How to create charts in excel

Create a chart

Create a chart (graph) that is recommended for your data, almost as fast as using the chart wizard that is no longer available.

Select the data for which you want to create a chart.

Click INSERT > Recommended Charts.

On the Recommended Charts tab, scroll through the list of charts that Excel recommends for your data, and click any chart to see how your data will look.

If you don’t see a chart you like, click All Charts to see all the available chart types.

When you find the chart you like, click it > OK.

Use the Chart Elements, Chart Styles, and Chart Filters buttons, next to the upper-right corner of the chart to add chart elements like axis titles or data labels, customize the look of your chart, or change the data that is shown in the chart.

To access additional design and formatting features, click anywhere in the chart to add the CHART TOOLS to the ribbon, and then click the options you want on the DESIGN and FORMAT tabs.

Want more?

Charts provide a visual representation of your data, making it easier to analyze.

For example, I want to create a chart for Sales, to see if there is a pattern.

I select the cells that I want to use for the chart, click the Quick Analysis button, and click the CHARTS tab.

Excel displays recommended charts based on the data in the cells selected.

You can hover over each one to see what looks good for your data.

Clustered Column is great for comparing data, so I click it.

And now, I have an eye catching chart of the data.

It looks like the Summer months are slower and the Winter months are busier.

Up next, Create pie, bar, and line charts.

Create a Map chart in Excel

You can use a map chart to compare values and show categories across geographical regions. Use it when you have geographical regions in your data, like countries/regions, states, counties or postal codes.

Note: This feature is available on Windows or Mac if you have Office 2019, or if you have a Microsoft 365 subscription. If you are a Microsoft 365 subscriber, make sure you have the latest version of Office.

Download our examples

Map charts can display both values and categories, and they each have different ways of displaying color. Values are represented by slight variations of two to three colors. Categories are represented by different colors.

For example, the Countries by Tax Revenue % chart below uses values. The values represent tax revenue in each country with each portrayed using a gradient spectrum of two colors. The color for each region is dictated by where along the spectrum its value falls. By default, the higher the value is, the darker its corresponding color will be.

In the following example, Countries by Category, the categories are displayed using a standard legend to show groups or affiliations. Each country is represented by a different color.

Create a Map chart with Data Types

Map charts have gotten even easier with geography data types. Simply input a list of geographic values, such as country, state, county, city, postal code, and so on, then select your list and go to the Data tab > Data Types > Geography. Excel will automatically convert your data to a geography data type, and will include properties relevant to that data that you can display in a map chart. In the following example, we’ve converted a list of countries to geography data types, then selected the Tax revenue (%) field from the Add Column control to use in our map.

Now it’s time to create a map chart, so select any cell within the data range, then go to the Insert tab > Charts > Maps > Filled Map.

Charts > Maps > select the Filled Map icon.» loading=»lazy»>

If the preview looks good, then press OK. Depending on your data, Excel will insert either a value or category map.

Tip: If your data is set up as an Excel table, and then you add a country to the list, Excel will automatically update it as a geography data type and update the linked map chart. Similarly, if you remove a country, then Excel will also remove it from the chart.

Formatting your Map chart

Once your map chart has been created you can easily adjust its design. Just click on the map, then choose from the Chart Design or Format tabs in the ribbon. You can also double-click the chart to launch the Format Object Task Pane, which will appear on the right-hand side of the Excel window. This will also expose the map chart specific Series options (see below).

There are several map chart specific Series options, however they are not supported in Android devices or Excel Mobile. If you need some of the map Series options, then you can build your chart in Excel for Windows or Mac and view it on an Android device or Excel Mobile.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: When I use certain text-based locations, I end up with a blank map and an error, or some of my points map in other countries.

Answer: If you use data where there might be more than one similar location in the world, map charts can’t necessarily tell the difference without more guidance. If possible, add a higher-level detail column to your data. For example, the following locations won’t necessarily map the way you expect since there are many places in the world where these are valid county names:

But the data should map correctly if you add another column for higher-level detail, in this case, Province – This is called Disambiguation:

When there are multiple levels of geographic details, you must separate each level into its own cell/column. For example, “Washington, United States” (State, Country) will not successfully generate a map. In this instance, the data will map successfully when placing “Washington” and “United States” into separate columns.

Data that won’t map (State and Country are combined)

Data that will create a map of Washington State

Limitations

Map charts can only plot high-level geographic details, so latitude/longitude, and street address mapping isn’t supported. Map charts also support one-dimensional display only, but if you need multi-dimensional detail you can use Excel’s 3D Map feature.

Creating new maps, or appending data to existing maps requires an online connection (to connect to the Bing Map service).

Existing maps can be viewed without an online connection.

There is a known issue where Map Charts which make use of Geography Data Types can sometimes map incorrectly. Please try to include Admin Fields, such as Province or Country when attempting to plot these until the problem is fixed.

Need more help?

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

Create pie, bar, and line charts

In this video, see how to create pie, bar, and line charts, depending on what type of data you start with.

Want more?

We created a clustered column chart in the previous video.

In this video, we are going to create pie, bar, and line charts.

Each type of chart highlights data differently.

And some charts can’t be used with some types of data.

We’ll go over this shortly.

To create a pie chart, select the cells you want to chart.

Click Quick Analysis and click CHARTS.

Excel displays recommended options based on the data in the cells you select, so the options won’t always be the same.

I’ll show you how to create a chart that isn’t a Quick Analysis option, shortly.

Click the Pie option, and your chart is created.

You can chart only one data series with a pie chart.

In this example, those are the Sales figures in cells B2 through B5.

I am going to move and resize the chart, so it displays without having to scroll, which will also make it easier to customize (something we’ll look at in the next video.)

I click the chart; hold down the left mouse button, and drag to move it.

I scroll down a little, click the bottom right-hand corner of the chart, and drag it up and to the left to make it smaller.

Different data displays better in different types of charts.

If you try to graph too much data in a pie chart it looks like this, not very useful.

Now, I am creating a bar chart using the same data we used to create the pie chart.

Charting the same data different ways can provide you with a different perspective that may help you discover different insights in the data.

We are creating some of the more common chart types, but there are many more options.

To create charts that aren’t Quick Analysis options, select the cells you want to chart, click the INSERT tab.

In the Charts group, we have a lot of options.

Click Recommended Charts to see the charts that will work best with the data you have selected; click All Charts for even more options.

These are all of the different types of charts you can create.

As I mentioned earlier, a pie chart is not a recommended option for the data we selected, because it can only display one data series.

We could make a Pie chart, but it would only show the first data series, the Average Precipitation for New York, and not the second data series, the Average Precipitation for Seattle.

Instead, let’s make a Line with Markers chart.

Click Line, click Line with Marker, point to an option and you get a preview of the chart.

Click OK, and we have created our line chart.

Charts in Excel

A simple chart in Excel can say more than a sheet full of numbers. As you’ll see, creating charts is very easy.

Create a Chart

To create a line chart, execute the following steps.

1. Select the range A1:D7.

2. On the Insert tab, in the Charts group, click the Line symbol.

3. Click Line with Markers.

Note: enter a title by clicking on Chart Title. For example, Wildlife Population.

Change Chart Type

You can easily change to a different type of chart at any time.

1. Select the chart.

2. On the Chart Design tab, in the Type group, click Change Chart Type.

3. On the left side, click Column.

Switch Row/Column

If you want to display the animals (instead of the months) on the horizontal axis, execute the following steps.

1. Select the chart.

2. On the Chart Design tab, in the Data group, click Switch Row/Column.

Legend Position

To move the legend to the right side of the chart, execute the following steps.

1. Select the chart.

2. Click the + button on the right side of the chart, click the arrow next to Legend and click Right.

Data Labels

You can use data labels to focus your readers’ attention on a single data series or data point.

1. Select the chart.

2. Click a green bar to select the Jun data series.

3. Hold down CTRL and use your arrow keys to select the population of Dolphins in June (tiny green bar).

4. Click the + button on the right side of the chart and click the check box next to Data Labels.

Create accessible charts in Excel

If you label chart elements with care and include alt text, your users will better understand the data—whether they’re seeing the chart or hearing it interpreted by a screen reader.

Create a chart

Select the data you want to use for the chart.

Go to Insert, and then select a chart type.

Make chart labels descriptive

Chart title: Select the generic chart title, and replace it with a meaningful title.

Axis titles: Select the chart, and then select Design > Add Chart Element > Axis Titles. Select Primary Horizontal or Primary Vertical. In the chart, select the new Axis Title field and type a title that clearly describes the axis.

Data labels: Select the chart, and then select Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels > Outside End.

Make chart labels legible

Data label format: Select the horizontal or vertical axis, and then select Format > Current Selection > Format Selection. On the Format Axis pane, set options to adjust the format and legibility of the axis, including the axis type, axis crosses, position, tick marks, label position and interval, and number format.

Font format: Use light-colored text on a dark background (or dark text on a light background). Apply a simple, sans serif font that’s 12 points or larger. Select the chart text that you want to change. Select Home, and change the Font, Font Size, Font Color, and other attributes.

Add alt text to a chart

Select the entire chart.

Do one of the following:

Select Format > Alt Text.

Right-click the chart, and select Edit Alt Text.

In the Alt Text pane, enter alt text describing the chart.

Want more?

The charts and graphs you create in Excel help make complex information easier to understand. But how do you communicate this visual information to people with low vision?

The trick is to use words carefully, in a way that helps people with low vision understand what others see.

I’m going to create a new chart for a household budget. I’ll go to File, then New, and then I’ll search for accessible templates in Excel that are good for a family budget.

I select the template I want, then select Create.

I’ll enter my data…

Now I’ll select it, and then select Insert.

By pausing over a chart type in the Charts gallery, I can see what it’s useful for, and when to use it.

Or, I can have Excel recommend a chart.

This “Clustered Bar” chart looks good, so I’m going to select it.

I want to make sure chart labels are clear and useful, whether my audience is looking at them, or hearing them from a screen reader.

I’ll start with the title, which is automatically generated by the template, and needs to be updated.

I’ll select the title and type a new, descriptive title for my chart.

Next, I’ll check the data labels. The labels on the left are okay, but the labels on the bottom are pushed together.

To respace the labels, I select the axis, go to Format, and select Format Selection. I’ll separate the numbers by 150, and leave off the dollar sign.

Now I’ll add data labels. I’ll select the chart and then select Chart Elements.

I’ll select Axis Titles to add titles on the horizontal and vertical axes.

I’ll select each placeholder, and replace it with a title that clearly describes the data in each axis.

I also want to add Data labels, to show the exact dollar amounts for each row of expenses.

To do that, I’ll select the chart again, select Chart Elements, and then Data Labels.

And here are the new labels on the chart.

The most important thing for any text is that it’s legible. Avoid light-colored text, italics, and font sizes smaller than 12 points.

Finally, I’ll add alt text. Every image, chart and object needs alt text, so that anyone who can’t see them, can still understand what they represent.

I’ll select the chart, go to Format, and select Format Selection to open the Format Chart Area pane.

Then I’ll select “ Size and Properties”.

For “Alt Text”, I’ll add a Title and Description.

In the description, I want to convey the important ideas in the image – in this example, rent and groceries are the big-ticket items, so I want to be sure they’re called out.

After adding these details, this chart communicates better visually, and is more accessible for someone with low vision.