Create a Graph Using a Spreadsheet

This article teaches you how to use spreadsheet data to create a graph in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Steps

Using Microsoft Excel

  1. Open the Excel program. It resembles a white "E" on a green background.
  2. Click Blank workbook. It's in the top left side of the template window.
  3. Enter your data into the spreadsheet. For example, in a graph showing the amount of money spent over the course of a day where "X" is the time of day and "Y" is the amount of money remaining:
    • A1 would say "Time".
    • B1 would say "Money".
    • A2 and down would have different times of the day (e.g., "12:00" in A2, "13:00" in A3, etc.).
    • B2 and down would have decreasing amounts of money corresponding to the time in the A column (e.g., "$20" in B2 would mean one had 20 dollars at noon, "$15" in B3 would mean one had 15 dollars at one o'clock, etc.).
  4. Click the top left cell. If you're following the above template, this will be the A1 cell. Doing so will select it.
  5. Hold down ⇧ Shift and click your data's bottom right cell. Performing this action will highlight all of your data.
  6. Click the Insert tab. You'll see this option in the green section of the top of the Excel window, to the right of the Home tab.
  7. Click Recommended Charts. It's toward the middle of the group of options near the top of the window.
  8. Click a chart option. You can choose from a list of recommended charts based on your data, or you can click the All Charts tab at the top of this window to select one of Excel's many graph variants.
  9. Click OK. It's in the bottom right corner of the Recommended Charts window. Doing so will create a chart from your selected data in the format of your choosing.
    • You can edit the graph's title by clicking it and then typing in a new title.

Using Google Sheets

  1. Open the Google Sheets webpage.
  2. Click Go to Google Sheets. It's the blue button in the middle of the page. Doing so will take you to a new Google Sheets template selection page.
    • If you aren't already signed into Google, enter your email address, click Next, enter your password, and click Sign In to continue.
  3. Click Blank. It's on the left side of the list of options at the top of the page.
  4. Enter your data into the spreadsheet. For example, in a graph showing the number of cats one acquires over a series of years where "X" is the year number and "Y" is the number of cats:
    • A1 would say "Year".
    • B1 would say "Number of Cats".
    • A2 and down would have different year designations (e.g., "Year 1" or "2012" in A2, "Year 2" or "2013" in A3, etc.).
    • B2 and down might have increasing numbers of cats corresponding to the time in the A column (e.g., "1" in B2 would mean one had a single cat in 2012, "4" in B3 would mean one had four cats in 2013, etc.).
  5. Click the top left cell. If you're following the above template, this will be the A1 cell. Doing so will select it.
  6. Hold down ⇧ Shift and click your data's bottom right cell. Performing this action will highlight all of your data.
  7. Click Insert. It's an entry in the row of options near the top of the page.
  8. Click Chart. This option is toward the bottom of the Insert drop-down menu.
  9. Click a chart option. You can choose from a list of recommended charts based on your data, or you can click the Chart Types tab to the right of the Recommended Charts tab at the top of the window to view all Google Sheets chart templates.
  10. Click Insert. It's in the bottom left corner of the Charts window. Doing so will create your graph based on the selected data and post it into your Google Sheet.
    • You can click and drag your chart anywhere on the page.

Tips

  • Google Sheets saves your work automatically.

Warnings

  • If you're using Excel, don't forget to save your work!

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