3/23/2014

How to Create a Graph in Excel (with Download Sample Graphs)

How to Create a Graph in Excel

Graphs, also called charts, are incredibly useful tools, and Excel makes it quick and easy to add them to your spreadsheets in order to tell a visual story. Although graphs can seem intimidating, they are actually incredibly easy to make on Excel. In fact, Excel makes graphs so efficiently that it is considered a basic feature of the program. Therefore, it is important to learn how to make graphs if you are going to get the most out of it.
Sample Graphs Creating Your Graph in Excel Editing Your Graph Using Other Excel Tricks

Sample Graphs

Sample Graph About Revenue

Sample Pie Chart About Food

Sample Gantt Chart

Method 1 of 3: Creating Your Graph in Excel

Enter your data into the Excel spreadsheet in table format. Your data should have column headers, row headers and data in the middle to make the most out of In Excel, "columns" refer to vertical depth. If you look at the above pictures, the columns are labeled with letters, and go from top to bottom: "A," "B," "C," etc. "Rows," on the other hand, refer to horizontal distance. They are labeled with numbers, and go from left to right: "1," "2," "3," etc.

your graph.

With your cursor, highlight the cells that contain the information that you want to appear in your graph. If you want the column labels and the row labels to

show up in the graph, ensure that those are selected also.

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How to Create a Graph in Excel (with Download Sample Graphs)

With the text selected, click Insert Chart. In some versions of Excel, you can also try navigating to the Charts tab in the Ribbon tab and selecting the specific kind

of graph you'd like to use. This will create your a graph on a chart sheet. A chart sheet is basically a spreadsheet page within a workbook that is totally dedicated to displaying your graph. For Windows users, you can create a graph with a shortcut by hitting the F11 button on your keyboard.

Change your graph to fit your needs. Select the perfect kind of graph depending on what information you have and how you want to present it don't just settle for any

old one. Different versions of Excel allow you to change the chart type in various different ways: Change your chart on the Chart toolbar, which appears after your chart is created. Click on the arrow next to the Chart Type button and click on the whatever type of chart you'd like. Manipulate the chart types in the Chart Layout tab in the Ribbon tab. Some versions of Excel won't have a "Chart Toolbar," but instead will keep the same basic information in a whole tab devoted to charts.

Method 2 of 3: Editing Your Graph

Select from among six basic types of graphs (and many more in between). Excel has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to charts and graphs. This is

usually a great thing, but it can also paralyze the user with choice. Which graph should I choose? the user asks herself. Here's a breakdown of the basic kinds of graphs or charts you can use in Excel:[1] Column charts. These charts compare values across categories. Great for comparing sales and expenditures, for example, during a period of time. Bar chart. These charts compare multiple values. They're similar to column charts, except their "columns" are twisted 90 and stick out to the side instead of up and down. Line chart. These charts display trends over time. Use a line chart to track global production of steel from 1930 to present, for example. Pie chart. These charts depict the contribution of each value to a whole. Use these charts to display the percentage breakdown of ethnicity in a given population, for example. Area chart. These charts display differences in data sets over time. Use these charts to show how revenue and profit are linked for a year, for example. Scatter plot. These charts compare pairs of values. Use these charts to plot the relationship between a person's weight and their height.

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How to Create a Graph in Excel (with Download Sample Graphs)

Give your chart a title. Click on the "Chart Title" button in the Ribbon tab and select whether you want your title to overlap the graph or to sit solidly above it. Give your

graph a useful name while still keeping it pithy. "GDP in Cuba, 1901-1945" is useful, while "The economic state (GDP) of Cuba, from 1901 to 1945" is probably a little too wordy.

Pay attention to axis titles. What does your x-axis represent, and how about your yaxis? If you don't pay attention to labeling your chart's axes, it's like you're creating a

novel without chapters or an instruction manual without pictures. Either way, it will be very hard to interpret your graph.

Pay attention to the chart's legend. The legend is the sort of glue that holds a chart together. Without a legend, you're unlikely to know what the graph means because

you won't know what information is plotted on the graph. When you create a chart, Excel creates a legend by default, unless you specify not to. Your legend will be the column and row headers that you highlighted in the beginning while creating your graph. Changing any column and row headers in their cells automatically changes their representation in the legend.

Learn how to change your graph by switching the plotting. Maybe you've accidentally input your information into the cells wrong, and your rows are mixed up

with your columns. Instead of inputting the information all over again, simply find the "Data" subsection in the Charts tab (in the Ribbon tab) and press either "plot series by row" or "plot series by column."

Method 3 of 3: Using Other Excel Tricks

1 2

Add a second y-axis to your graph in Excel. What if your data has multiple inputs, and you want to put multiple trends on a single graph? Use two y-axes!

Create a chart from a pivot table. Once you start using pivot tables, your life will change. You'll be finding excuses to use them left and right. Visit this article to learn

about the easy way to create a chart from a pivot table.

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How to Create a Graph in Excel (with Download Sample Graphs)

Plot a break even chart. A break even chart helps you different profit potentials and pricing strategies; perfect for the businessman or -woman who wants to stay on top of

future developments.

4 5

Learn how to graph a histogram. A histogram is a visual depiction of a distribution of data often used by statisticians.

Do trend analysis. Trend analysis is as simple as plotting a graph and then using a trend line to try to determine how the graph will look in the future, with unknowns.

Add your own method

Name your method Add your steps using an ordered list. For example: 1. Step one 2. Step two 3. Step three

Save

Tips
To add more detail to the bar graph click on the Chart Wizard on the Standard toolbar and fill-in the necessary information.

Things You'll Need

Data with titles and figures Computer with Microsoft Excel

Article Info
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How to Create a Graph in Excel (with Download Sample Graphs)

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