whole.

Radar

Radar charts compare the aggregate of multiple data series.

Scatter

Scatter charts show the positive or negative relationship between two variables.

Stock

Stock charts are used to report the fluctuation of stock prices over given periods.

Surface

Surface charts plot sets of values in the form of a three-dimensional surface.

The steps you need to build a chart or graph in Excel are simple, and here’s a quick walkthrough on how to make them.

Keep in mind there are many different versions of Excel, so what you see in the video above might not always match up exactly with what you’ll see in your version. In the video, I used Excel 2021 version 16.49 for Mac OS X.

To get the most updated instructions, I encourage you to follow the written instructions below (or download them as PDFs). Most of the buttons and functions you’ll see and read are very similar across all versions of Excel.

Download Demo Data | Download Instructions (Mac) | Download Instructions (PC)

  1. Enter your data into Excel.
  2. Choose one of nine graph and chart options to make.
  3. Highlight your data and click ‘Insert’ your desired graph.
  4. Switch the data on each axis, if necessary.
  5. Adjust your data’s layout and colors.
  6. Change the size of your chart’s legend and axis labels.
  7. Change the Y-axis measurement options, if desired.
  8. Reorder your data, if desired.
  9. Title your graph.
  10. Export your graph or chart.

Featured Resource: Free Excel Graph Templates

excel-graph-templates-fr

Why start from scratch? Use these free Excel Graph Generators. just input your data and adjust as needed for a beautiful data visualization. 

1. Enter your data into Excel.

First, you need to input your data into Excel. You might have exported the data from elsewhere, like a piece of marketing software or a survey tool. Or maybe you’re inputting it manually.

In the example below, in Column A, I have a list of responses to the question, “Did inbound marketing demonstrate ROI?”, and in Columns B, C, and D, I have the responses to the question, “Does your company have a formal sales-marketing agreement?” For example, Column C, Row 2 illustrates that 49% of people with a service level agreement (SLA) also say that inbound marketing demonstrated ROI.

How to enter data into an excel spreadsheet

2. Choose from the graph and chart options.

In Excel, your options for charts and graphs include column (or bar) graphs, line graphs, pie graphs, scatter plots, and more. See how Excel identifies each one in the top navigation bar, as depicted below:

The types of graphs and charts in excel

To find the chart and graph options, select Insert.

(For help figuring out which type of chart/graph is best for visualizing your data, check out our free ebook, How to Use Data Visualization to Win Over Your Audience.)

3. Highlight your data and insert your desired graph into the spreadsheet.

In this example, a bar graph presents the data visually. To make a bar graph, highlight the data and include the titles of the X and Y-axis. Then, go to the Insert tab and click the column icon in the charts section. Choose the graph you wish from the dropdown window that appears.

How to highlight your data and insert your desired graph into the spreadsheet

I picked the first two dimensional column option because I prefer the flat bar graphic over the three dimensional look. See the resulting bar graph below.

A 2-dimensional chart of data in an excel spreadsheet

4. Switch the data on each axis, if necessary.

If you want to switch what appears on the X and Y axis, right-click on the bar graph, click Select Data, and click Switch Row/Column. This will rearrange which axes carry which pieces of data in the list shown below. When finished, click OK at the bottom.

how to make an excel graph steps: switch the data if necessary

The resulting graph would look like this:

A chart with swapped data on the x and y-axis

5. Adjust your data’s layout and colors.

To change the labeling layout and legend, click on the bar graph, then click the Chart Design tab. Here, you can choose which layout you prefer for the chart title, axis titles, and legend. In my example below, I clicked on the option that displayed softer bar colors and legends below the chart.

how to make an excel graph steps: adjust your data's layout and colors

To further format the legend, click on it to reveal the Format Legend Entry sidebar, as shown below. Here, you can change the fill color of the legend, which will change the color of the columns themselves. To format other parts of your chart, click on them individually to reveal a corresponding Format window.

How to use the format legend entry tool to format the legend of an excel chart or graph

6. Change the size of your chart’s legend and axis labels.

When you first make a graph in Excel, the size of your axis and legend labels might be small, depending on the graph or chart you choose (bar, pie, line, etc.) Once you’ve created your chart, you’ll want to beef up those labels so they’re legible.

To increase the size of your graph’s labels, click on them individually and, instead of revealing a new Format window, click back into the Home tab in the top navigation bar of Excel. Then, use the font type and size dropdown fields to expand or shrink your chart’s legend and axis labels to your liking.

how to make an excel graph steps: change the size of your chart's legend

7. Change the Y-axis measurement options if desired.

To change the type of measurement shown on the Y axis, click on the Y-axis percentages in your chart to reveal the Format Axis window. Here, you can decide if you want to display units located on the Axis Options tab, or if you want to change whether the Y-axis shows percentages to two decimal places or no decimal places.

how to make an excel graph steps: change the y axis measurement options

Because my graph automatically sets the Y axis’s maximum percentage to 60%, you might want to change it manually to 100% to represent my data on a universal scale. To do so, you can select the Maximum option — two fields down under Bounds in the Format Axis window — and change the value from 0.6 to one.

The resulting graph will look like the one below (In this example, the font size of the Y-axis has been increased via the Home tab so that you can see the difference):

How to change the Y-axis measurements in an excel spreadsheet in the minor field

8. Reorder your data, if desired.

To sort the data so the respondents’ answers appear in reverse order, right-click on your graph and click Select Data to reveal the same options window you called up in Step 3 above. This time, arrow up and down to reverse the order of your data on the chart.

how to make an excel graph steps: reorder your data

If you have more than two lines of data to adjust, you can also rearrange them in ascending or descending order. To do this, highlight all of your data in the cells above your chart, click Data and select Sort, as shown below. Depending on your preference, you can choose to sort based on smallest to largest, or vice versa.

How to reorder data from smallest to largest for a chart or graph in an excel spreadsheet

The resulting graph would look like this:

how to make an excel graph steps: reordered data

9. Title your graph.

Now comes the fun and easy part: naming your graph. By now, you might have already figured out how to do this. Here’s a simple clarifier.

Right after making your chart, the title that appears will likely be «Chart Title,» or something similar depending on the version of Excel you’re using. To change this label, click on «Chart Title» to reveal a typing cursor. You can then freely customize your chart’s title.

When you have a title you like, click Home on the top navigation bar, and use the font formatting options to give your title the emphasis it deserves. See these options and my final graph below:

how to make an excel graph steps: title your graph or chart

10. Export your graph or chart.

Once your chart or graph is exactly the way you want it, you can save it as an image without screenshotting it in the spreadsheet. This method will give you a clean image of your chart that can be inserted into a PowerPoint presentation, Canva document, or any other visual template.

To save your Excel graph as a photo, right-click on the graph and select Save as Picture.

how to make an excel graph steps: export your graph or chart

In the dialogue box, name the photo of your graph, choose where to save it on your computer, and choose the file type you’d like to save it as. In this example, it’s saved as a JPEG to a desktop folder. Finally, click Save.

How to name a graph or chart in excel using the dialogue box

You’ll have a clear photo of your graph or chart that you can add to any visual design.

how to make an excel graph steps: add any additional visual design enhancements to finish

Visualize Data Like A Pro

That was pretty easy, right? With this step-by-step tutorial, you’ll be able to quickly create charts and graphs that visualize the most complicated data. Try using this same tutorial with different graph types like a pie chart or line graph to see what format tells the story of your data best.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in June 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

excel graph templates

How to Make Charts or Graphs in Excel?

Steps in making graphs in Excel:

  1. Numerical Data: The first thing required in your Excel is numerical data. Charts or graphs can only be built using numerical data sets.
  2. Data Headings: These are often called data labels. The headings of each column should be understandable and readable.
  3. Data in Proper Order: It is very important how the data looks in Excel. If the information to build a chart is bits and pieces, we might find it difficult to construct a chart. So arrange the data properly.
Table of contents
  • How to Make Charts or Graphs in Excel?
    • Examples (Step by Step)
      • Example #1
      • Example #2
    • Things to Remember
    • Recommended Articles

Examples (Step by Step)

Below are some examples of how to make charts in Excel.

You can download this Make Chart Excel Template here – Make Chart Excel Template

Example #1

Assume we have passed six years of sales data. We want to show them in visuals or graphs.
Make Chart Example 1

  1. First, we must select the date range we are using for a graph.

    Make Chart Example 1-1

  2. Then, go to the “INSERT” tab > under the “Charts” section, and select the “COLUMN” chart. We can see many other types under the “Column” chart but prefer the first one.

    Make Chart Example 1-2

  3. As soon as we have selected the chart, we can see the below chart in Excel.

    Make Chart Example 1-3

  4. It is not the finished product yet. We need to make some arrangements here. So, we must select the blue-colored bars and press the “Delete” button. Else, right-click on bars and choose “Delete.”

    Make Chart Example 1-4

  5. Now, we do not know which bar represents which year. So, right-click on the chart and select “Select Data.”

    Make Chart Example 1-5

  6. In the below window, we must click on “EDIT,” which is on the right-hand side.

    Make Chart Example 1-6

  7. After we click on the “EDIT option,” we will see a small dialog box below. It will ask to select the “Horizontal Axis Labels.” So, choose the “Year” column.

    Make Chart Example 1-7

  8. Now, we have the “Year” name below each bar.

    Make Chart Example 1-8

  9. After that, change the heading or title of the chart as per the requirement by double-clicking on the existing header.

    Make Chart Example 1-9

  10. Add “Data Labels” for each bar. The “Data Labels” are each bar’s numbers to convey the message perfectly. Right-click on the column bars and select “Add Data Labels.”

    Make Chart Example 1-10

  11. Change the color of the column bars to different colors. Next, select the bars and press “Ctrl + 1.” We may see the format chart dialog box on the right-hand side.

    Make Chart Example 1-11

  12. Now, go to the “FILL” option, and select the option “Vary colors by point.”

    Make Chart Example 1-12

    Now, we have a neatly arranged chart in front of us.

    Make Chart Example 1-13

Example #2

We have seen how to create a graph with auto-selection of the data range. Next, we will show you how to build an Excel chart with a manual data selection.

  • Step 1: First, we must place the cursor in the empty cell and click on the “Insert Chart.”

click on the insert chart

  • Step 2: After we click on the “Insert Chart,” we can see a blank chart.

Make Chart Example 2-1

  • Step 3: Right-click on the chart and choose the “Select Data” option.

right-click on the chart and chose Select Data option

  • Step 4: In the below window, click on “Add.”

select data source

  • Step 5: In the below window, under “Series name,” select the heading of the data series, and under the “Series values,” select data series values.

Edit Series

  • Step 6: Now, the default chart is ready.

Make Chart Example 2-5

Now, we must apply the steps shown in the previous example to modify the chart. Next, refer to steps 5 to 12 to alter the chart.

Things to Remember

  • For the same data, we can insert all types of charts. It is important to identify a suitable chart.
  • If the data is smaller, it is easy to plot a graph without any hurdles.
  • In the case of percentage data, we must select the PIE chartMaking a pie chart in excel can help you with the pictorial representation of your data and simplifies the analysis process. There are multiple kinds of pie chart options available on excel to serve the varying user needs.read more.
  • We must try using different charts for the same data to identify the best fit chart for the data set.

Recommended Articles

This article is a guide to Making Charts in Excel. Here, we discuss how to make charts or graphs in Excel, practical examples, and a downloadable Excel template. You may learn more about Excel from the following articles: –

  • Organization Chart in Excel
  • Examples of Line Chart in Excel
  • Excel Chart Templates
  • 8 Types of Charts in Excel
  • Infographics in Excel

Reader Interactions

After you input your data and select the cell range, you’re ready to choose the chart type. In this example, we’ll create a clustered column chart from the data we used in the previous section.

Step 1: Select Chart Type

Once your data is highlighted in the Workbook, click the Insert tab on the top banner. About halfway across the toolbar is a section with several chart options. Excel provides Recommended Charts based on popularity, but you can click any of the dropdown menus to select a different template.

How to select chart type in Excel

Step 2: Create Your Chart

  1. From the Insert tab, click the column chart icon and select Clustered Column.

How to select Excel chart

  1. Excel will automatically create a clustered chart column from your selected data. The chart will appear in the center of your workbook.
  2. To name your chart, double click the Chart Title text in the chart and type a title. We’ll call this chart “Product Profit 2013 — 2017.”

How to name a chart in Excel charts

We’ll use this chart for the rest of the walkthrough. You can download this same chart to follow along.

Download Sample Column Chart Template

There are two tabs on the toolbar that you will use to make adjustments to your chart: Chart Design and Format. Excel automatically applies design, layout, and format presets to charts and graphs, but you can add customization by exploring the tabs. Next, we’ll walk you through all the available adjustments in Chart Design.

How to make adjustments to your chart in Excel

Step 3: Add Chart Elements

Adding chart elements to your chart or graph will enhance it by clarifying data or providing additional context. You can select a chart element by clicking on the Add Chart Element dropdown menu in the top left-hand corner (beneath the Home tab).

How to add chart elements in Excel

To Display or Hide Axes:

  1. Select Axes. Excel will automatically pull the column and row headers from your selected cell range to display both horizontal and vertical axes on your chart (Under Axes, there is a check mark next to Primary Horizontal and Primary Vertical.)

    How to display or hide axes in Excel charts

  2. Uncheck these options to remove the display axis on your chart. In this example, clicking Primary Horizontal will remove the year labels on the horizontal axis of your chart.

    How to remove display axis in Excel charts

  3. Click More Axis Options… from the Axes dropdown menu to open a window with additional formatting and text options such as adding tick marks, labels, or numbers, or to change text color and size.

    Axis dropdown menu in Excel

     

To Add Axis Titles:

  1. Click Add Chart Element and click Axis Titles from the dropdown menu. Excel will not automatically add axis titles to your chart; therefore, both Primary Horizontal and Primary Vertical will be unchecked.

    Add chart elements in Excel

  2. To create axis titles, click Primary Horizontal or Primary Vertical and a text box will appear on the chart. We clicked both in this example. Type your axis titles. In this example, the we added the titles “Year” (horizontal) and “Profit” (vertical).

    Create axis titles in Excel

To Remove or Move Chart Title:

  • Click Add Chart Element and click Chart Title. You will see four options: None, Above Chart, Centered Overlay, and More Title Options.

    How to remove or move chart title in Excel

  • Click None to remove chart title.
  • Click Above Chart to place the title above the chart. If you create a chart title, Excel will automatically place it above the chart.
  • Click Centered Overlay to place the title within the gridlines of the chart. Be careful with this option: you don’t want the title to cover any of your data or clutter your graph (as in the example below).

Chart title in Excel

To Add Data Labels:

  1. Click Add Chart Element and click Data Labels. There are six options for data labels: None (default), Center, Inside End, Inside Base, Outside End, and More Data Label Title Options.

    How to add data labels in Excel charts

  2. The four placement options will add specific labels to each data point measured in your chart. Click the option you want. This customization can be helpful if you have a small amount of precise data, or if you have a lot of extra space in your chart. For a clustered column chart, however, adding data labels will likely look too cluttered. For example, here is what selecting Center data labels looks like:

    Add specific labels in Excel charts

To Add a Data Table: 

  1. Click Add Chart Element and click Data Table. There are three pre-formatted options along with an extended menu that can be found by clicking More Data Table Options:

    How to add a data table in Excel

Note: If you choose to include a data table, you’ll probably want to make your chart larger to accommodate the table. Simply click the corner of your chart and use drag-and-drop to resize your chart.

To Add Error Bars:

  1. Click Add Chart Element and click Error Bars. In addition to More Error Bars Options, there are four options: None (default), Standard Error, 5% (Percentage), and Standard Deviation. Adding error bars provide a visual representation of the potential error in the shown data, based on different standard equations for isolating error.

    How to add error bars in Excel

  2. For example, when we click Standard Error from the options we get a chart that looks like the image below.

    Standard error in Excel charts

 To Add Gridlines:

  1. Click Add Chart Element and click Gridlines. In addition to More Grid Line Options, there are four options: Primary Major Horizontal, Primary Major Vertical, Primary Minor Horizontal, and Primary Minor Vertical. For a column chart, Excel will add Primary Major Horizontal gridlines by default.

    How to add gridlines in Excel

  2. You can select as many different gridlines as you want by clicking the options. For example, here is what our chart looks like when we click all four gridline options.

To Add a Legend:  

  1. Click Add Chart Element and click Legend. In addition to More Legend Options, there are five options for legend placement: None, Right, Top, Left, and Bottom.

    How to add a legend in Excel

  2. Legend placement will depend on the style and format of your chart. Check the option that looks best on your chart. Here is our chart when we click the Right legend placement.

    Where to add legend in Excel

To Add Lines: Lines are not available for clustered column charts. However, in other chart types where you only compare two variables, you can add lines (e.g. target, average, reference, etc.) to your chart by checking the appropriate option.

To Add a Trendline:

  1. Click Add Chart Element and click Trendline. In addition to More Trendline Options, there are five options: None (default), Linear, Exponential, Linear Forecast, and Moving Average. Check the appropriate option for your data set. In this example, we will click Linear.

    Add a trendline in Excel

  2. Because we are comparing five different products over time, Excel creates a trendline for each individual product. To create a linear trendline for Product A, click Product A and click the blue OK button.

    Add a linear trendline in Excel

  3. The chart will now display a dotted trendline to represent the linear progression of Product A. Note that Excel has also added Linear (Product A) to the legend.

    How to display linear progression in Excel chart

  4. To display the trendline equation on your chart, double click the trendline. A Format Trendline window will open on the right side of your screen. Click the box next to Display equation on chart at the bottom of the window. The equation now appears on your chart.

    How to format a trendline in Excel chart

Note: You can create separate trendlines for as many variables in your chart as you like. For example, here is our chart with trendlines for Product A and Product C. 

How to make multiple trendlines on Excel chart

To Add Up/Down Bars: Up/Down Bars are not available for a column chart, but you can use them in a line chart to show increases and decreases among data points.

Step 4: Adjust Quick Layout

  1. The second dropdown menu on the toolbar is Quick Layout, which allows you to quickly change the layout of elements in your chart (titles, legend, clusters etc.).

    How to change layout of elements in Excel chart

  2. There are 11 quick layout options. Hover your cursor over the different options for an explanation and click the one you want to apply.

    Different layout options for chart in Excel

Step 5: Change Colors

The next dropdown menu in the toolbar is Change Colors. Click the icon and choose the color palette that fits your needs (these needs could be aesthetic, or to match your brand’s colors and style).

Color palette for Excel charts

Step 6: Change Style

For cluster column charts, there are 14 chart styles available. Excel will default to Style 1, but you can select any of the other styles to change the chart appearance. Use the arrow on the right of the image bar to view other options.

Chart styles in Excel

Step 7: Switch Row/Column

  1. Click the Switch Row/Column on the toolbar to flip the axes. Note: It is not always intuitive to flip axes for every chart, for example, if you have more than two variables.

    Flip axis on excel chart

In this example, switching the row and column swaps the product and year (profit remains on the y-axis). The chart is now clustered by product (not year), and the color-coded legend refers to the year (not product). To avoid confusion here, click on the legend and change the titles from Series to Years.

How to flip axis on Excel chart

Step 8: Select Data

  1. Click the Select Data icon on the toolbar to change the range of your data.
  2. A window will open. Type the cell range you want and click the OK button. The chart will automatically update to reflect this new data range.

    Changing data range in Excel chart

Step 9: Change Chart Type

  1. Click the Change Chart Type dropdown menu.

    How to change chart type in Excel

  2. Here you can change your chart type to any of the nine chart categories that Excel offers. Of course, make sure that your data is appropriate for the chart type you choose.

    Different types of charts in Excel

  3. You can also save your chart as a template by clicking Save as Template

  4. A dialogue box will open where you can name your template. Excel will automatically create a folder for your templates for easy organization. Click the blue Save button.

    Create a chart template in Excel

Step 10: Move Chart

  1. Click the Move Chart icon on the far right of the toolbar.
  2. A dialogue box appears where you can choose where to place your chart. You can either create a new sheet with this chart (New sheet) or place this chart as an object in another sheet (Object in). Click the blue OK button.

    How to move an Excel chart

Step 11: Change Formatting

  1. The Format tab allows you to change formatting of all elements and text in the chart, including colors, size, shape, fill, and alignment, and the ability to insert shapes. Click the Format tab and use the shortcuts available to create a chart that reflects your organization’s brand (colors, images, etc.).

    Change chart format in Excel

  2. Click the dropdown menu on the top left side of the toolbar and click the chart element you are editing.

    How to change chart formatting in Excel

Step 12: Delete a Chart 

To delete a chart, simply click on it and click the Delete key on your keyboard.

Most companies (and people) don’t want to pore through pages and pages of spreadsheets when it’s so quick to turn those rows and columns into a visual chart or graph. But someone has to do it…and that person must be you.

Ready to turn your boring Excel spreadsheet into something a little more interesting?

In Excel, you’ve got everything you need at your fingertips. Excel users can leverage the power of visuals without any additional extensions. You can create a graph or chart right inside Excel rather than exporting it into some other tool.

What is the difference between Charts and Graphs?

According to reference.com…“The difference between graphs and charts is mainly in the way the data is compiled and the way it is represented. Graphs are usually focused on raw data and showing the trends and changes in that data over time. Charts are best used when data can be categorized or averaged to create more simplistic and easily consumed figures.

So technically, charts and graphs mean separate things, but in the real world, you’ll hear the terms used interchangeably. People generally accept both so don’t worry too much about it!

how to make a graph in excel

In this post, you’ll learn exactly how to create a graph in Excel and improve your visuals and reporting…but first let’s talk about charts. Understanding exactly how charts play out in Excel will help with understanding graphs in Excel. 

Charts in Excel

Charts are usually considered more aesthetically pleasing than graphs.  Something like a pie chart is used to convey to readers the relative share of a particular segment of the data set with respect to other segments that are available. If instead of the changes in hours worked and annual leaves over 5 years, you want to present the percentage contributions of the different types of tasks that make up a 40 hour work week for employees in your organization then you can definitely insert a pie chart into your spreadsheet for the desired impact.

example of an excel chart
An example of an Excel chart.

Graphs in Excel

Graphs represent variations in values of data points over a given duration of time. They are simpler than charts because you are dealing with different data parameters. Comparing and contrasting segments of the same set against one another is more difficult.

So if you are trying to see how the number of hours worked per week and the frequency of annual leaves for employees in your company has fluctuated over the past 5 years, you can create a simple line graph and track the spikes and dips to get a fair idea.

example of an excel graph
An example of a graph in Excel.

Types of Graphs Available in Excel

Excel offers three varieties of graphs:

  • Line Graphs: Both 2 dimensional and three dimensional line graphs are available in all the versions of Microsoft Excel. Line graphs are great for showing trends over time. Simultaneously plot more than one data parameter – like employee compensation, average number of hours worked in a week and average number of annual leaves against the same X axis or time.
  • Column Graphs: Column graphs also help viewers see how parameters change over time. But they can be called “graphs” when only a single data parameter is used. If multiple parameters are called into action, viewers can’t really get any insights about how each individual parameter has changed. As you can see in the Column graph below, average numbers of hours worked in a week and average number of annual leaves when plotted side by side do not provide the same clarity as the Line graph.
example of excel column graph
  • Bar Graphs: Bar graphs are very similar to column graphs but here the constant parameter (say time) is assigned to the Y axis and the variables are plotted against the X axis.
example of excel bar graph

1. Fill the Excel Sheet with Your Data & Assign the Right Data Types

The first step is to actually populate an Excel spreadsheet with the data that you need. If you have imported this data from a different software, then it’s probably been compiled in a .csv (comma separated values) formatted document.

If this is the case, use an online CSV to Excel converter like the one here to generate the Excel file or open it in Excel and save the file with an Excel extension.

After converting the file, you still may need to clean up the rows and the columns. It is better to work with a clean spreadsheet so that the Excel graph you’re creating is clean and easy to modify or change.

If that doesn’t work, you may also need to manually enter the data into the spreadsheet or copy and paste it over before creating the Excel graph.

Excel has two components to its spreadsheets:

  • The rows that are horizontal and marked with numbers
  • The columns that are vertical and marked with alphabets

After all the data values have been set and accounted for, make sure that you visit the Number section under the Home tab and assign the right data type to the various columns. If you do not do this, chances are your graphs will not show up right.

image-5-excel

For example if column B is measuring time, ensure that you choose the option Time from the drop down menu and assign it to B.

Choose the Type of Excel Graph You Want to Create

This will depend on the type of data you have and the number of different parameters you will be tracking simultaneously.

If you are looking to take note of trends over time then Line graphs are your best bet. This is what we will be using for the purpose of the tutorial.
Let us assume that we are tracking Average Number of Hours Worked/Week/Employee and Average Number of Leaves/Employee/Year against a five year time span.

Highlight The Data Sets That You Want To Use

For a graph to be created, you need to select the different data parameters.

To do this, bring your cursor over the cell marked A. You will see it transform into a tiny arrow pointing downwards. When this happens, click on the cell A and the entire column will be selected.

Repeat the process with columns B and C, pressing the Ctrl (Control) button on Windows or using the Command key with Mac users.

Your final selection should look something like this:

how to make a graph in excel choosing a data set in excel

Create the Basic Excel Graph

With the columns selected, visit the Insert tab and choose the option 2D Line Graph.

You will immediately see a graph appear below your data values.

how to make a graph in excel the basic excel graph

Sometimes if you do not assign the right data type to your columns in the first step, the graph may not show in a way that you want it to. For example, Excel may plot the parameter Average Number of Leaves/Employee/Year along the X axis instead of the Year. In this case, you can use the option Switch Row/Column under the Design tab of Chart Tools to play around with various combinations of X axis and Y axis parameters till you hit on the perfect rendition.

switch a row and column in excel

Improve Your Excel Graph with the Chart Tools

To change colors or to change the design of your graph, go to Chart Tools in the Excel header.

You can select from the design, layout and format. Each will change up the look and feel of your Excel graph.

Design: Design allows you to move your graph and re-position it. It gives you the freedom to change the chart type. You can even experiment with different chart layouts. This may conform more to your brand guidelines, your personal style, or your manager’s preference.

how to make a graph in excel-design in excel

Layout: This allows you to change the title of the axis, the title of your chart and the position of the legend. You might go with vertical text along the Y axis and horizontal text along the X axis. You can even adjust the grid lines. You have every formatting tool conceivable at your fingertips to improve the look and feel of your graph.

layout in excel

Format: The Format tab allows you to add a border in your chosen width and color around the graph to properly separate it from the data points that are filled in the rows and columns.

how to make a graph in excel-format excel graph

And there you have it. An accurate visual representation of the data that you have imported or entered manually to help your team members and stakeholders better engage with the information and utilize it to create strategies or be more aware of all the constraints while taking decisions!

Challenges with Making a Graph In Excel

When manipulating simple data sets, you can create a graph fairly easily.

But when you start adding in several types of data with multiple parameters, then there will be glitches. Here are some of the challenges that you’re going to have:

  • Data sorting can be problematic when creating graphs. Online tutorials might recommend data sorting to make your “charts” look more aesthetically appealing. But beware of when the X axis is a time-based parameter! Sorting data values by magnitude may mess up the flow of the graph because the dates are sorted randomly. You may not be able to spot the trends very well.
how to make a graph in Excel--data sorting excel graphs

You may forget to remove duplicates. This is especially true if you have imported the data from a third-party application. Generally, this type of information is not filtered of redundancies. And you might end up corrupting the integrity of your information if duplicates sneak into your pictorial representation of trends. When working with copious volumes of data, it is best to use the Remove Duplicates option on your rows.

how to make a graph in excel remove duplicates

Creating graphs in Excel doesn’t have to be overly complex, but, much like with creating Gantt charts in Excel, there can be some easier tools to help you do it. If you’re trying to create graphs for workloads, budget allocations or monitoring projects, check out project management software instead.

Many of those functions are automated and without manual data entry. And you won’t be left wondering about who has the latest data sets. Most project management solutions, like Workzone, have file sharing and some visualization capabilities built-in.

Skills For the Young Analyst
Skills For the Young Analyst

Charts and graphs are used to make information clearer and easier to understand. A good picture is worth a thousand numbers. The most common place for people to see charts and graphs is in the news. News publishers use graphics all the time to show comparisons and explain important trends for things such as weather, gas prices, crime rate, or who is winning an election and by how much. Charts and graphs are also critical to engineers, scientists and financial analysts who use them to help visualize large amounts of information, make better decisions, and communicate their results to other people.

There are good reasons for learning to create graphs by hand, but there are also some great tools that everyone ought to learn how to use at some point, such as Excel. The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the common types of graphs and charts that you can create with Excel, explain when you might use the different types, and provide a great set of resources for learning about and teaching about charts and graphs.

Bar Graph

A bar graph is a graph that shows you information about two or more discrete objects, events, locations, groups of people, etc. You can use the bar graph to make comparisons. For example, if you count the number of students in your class who are girls and the number who are boys, you could make a bar graph to compare the totals. One bar would represent the number of boys, and another bar would represent the number of girls.

Bar Graph Example
Example of a bar graph created with Excel.

Below are some useful resources for helping kids learn about bar graphs.

  • Tally Charts and Bar Graphs (Movie)
  • Kids Have Pets: A Lesson on Using Graphs
  • Bar Graph Worksheets
  • Graphing Lesson Examples
  • Basic Bar Graph Worksheet (PDF)

Column Chart

A column chart in Excel is just a bar graph where the bars are displayed as columns. Instead of the labels or categories listed on the left, they are listed on the bottom. The example below shows how you can set up the data table for creating a column chart showing the number of apples eaten in a particular month.

Column Chart Example
Example of a column chart created using Excel

Pictograph

A pictograph shows data using a series of pictures, where a picture represents a number. The example below takes the same data used for the column chart but uses pictures of apples, where one complete picture represents 5 apples eaten. Pictographs can be a fun way to display information, and they are easy to create in Excel. You first create a bar graph or column chart and then you edit the fill options for the bars or columns.

Pictograph Example
Example of a Pictograph created with Excel

Pictures can say a lot more than numbers. But, it is very important that we don’t misrepresent information by the way that we use images and graphics. For example, it would be very confusing if the pictograph above used images of oranges instead of apples to represent the number of apples eaten. We must think about whether the sizes, shapes and colors of graphics are helping to make information more clear and helping to increase understanding.

Line Graph

A line graph is great for showing continuous change over time. For example, you could use a line graph to watch the changes in temperature in the month of March. If it is hotter one day than on the day before, the line will go up. If it is cooler, it will go down. By analyzing the line graph, you can get a better idea of the changes that took place as time went on. You can also easily determine when the value you are graphing was highest or when it was lowest. Including 2 lines on the same graph lets you visualize comparisons, such as the difference between the High and Low temperatures for each day.

Line Graph Example
Example of a line graph in Excel
Data Source: http://www.beautifulseattle.com/mthsum.asp

You can create a line graph from the same data table as a bar graph, and vice versa. But, what you decide to use should largely depend upon whether you are showing how something changes over time (line graph) or showing comparisons between discrete things (bar graph).

It is important to be aware of color choices when using graphs. People often associate meanings with different colors, such as red for hot and blue for cold, so in the example above it could be confusing if the colors of the lines were switched. It makes more sense for red to be used for the High temperature and blue to be used for the Low temperature.

Pie Charts

A pie chart is a circular graph where the pieces of the pie are used to represent a percentage of a whole. For example, if you took a survey of the students in your class and asked them each about their favorite pizza, you could use the results to make a pie chart that would show what toppings earned the most votes. In this case, each triangle would represent a different topping. The triangle with the largest area would represent the topping that got the most votes, while the toppings that got the least votes would be represented by smaller triangles.

Pie Chart Example
Example of a pie chart in Excel

In the example above, it is pretty easy to see that Pepperoni was the favorite. It is also easy to see that Pepperoni received the same amount of votes as all of the others combined. That would not be as easy to see if you were just staring at the numbers in the table. One problem with a pie chart is that it can take up a lot of space to show only a little bit of information.

Another major problem with pie charts is making comparisons between a lot of different things, and especially when you have a lot of little slices. To help with that, Excel provides a «Bar of Pie» graph that breaks out some of the pieces into a separate stacked bar graph like in the example below.

Bar of Pie Graph Example
Example of a «bar of pie» graph in Excel

People already have a hard time comparing sizes of areas when they are fairly close in size. But, it is even harder when the areas are different shapes. If you tried to compare Sausage and Bacon in the above example (without using the data table), you could end up coming to an incorrect conclusion. Can you tell why? Is the Sausage slice larger or smaller than the Bacon? Without the numbers to help you, you probably couldn’t tell for sure. In fact, the Sausage received 3 votes and the Bacon only received 2. It turns out that the sizes of the rectangles can only be compared within the stacked bar chart. The size of the rectangles cannot be compared to the size of the pie slices — not only because of the difficulty between comparing rectangles and pie slices, but also because the total area of the stacked bar chart is not the same as the total area of the «Other» slice from which it was taken.

  • Pie Graph Lesson Plan
  • Circle Graph Generator

Area Charts

An area chart or area graph combines some of the characteristics of line graphs with the characteristics of bar graphs. It looks like a line graph with shading underneath the line. Sometimes, the shading can help add meaning to a line graph. For example, if a line graph represented the height of water in a reservoir over time, shading the area under the line could make the line graph look like actual water rising and falling.

Stacked area charts and stacked column charts provide a way to compare differences or proportions over time or between different locations or groups of people. The height of each of the areas as well as the total height of all the areas may change over time. If you had a series of pie charts that compared the same items from month to month, all of that information could be displayed in a single area chart. For example, let’s say that a teacher offered the same pizza topping survey to each of her classes over a period of 10 years. You can display that information as an area chart like the image below.

Stacked Area Chart
Example of a stacked area chart in Excel

This type of area chart is time-based (same survey offered year after year), but it’s not truly continuous because the class stays the same throughout the entire year. So, this is a case where it might be more appropriate to show the graph as a stacked column chart (see below) which will depict the results as discrete events. Everything about the data table and the graph is pretty much the same. All you have to do is change the chart type.

Stacked Column Chart
Example of a stacked column chart in Excel

XY Graph (Scatter Plot)

An X-Y graph, also called a coordinate graph or scatter plot, is a graph that shows different ordered pairs on an X-Y axis (Cartesian coordinate system). X-Y graphs are used to look at and find patterns in sets of data and to plot mathematical formulas. The points on the graph may form a straight line or a curved line, and may be connected with a line. Unlike bar graphs and line graphs, the line in an X-Y graph can curve back on itself, forming complex patterns such as the spirograph shown on the right. In some cases, the points may not form a line at all. They might just be shown as a bunch of random dots scattered all over the place (thus the name).

To plot a point on graph paper, you first need to draw the coordinate system and then you simply find the point’s x-coordinate, move straight up or down the line to its y-coordinate, and draw a point. To create a scatter plot in Excel, you first create a simple table with one column for listing the X-coordinates and a second column for the Y-coordinates, select the data table, then insert the scatter chart by choosing it from a menu.

XY Graph - Scatter Plot
Example of a scatter plot in Excel

More information about scatter plots:

  • What’s the Point?
  • Examining Scatter Plots (nces.ed.gov)

There are many other types of charts and graphs, as well as many other variations on the types listed above. But most of the more advanced types of graphs, charts, and plots require a more advanced knowledge of math, science, and statistics. Some of the names for these other types of charts (but definitely not all of them) are: surface plots and other 3-dimensional graphs, bubble charts, candlestick charts, radar plots, forest plots, glyph plots, histograms, stem-and-leaf plots, dot plots, biplots, box plots, gauge charts, control charts, geo charts, tree maps, combination charts, stepped area charts, dendrogram plots, and many others.

Disclaimer: This article is meant for educational purposes only.

Over the past years, one of the things we’ve learned is that Microsoft Excel is like a Hallmark movie. 

Some of us can’t get enough of them and others just can’t stand it. 💔😬

Regardless of your preference, if you’re a manager or business owner, you’ll probably have to rely on Excel for business insights. 

Tools like Microsoft Excel graphs are helpful for data analysis and tracking.
And wayyy better than endless spreadsheets that can easily trigger a migraine. 

Then why not turn your boring Excel spreadsheet into something interesting?

In this article, we’ll learn what an Excel graph is, how to make a graph in Excel, and its drawbacks. We’ll also suggest an alternative to create effortless graphs.

Let’s graph away!

What are Graphs & Charts in Microsoft Excel?

Graphs in Excel are graphical representations of variations in values of data points over a given period. 

In other words, it’s a diagram that represents changes in comparison to one or more variables.

Too technical? 👀

Take a look at the image for clarity:

Bar Chart in Excel

Wondering if graphs and charts in Excel are the same?

Graphs are mostly numerical representations of data as it shows how one variable is affecting or changing another.

On the other hand, charts are visual representations where variables may or may not be associated. They’re also considered more aesthetically pleasing than graphs. For example, a pie chart. 🥧

However, if you’re wondering how to make a chart in Excel, it isn’t very different from making a graph.

But for now, let’s focus on the main plot: graphs!✨

Steps To Make a Graph in Excel

The first (and obvious step) is to open a new Excel file or a blank Excel worksheet.

Done?

Then let’s learn how to create a graph in Excel.

⭐️ Step 1: fill the Excel sheet with data

Start by populating your Excel spreadsheet with the data you need.

You may import this data from different software, insert it manually, or copy and paste it.

For our example, let’s say you’re an owner of a movie theater in a small town, and you often screen older movies. You probably want to track the sales of your tickets to see which movie is a hit so you can screen it frequently.

Let’s do that by comparing the ticket sales in January and February.

Here’s what your data might look like:

Spreadsheet in Excel

Column A contains the movie names.

Column B contains tickets sold in January.

And column C contains tickets sold in February.

You can bold headings and center align your text for better readability.

Done? Okay, get ready to pick a graph.

⭐️ Step 2: determine the Excel graph type you want

The type of graph you pick will depend on the data you have and the number of different parameters you want to track.

You’ll find the different graph types under the Excel Insert tab, in the Excel Ribbon, arranged close to one another like this:

Insert tab toolbar in Excel

Note: The Excel Ribbon is where you can find the Home, Insert, and Draw tabs.

Here are some of the different Excel graph or chart type options you can choose from:

  • Line graph
  • Column graph or bar graph
  • Pie graph or chart
  • Combo chart
  • Area chart
  • Scatter plot chart

➡️  Fun fact: Excel can help you decide the graph or chart type with the Recommended Charts (formerly known as Chart Wizard) option. 

If you want to take notes of trends (increase or decrease) over time, then a line graph is perfect.

But for a long time frame and more data, a bar graph is the best option.

We’ll use these two graphs for the purpose of this Excel tutorial.

How To Create a Line Graph in Excel – 3 Steps

A line graph in Excel typically has two axes (horizontal and vertical) to function. 

You need to enter the data in two columns.

Lucky for us, we’ve already done this when creating the ticket sales data table.

⭐️ Step 1: select data to turn into a line graph

Click and drag from the top-left cell (A1) in your ticket sales data to the bottom-right cell (C7) to select. Don’t forget to include column headers.

This will highlight all the data you want to display in your line graph.

Selecting data in Excel spreadsheet

⭐️ Step 2: insert line graph

Now that you’ve selected your data, it’s time to add the line graph.

Look for the line graph icon under the Insert tab.

Graph icon in Excel

With the data selected, go to Insert > Line. Click on the icon, and a dropdown menu will appear to select the type of line chart you want. 

For this example, we’ll choose the fourth 2-D line graph (Line with Markers).

Excel will add your line graph representing your selected data series.

Presenting data as a line graph in Excel

You’ll then notice the names of the movies appear on the horizontal axis and the number of tickets sold on the vertical axis. 

⭐️ Step 3: customize your line graph

After adding the line graph, you’ll notice a new tab called Chart Design on your Excel Ribbon. 

Select the Design tab to make the line graph your own by choosing the chart style you prefer.

Change the design of your line chart in Excel

You can also change the graph’s title.

Select the Chart Title > double click to name > type in the name you wish to call it. To save it, simply click anywhere outside the graph’s title box or chart area.

We’ll name our graph “Movie Ticket Sales.” 

Renaming your line graph in Excel

Anything else you need to tweak?

If you spot anything, now is the time to make those edits! 

For example, here you can see The Godfather and Modern Times are smooshed together.

Let’s give them some space.

How?

Just drag any corner of the graph until it’s how you desire. 

Resize your line graph in Excel

These are just some examples. You can customize every chart element if you like including the Axis Labels (the color of the lines that represent each data point, etc.)

Just double click on any chart element to open a sidebar for formatting like this:

Change the color of the lines in your graph in Excel

That’s it! You’ve successfully created a line graph in Excel!

Now, let’s learn how to make a bar graph. 📊

3 Steps To Create a Bar Graph in Excel

Any Excel graph or Excel chart begins with a populated sheet. 

We’ve already done this, so copy and paste the movie ticket sales data to a new sheet tab in the same Excel workbook.

⭐️ Step 1: select data to turn into a bar graph

Like step 1 for the line graph, you need to select the data you wish to turn into a bar graph.

Drag from cell A1 to C7 to highlight the data.

Selecting data in Excel spreadsheet

⭐️ Step 2: insert bar graph

Highlight your data, go to the Insert tab, and click on the Column chart or graph icon. A dropdown menu should appear.

Select Clustered Bar under the 2-D bar options. 

Note: you can choose a different type of bar chart option like a 3D clustered column or 2D stacked bar, etc.

As soon as you click on the bar graph option, it’ll be added to your Excel sheet.

Present data as bar graph in Excel spreadsheet

⭐️ Step 3: customize your Excel bar graph

Now, you can go to the Chart Design tab in the Excel Ribbon to personalize it.

Click on the Design tab to apply a bar style you prefer from the many options. 

Change the design of your bar graph in Excel

You know the next step! Change the bar graph’s title.

Select the Excel Chart Title > double click on the title box > type in “Movie Ticket Sales.”

Then click anywhere on the excel sheet to save it.

Rename your bar graph in Excel

Note: you can also add other graph elements such as Axis Title, Data Label, Data Table, etc., with the Add Chart Element option. You’ll find it under the Chart Design tab.

And that’s a wrap. 🎬 

You’ve successfully created a bar graph in Excel!

Well, that was fun. 

But the question is, do you have the time for graphs in your busy work schedule?

And that’s just the teaser when it comes to Excel graph drawbacks.

Read on to watch the full movie. 👀

Bonus: Check out these Excel Alternatives!

Create Effortless Graphs With ClickUp

If ClickUp were a Hallmark movie, graphs and this project management tool would be the perfect match. 

A forever kind-of-love. ❤️

Whether you want to create graphs to monitor time, projects, people, ticket sales… you name it because we can do it all within a few clicks.

All without the drawbacks of using Excel!

Excel can be:

  • Time-consuming and manual
  • Complex and pricey
  • Error-prone

The best part?

Most of those functions are automated without manual data entry. Phew.

1. Line Chart Widgets

The Line Chart Widget is a Custom Widget on our Dashboard. Use this ClickUp production to visualize literally anything in the form of a line graph.

It can be tracking profits, total daily sales, or how many movies you’ve watched in a month. 

Like we said, a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g!

Line Chart Widget in ClickUp Dashboards

Visualize any set of values as a line graph with the Line Chart Widget on ClickUp’s Dashboard!

And that’s not it. You can visualize your data in many different ways too.

Just use any of these Custom Widgets:

  • Calculations
  • Bar charts
  • Battery chart
  • Pie chart
  • And more
Pie Chart Custom Widget in ClickUp

Present your data visually as a pie chart with Custome Widgets in ClickUp!

2. Gantt Chart view

Just like it’s difficult to love just one movie genre, we totally get that graphs alone don’t work.

And that’s why we have charts too!

Specifically, ClickUp’s Gantt chart, an interactive chart with live updates and progress tracking that can help you:

  • Plan projects
  • Assign tasks and assignees
  • Schedule a timeline
  • Manage dependencies
  • And more
Gantt view in ClickUp

Drawing a relationship from one task to a future task in ClickUp’s Gantt Chart view!

3. Table view

If you’re a fan of the Excel grids, ClickUp has your back.

Starring… ClickUp Table view

This view lets you visualize your tasks in the spreadsheet style.

It’s super fast and allows easy navigation between fields, bulk edits, and data export.

➡️ Fun fact: you can quickly copy and paste your table’s data into other programs, like MS Excel. Just click and drag to highlight the cells you want to copy.

Copy and paste data from ClickUp into other programs

Highlight data from your table in ClickUp to copy and paste into other programs!

And that was just the trailer for you. 📽️

Here are some more powerful ClickUp features in store for:

  • Send and receive emails right from your project management tool with Email in ClickUp
  • Work even when the wifi acts up with Offline Mode
  • Work how you like with multiple ClickUp Views, including Calendar, Mind Maps, Chat, etc.
  • Reduce your workload with ClickUp Automations
  • Track time spent on tasks with ClickUp’s Native Time Tracker
  • Share Table view or Dashboards with clients and external users using Public Sharing and Permissions
  • View all graphs and charts on the go with ClickUp mobile apps

Now Showing: ClickUp 🎥🍿

You can surely make tons of graphs in Excel. 

No doubt there.

But does that make it a smart choice?

I mean, if you have to Google how to make a graph in Excel, maybe that’s your red flag. 🚩

Tools are supposed to make your life easier. 

Take ClickUp, for instance.

Our project management tool can be your graph maker, chart creator, spreadsheet builder, time tracker, workload manager…

It’s a hallmark for a quality tool that can be your all-in-one solution.

Get your ClickUp ticket for free today and enjoy watching your graphs come to life in minutes!

Related readings:

  • How to create Gantt charts in Excel
  • How to create a Kanban board in Excel
  • How to create a burndown chart in Excel
  • How to create a flowchart in Excel
  • How to show dependencies in Excel
  • How to create a KPI dashboard in Excel
  • How to create a dashboard in Excel
  • How to create a database in Excel
  • How to make a work breakdown structure in Excel

Any information is easier to perceive when it’s represented in a visual form. It’s particularly relevant for numeric data that needs to be compared. In this case, charts are the optimal variant of representation. We will work in Excel.

Moreover, we will learn to create dynamic charts and graphs, which are updated automatically when you change the data. The link at the end of the article will allow you to download a sample template.



How to build a chart off a table in Excel?

  1. Create a table with the data.
  2. table with data.

  3. Select the range of values A1:B5 that need to be presented as a chart. Go to the «INSERT» tab and choose the type.
  4. INSERT tab.

  5. Click «Insert Column Chart» (as an example; you may choose a different type). Select one of the suggested bar charts.
  6. Insert Column.

  7. After you choose your bar chart type, it will be generated automatically.
  8. Such a variant isn’t exactly what we need, so let’s modify it. Double-click on the bar chart’s title and enter «Total Amounts».
  9. Total Amounts.

  10. Add the vertical axis title. Go to «CHART TOOLS» — «DESIGN» — «Add Element» — «Axis Titles» — «Primary Vertical». Select the vertical axis and its title type.
  11. Primary Vertical.

  12. Enter «AMOUNT».
  13. Change the color and style. Choose a different style number 9.
  14. Styles.

  15. Specify the sums by giving titles to the bars. Go to the «DESIGN» tab, select «Data Labels» and the desired position.

Data Labels.

Done!

Done.

As a result, we have a stylish presentation of the data in Excel.



How to add data in an Excel chart?

  1. Add new values to the table – the «Plan» column.
  2. Plan.

  3. Select the new range of values, including the heading. Copy it to the clipboard (by pressing Ctrl+C). Select the existing chart and paste the fragment (by pressing Ctrl+V).
  4. As it’s not entirely clear where the figures in our bar chart come from, let’s create the legend. Go to «DESIGN» — «Legend» — «Right». This is the result:

the result.

There is a more complicated way of adding new data into the existing graph through the «DESIGN» «Select Data» menu (open it by right-clicking and selecting «Select Data»).

Select Data.

After you click «Add» (legend elements), there will open the row for selecting the range of values.

How to reverse axes in an Excel chart?

In the menu you’ve opened, click the «DESIGN»-«Switch/Column» button.

Switch.

The values for rows and categories will swap around automatically.

around automatically.

How to lock controls in an Excel chart?

If you need to add new data in the bar chart very often, it’s not convenient to change the range every time. The optimal variant is to create a dynamic chart that will update automatically. To lock the controls, let’s transform the data range into a «Smart Table».

  1. Select the range of values A1:C5 and click «Format as Table» on «HOME» tab.
  2. Format as Table.

  3. Select any style in the drop-down menu. The program suggests you select the range for the table – agree with the suggested variant. The values for the graph will appear as follows:
  4. range for the table.

  5. As soon as you begin to enter new information in the table, the chart will also change. It has become dynamic:

dynamic.

We have learned how to create a «Smart Table» off the existing data. If the spreadsheet is blank, start off with entering the values in the table: «INSERT» — «Table».

How to build a percentage chart in Excel?

Pie charts are the best option for representing percentage information.

The input data for our sample chart:

input data for our sample.

  1. Select the range A1:B8. «INSERT» — «Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart» — «3D-Pie».
  2. Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart.

  3. Go to the tab «DESIGN» — «Styles». Among the suggested options, there are styles that include percentages. Choose the suitable 9.
  4. Style 9.

  5. The small percentage sectors are visible poorly. To highlight them, let’s create a secondary chart. Select the pie. Go to the tab «DESIGN» — «Change Chart Type». Select a pie with a secondary graph.
  6. Change Chart Typ.

  7. The automatically generated option does not fulfill the task. Right-click on any sector. The dots designating the boundaries will become visible. Click «Format Data Series». Enter the following row parameters:
  8. Format Data Series.

  9. We have obtained the desired variant:

desired variant.

Gantt chart in Excel

The Gantt chart is way of representing information in the form of bars to illustrate a multi-stage event. It’s a simple yet impressive trick.

  1. We have a (dummy) table containing the deadlines for different reports.
  2. different reports.

  3. To create a chart, insert a column containing the number of days (column C). Fill it in with the help of Excel formulas.
  4. Select the range to contain the Gantt chart (E3:BF12). That is, the cells to be filled with a color between the beginning and end dates.
  5. Open the «Conditional Formatting» menu (on the «HOME» tab). Select «New Rule» — «Use a formula to determine which cells to format».
  6. Use a formula.

  7. Enter the formula of the following type: =AND(E$2>=$B3,E$2<=$D3). Excel uses the operator «И» to compare the date in the current cell with the beginning and end dates. Then, click «Format» and select the fill color.

Gantt chart in Excel.

When you need to build a presentable financial report, it’s better to use the graphical data representation tools.

A simple Gantt graph is ready. You can also download the template with a sample:

Download all examples

If the information is represented in a graphical way, it’s perceived visually much quicker and more efficiently than texts and numbers. It makes it easier to conduct an analytic analysis. It makes the situation clearer – both the whole picture and particular details.

Charts and graphs were specifically developed in Excel for fulfilling such tasks.

create a chart in excel

Charts and graphs are visual representations intended to interpret sets of data in a visual manner. These representations are commonly used for determining a change in businesses’ different aspects like sales or production. You can usually find this when showing trends, relationships between data, or patterns. Meanwhile, there are several types of graphs and charts you can utilize depending on the set of data you will interpret. Learn its types, ways to make charts in Excel, and discover another effective method to create these representations.

Excel Quick and Simple Charts Tutorial

  • Chart and Graph Types
  • How to Make a Chart in Excel
  • How to Make a Chart Online
  • 3 Chart Making Principles

Chart and Graph Types

Charts and graphs come in various types that will allow you to clearly show readers the relationship between a set of data and patterns visually. Below are some of the common types of graphs and charts used. Learn about their characteristics and when to use them.

Types of Graph

  • Line Graph

Line graph depicts changing data in a continuous manner. You should see two axes namely the x-axis and y-axis wherein each axis represents data. One of which shows the value and the other displays the timeline. You can create graph in Excel easily when comparing variables or showing trends which is the use of line graphs.

  • Bar Graph

Bar graph is another popular type of graph that focuses on comparing values in numeric form. Likewise, it consists of two axes representing the categories and value of each data. There is a rectangular bar with height and length that is directly proportional to its value. This graph is often used to show data comparison among categories. Additionally, you can select between horizontal and vertical bars and create graph in Excel.

  • Pictograph

As the title suggests, this type of graph represents data based on pictorial information instead of lines or bars. It shows comparison through the use of repetition of the same icon or symbol. Say you want to graph the number of VIP customers in a certain restaurant every day of the week, numbers of VIP customers may differ every day. Pictograph could be of great help in cases like this.

Types of Charts

  • Pie Chart

You can also make a chart in Excel when trying to show the composition of something. The chart for this purpose is Pie chart. The pie comes into parts where each pie slice represents a value of a particular category and their sizes vary depending on how much they represent. This works best for displaying population segments or budget allocations for businesses.

  • Gantt Chart

If you want to show project schedules in an easy-to-understand illustration, Gantt chart has a special place. It lists the activities or tasks along with the timeframe for the project. Each task has a bar length that is proportional to the start and end of the activity. You can make a chart in Excel of this type and create a schedule for project tasks.

  • Flowchart

As far as the process is concerned, a flowchart is a suitable chart for this kind of need. Most of the time, it is used for illustrating complicated processes to show decisions, steps, actions from start to end. Moreover, it comes with special shapes or symbols for each part of the process. On some occasions, there are legends that explain the meaning of each shape or symbol in addition to the actual flowchart.

How to Make a Chart in Excel

Learning how to make Excel charts and graphs is quite easy. Microsoft Excel can help you organize gathered data and it provides convenient ways to create visual representations. To show you how this is done, below is a simple step-by-step instruction to guide you.

  • Launch the Excel app and open a new Excel document. In order to insert chart in Excel, you need to provide all the data to be used and input them in a worksheet.

data input in excel

  • Once data input is complete, select the data cells in a worksheet which should be included in the graph or chart you want to make. Then, click the “Insert” tab and select your desired type of chart.

select data chart in excel

  • After selecting a chart type, you should be able to create a chart in Excel in no time. You can further enhance the chart by going to the “Chart Design” tab where you can modify the Axes, Axis Title, Legend, and a lot more.

modify chart in excel

How to Make a Chart in GitMind

Apart from the above solution to make a chart in Excel, there is another convenient and effective method to create charts and graphs. GitMind is an amazing visual tool that allows you to generate various types of diagrams. This tool provides shapes dedicated to a specific diagram and for general usage. If you want to know how to create Excel chart or graphs but want to try something better, this tool is a great alternative. Find out how to use this amazing tool by following the steps below.

  • Search for GitMind on the web then hit the “Get Started” button to use the web-based tool. Download the tool to operate on your computer.

DOWNLOAD

  • Next, click on the “New Flowchart” button and you will be directed to its editing interface. Alternatively, you can look for an illustration that fits your needs from the template gallery.

open editing interface

  • Get shapes you need from the left menu, resize them and arrange accordingly. Once done, click the “Insert” option and choose “Text” to put labels on the chart.
  • You can now customize the look of the chart. Select a shape or text to modify and then look adjust its properties from the right-side menu. You can also change the arrangement according to your needs. Finally, you can export the chart as an image or PDF file.

gitmind edit chart

Chart Making Principles

3 Chart Making Principles

You know now how to make a chart in Excel. But one more important thing to learn is how to construct in a way that is understandable for everybody. This includes the font or text to use, placement of elements and so much more. That said, we listed some pointers that may help you present charts and graphs well.

  • Neat and clean graph– a clean and neat graph means you are not using too many colors, as well as shocking colors that draw away the attention of your viewers. You should also consider using readable text. Summarize a long text into short while retaining the meaning of the information.
  • Appropriate theme– of course, one of the crucial parts is to choose the right theme for the topic. Never also neglect your audience when choosing the theme or style for your charts. In other words, choose the theme you think appropriate for the audience, topic, and purpose.
  • Elements placement– some creators fall short of this mistake when trying to create graph in excel. Always look for standard positioning of the elements of your chart including titles, symbols, and added graphical elements. They must be able to convey the message and enhance your presentation rather than confusing your audience.

Conclusion

In summary, charts and graphs allow you to interpret and present information in a brain-friendly manner. The good thing is you can easily create a chart in Excel or using other programs that will make things convenient.

Charts, graphics, and images are excellent ways to visualize and convey data, and Excel does the same for us by generating charts automatically. We might occasionally want to go beyond the basic charts that Excel generates for us. Let’s learn about advanced charts and graphs used in excel,

Advanced Chart

A more complex chart than Excel’s default one is referred to as an advanced chart. If you want to compare many sets of data on the same chart, you can start by creating your basic chart with just one set of data, then add other datasets and other elements, such as formatting. Advanced charts are all about this. For complicated charts in Excel, they provide aggregated data in a single chart, making it simpler to evaluate many data sets and take quick decisions. They let us modify how the expert Excel charts appear and operate.

How to Add Charts and Graphs in Excel

Below are the steps to add charts and graphs in excel:

Step 1: First open the MS-EXCEL and then write your data there in the sheet.

 Data-in-excel-sheet

Step 2: Then select all your data. Go to the insert option, from this you can insert any type of chart and graph according to your data.

select-data-and-go-to-insert

Step 3: You will find different charts that are shown below. When hovering over the chart it shows a brief description and the kind of data it should be used is included in each part.

Different-charts-in-excel

Charts in excel

Now we are going to discuss all the charts in detail.

Column or Bar Chart

When displaying categorical data, a bar chart or bar graph employs rectangular bars with heights or lengths proportional to the values they stand for. Vertical or horizontal bar plots are both possible. Vertical bar graphs are also referred to as column charts. Any type of data column or bar chart can be used. For example, if we have to show the above-mentioned data in a column chart then.

Step 1: Select all the data. Click on insert a column or bar chart.

Select-insert-a-column-or-bar-chart.

insert column or bar chart

Step 2: You will observe the column and bar chart in 2-D and 3-D forms.

different-column-and-bar-chart-in-2-D and 3-D forms.

Step 3: Here, We are choosing the clustered column for our data representation.

choosing-clustered-column

Step 4: Now we can see the clustered column chart with the table.

see-clustered-column-chart-with-table.

Bar Chart

Step 1: If we have to show the above-mentioned data in a bar chart for that you need to follow step1 and step2 as same. and then you just have to choose a clustered bar chart this time.

choose-clustered-bar-chart

Step 2: Now we can see the clustered bar chart with the table.

see-clustered-bar-chart-with-table.

Pie or Doughnut Chart

A pie chart is a circular graph that resembles a pie cut into slices (sectors). Slices display the percentage that each value makes up of the total, with the area of each slice corresponding to the amount it stands for and the circle signifying 100%. A doughnut chart is a pie diagram with a blank circle in the center. When comparing categories in tiny data sets, pie charts are frequently utilized. When there are more than a handful of categories, they shouldn’t be used and cannot be multiple-series. For example, if we want to show the given below data in a pie chart then:

Data-in-excel

Step 1: Select all the data. Go to the option insert and then in the chart group select pie or doughnut chart.

insert-pie-or-doughnut-chart

Step 2: You will observe here the pie chart in 2-D and 3-D forms.

pie-chart-in-2-D-and-3-D-forms.

Step 3: We are here using the 2-D pie option that is shown below image:

using-2-D-pie-option

Step 4: Now we can see the pie chart with the table.

pie-chart

pie chart

Doughnut Chart

Step 1: If we have to show the above-mentioned data in a doughnut chart for that you need to follow step1 and step2 the same and then you just have to choose a doughnut chart option this time.

choosing-doughnut-chart-option

Step 2: Now we can see the doughnut chart with the table.

doughnut-chart

Line and Area Chart

Typically, line charts are used to discuss trends over a specific period. The X-axis represents certain significant measurements, whereas the Y-axis displays numerical values. Since you can see the specific trend for each data category on a line chart, they are simple to interpret. In practice, finance managers welcome line types to examine trends in earnings and other aspects of the business. Line charts and area charts both follow similar patterns. However, a certain hue fills the space between each line and the X-axis. Area charts are typically the best choice for showing changes between various data sources. For example, if we want to show the given below data in a line chart then,

Dataset

Step 1: Select all the data. Go to the option insert line or area chart.

inserting-line-or-area-chart.

insert line or area chart

Step 2: You will observe the line and area chart in 2-D and 3-D forms.

different-line-and-area-chart-in-2-D-and-3-D

Step 3: Here, we are using a 2-D normal line chart.

using-2-D-normal-line-chart.

Step 4: Now we can see the line chart with the table.

line-chart

Area Chart

Step 1: If we have to show the above-mentioned data in an area chart for that you need to follow step 1 and step 2 the same and then you just have to choose an area chart option this time.

selecting-an-area-chart

Step 2: Now we can see the area chart with the table.

area-chart

Histogram

A histogram is a diagram that shows how numerical data are distributed. A histogram is a column chart that more easily conveys the frequency of data within a given range. Utilizing the number of data points that fall inside a given range of values, allows the visualization of numerical data. For any type of data, the histogram can be used. For example, if we want to show the given below data in a histogram then:

dataset

Step 1: Select all the data. Go to the option insert statistic chart.

 inserting-statistic-chart.

Step 2: You will observe here the histogram and box & whisker.

histogram-and-box-&-whisker.

Step 3: Here we are going to choose a histogram.

choosing-histogram

Step 4: Now we can see the histogram with the table.

histogram

Box and Whisker

A box-and-whisker chart shows quartiles and groups of numerical data from the data collection. The box depicting the lower and upper quartiles and the lines extending from it gave this visualization its original name, the boxplot chart (whisker). For example, if we want to show the given below data in a box and whisker then:

Dataset

data

Step 1: Select all the data. Go to the option insert statistics chart.

inserting-statistic-chart

Step 2: You will observe here histograms and box & whisker chart.

observing-histograms-and-box-&-whisker-chart.

Step 3: Here we are going to choose a box and whisker chart.

selecting-box-and-whisker-chart

Step 4: Now we can see the box and whisker chart with the table.

box-and-whisker-chart

Treemap and Sunburst

These two styles of charts make it simple to identify data patterns or compare data volumes. You can use a Treemap or sunburst chart in Reports to show the hierarchy by choosing members and functions from a single dimension. Additionally, you can define element colors and chart characteristics as necessary. A treemap chart is a type of data visualization that uses stacked rectangles of various sizes and colors to display hierarchical data. Each level of the hierarchy is represented by a rectangle, also known as a branch, that contains further rectangles (leaves). Another tool for representing hierarchical data structures is a sunburst chart. An inner circle and outside rings of higher hierarchical levels make up a sunburst chart. For example, if we want to show the given below data in a treemap then:

dataset

Step 1: Select all the data. Go to the option insert hierarchy chart.

inserting-hierarchy-charts

Step 2: You will observe here treemap and sunburst.

options-available

Step 3: Here we are going to choose a treemap.

choosing-treemap

Step 4: Now we can see the treemap with the table.

treemap

Sunburst

For example, if we want to show the given below data in a sunburst then:

dataset

data

Step 1: If we have to show the above-mentioned data in a sunburst for that you need to follow step1 and step2 the same and then you just have to choose a sunburst option this time.

choosing-sunburst

Step 2: Now we can see the sunburst with the table.

sunburst-chart

Map

The newest versions of Microsoft Excel have the Excel Map Chart feature. It enables beautiful and creative visualization of any kind of geographic data. The Map Chart’s cool feature is the automatic geographic data identification and recognition, which eliminates the need for you to manually match your data points with a certain map area. Excel takes care of everything instead, regardless of whether your data are at the level of a country, state, country, or even postal code. For example, if we want to show the given below data on a map then:

Dataset

Step 1: Select all the data. Go to option maps.

inserting-map-data

Step 2: Here you just need to choose maps.

choosing-filled-maps

Step 3: Now we can see the map with the table.

map-chart

Scatter or Bubble Chart

Both of these charts make it simple to understand the relationship between the two values for all of the chart’s elements because the X-axis shows one numerical field and the y-axis shows another. The size of the data points in bubble charts is determined by a third numerical variable. Both bubble and scatter charts can simultaneously display two or more data dimensions. Data linked to risk management, audit, and SOX processes are frequently communicated via bubble and scatter charts. For example, if we want to show the given below data in a scatter(X, Y) chart then:

dataset

Step 1: Select all the data. Go to the option insert scatter (X, Y) and bubble chart.

inserting-scatter-or-bubble-chart

Step 2: You will observe here bubble and scatter charts.

bubble-and-scatter-charts.

Step 3: Choose a normal scatter chart.

choosing-a-scatter-chart

Step 4: Now we can see the scatter chart with the table.

scatter-chart

Bubble Chart

Step 1: If we have to show the above-mentioned data in a bubble chart for that you need to follow step 1 and step 2 the same and then you just have to choose a bubble chart option this time.

choosing-a-bubble-chart

Step 2: Now we can see the bubble chart with the table.

bubble-chart

Waterfall Chart

A waterfall chart sometimes referred to as a flying bricks chart or a Mario chart aids in understanding the cumulative impact of successively added positive or negative values that may be time- or category-based. The individual negative and positive modifications are shown as floating steps, and the initial and end values are displayed as columns. Some waterfall charts join the lines that separate the columns to give the impression that the chart is a bridge.

For example, if we want to show the given below data in a waterfall chart then:

Dataset

Step 1: Select all the data. Go to the insert waterfall option that is shown in the below image.

inserting-waterfall-chart

Step 2: You will observe here many charts that are shown below in the image.

options-available

Step 3: Here we are going to choose a waterfall chart.

choosing-waterfall-chart

Step 4: Now we can see the waterfall with the table.

waterfall-chart

Combo Chart

In Excel, a combo chart or combination chart is more frequently used. It combines two or more distinct Excel charts. For example, if we want to show the given below data in a combo chart then:

Dataset

Step 1: Select all the data. Go to the Insert combo chart option that is shown in the below image.

inserting-combo-chart

Step 2: You will observe here many charts that are shown below in the image.

options-available

Step 3: Choose a clustered column-Line chart.

choosing-clustered-column-line-chart

Step 4: Now we can see the clustered column line chart with the table.

clustered-column-line-chart

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