Excel is awesome for turning tons of data into easy-to-understand visuals like graphs and charts. Instead of just staring at endless numbers, graphs let you see the story your data is telling.
You’ve probably heard “graphs” and “charts” used like they’re the same thing, but they’re actually a little different. Graphs are great for showing how things change over time, like trends, which makes them super helpful when working with specific numbers. Charts are better for comparing larger sets of information or categories, which is useful for things like business presentations or survey results.
Creating graphs in Excel might seem tricky, but it’s really not! Here’s how to take your data and make an awesome graph.
Creating a Graph
First, you need to have your data in Excel. You can type it in directly or copy it from somewhere else.
Here’s some example data we’ll use to demonstrate the steps:
Now, select all the data you want in your graph. Just click and drag your mouse over the cells.
Picking Your Chart
Choosing the right kind of chart is important. Some data looks best as 3D columns, some as 2D lines, and others might need a pie chart.
To find the chart options, click the Insert tab at the top, and then look for the “Charts” section. You’ll see all sorts of chart types in dropdown menus. You can click the Recommended Charts button to see what Excel suggests based on your data.
Click around under the ‘Recommended Charts’ tab to preview how your data will look in different formats. If nothing is a great fit, click ‘All Charts’ for a list of every type of chart available.
On the left side of the dialog box, choose your chart type, and pick a specific style on the right. For this walkthrough, we’ll use the “Column” chart with the “Clustered Column” style. If you change your mind, you can switch it later.
After you select your chart type, your graph should pop up.
Switching Data Axes
Sometimes, the graph doesn’t organize your data the way you want. You can switch what’s on the X and Y axes. Go to the Design tab and click Switch Row/Column to swap the data around.
Your graph may look different after switching the axes.
Adding a Chart Title
To add a title to your chart, go to the Design tab and click Add Chart Element. Or, just click the plus sign next to the chart. Under Chart Title, pick either Above Chart or Centered Overlay for where you want the title to appear.
To style your title, right-click it and choose Format Chart Title to see design options.
Customizing Chart Elements
Want to change how other parts of your chart look? Just right-click the element you want to tweak, and select the formatting option from the menu. You can customize colors, fonts, and other effects this way.
Formatting the Legend
Making the legend clearer can make your chart easier to read. Right-click the legend and click Font to change the text. Click Format Legend to move it or add effects.
Adjusting the Axes
To modify the Y-axis values, right-click it and choose Format Axis. In the Axis Options tab, you can change the Bounds and Units to adjust how the axis is scaled.
For example, we’ve set the Maximum in ‘Bounds’ to 1000 and the Major unit in ‘Units’ to 50. The changes should be visible on the chart.
Moving the Chart
To move your graph to a different sheet, click the Design tab and choose Move Chart Location.
In the dialog box, select a sheet from the dropdown menu next to “Object in”. Or, you can pick New Sheet and give it a name, and Excel will move your chart to its own separate sheet.
Adding data labels can make specific points in your graph stand out. Click the plus sign by the chart, expand Data Labels, and choose where to put the labels. Here, we’re selecting Outside End to place the data labels on the outer points of each column.
That’s pretty much it! You should now be able to create and personalize graphs in Excel!