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Charts
Introduction
It can be difficult to interpret Excel workbooks that contain a lot of data. Charts allow you to illustrate your
workbook data graphically, which makes it easy to visualize comparisons and trends.
Understanding charts
Excel has several different types of charts, allowing you to choose the one that best fits your data. In order to
use charts effectively, you'll need to understand how different charts are used.
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In addition to chart types, you'll need to understand how to read a chart. Charts contain several different
elements, or parts that can help you interpret the data.
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To insert a chart
1. Select the cells you want to chart, including the column titles and row labels. These cells will be the source
data for the chart. In our example, we'll select cells A1:F6.
2. From the Insert tab, click the desired Chart command. In our example, we'll select Column.
3. Choose the desired chart type from the drop-down menu.
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4. The Selected chart will be inserted into the worksheet.
*If you're not sure which type of chart to use, the Recommended Charts command will suggest several different
charts based on the source data.
Chart and layout style
After inserting a chart, there are several things you may want to change about the way your data is displayed.
It's easy to edit a chart's layout and style from the Design tab.
Excel allows you to add chart elements—such as chart titles, legends, and data labels—to make your chart
easier to read. To add a chart element, click the Add Chart Element command on the Design tab, then choose the
desired element from the drop-down menu.
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To edit a chart element, like a chart title, simply double-click the placeholder and begin typing.
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If you don't want to add chart elements individually, you can use one of Excel's predefined layouts. Simply
click the Quick Layout command, then choose the desired layout from the drop-down menu.
Excel also includes several chart styles, which allow you to quickly modify the look and feel of your chart. To
change the chart style, select the desired style from the Chart styles group. You can also click the drop-down
arrow on the right to see more styles.
*You can also use the chart formatting shortcut buttons to quickly add chart elements, change the chart style,
and filter the chart data.
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Other chart options
There are many other ways to customize and organize your charts. For example, Excel allows you to rearrange
a chart's data, change the chart type, and even move the chart to a different location in a workbook.
To switch row and column data
Sometimes you may want to change the way charts group your data. For example, in the chart below Book Sales
data is grouped by genre, with columns for each month. However, we could switch the rows and columns so the
chart will group the data by month, with columns for each genre. In both cases, the chart contains the same
data—it's just organized differently.
1. Select the chart you want to modify.
2. From the Design tab, select the Switch Row/Column command.
3. The rows and columns will be switched. In our example, the data is now grouped by month, with columns for
each genre.
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To change the chart type
If you find that your data isn't well suited to a certain chart, it's easy to switch to a new chart type. In our
example, we'll change our chart from a column chart to a line chart.
1. From the Design tab, click the Change Chart Type command.
2. The Change Chart Type dialog box will appear. Select a new chart type and layout, then click OK. In our
example, we'll choose a Line chart.
3. The selected chart type will appear. In our example, the line chart makes it easier to see trends in sales data
over time.
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To move a chart
Whenever you insert a new chart, it will appear as an object on the same worksheet that contains its source
data. Alternatively, you can move the chart to a new worksheet to help keep your data organized.
1. Select the chart you want to move.
2. Click the Design tab, then select the Move Chart command.
3. The Move Chart dialog box will appear. Select the desired location for the chart. In our example, we'll choose
to move it to a New sheet, which will create a new worksheet.
4. Click OK.
5. The chart will appear in the selected location. In our example, the chart now appears on a new worksheet.
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Keeping charts up to date
By default, when you add more data to your spreadsheet, the chart may not include the new data. To fix this,
you can adjust the data range. Simply click the chart, and it will highlight the data range in your spreadsheet.
You can then click and drag the handle in the lower-right corner to change the data range.
If you frequently add more data to your spreadsheet, it may become tedious to update the data range. Luckily,
there is an easier way. Simply format your source data as a table, then create a chart based on that table. When
you add more data below the table, it will automatically be included in both the table and the chart, keeping
everything consistent and up to date.
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ACTIVITY
1. Open our practice workbook.
2. Click the Challenge tab in the bottom-left of the workbook.
3. Select cells A1:E6 and insert a 2D Clustered Column chart.
4. Change the chart title to September to December Sales.
5. Use the Switch Row/Column command. The columns should now be grouped by month, with a
different color for each salesperson.
6. Move the chart to a new sheet.
7. Change the chart type to line with markers.
8. Use the Quick Layout command to change the layout of the chart.
9. When you're finished, your workbook should look something like this:
