Make a Bar Graph in Excel

This article teaches you how to make a visual representation of your data in Microsoft Excel using a bar graph.

Steps

Adding Data

1. Open Microsoft Excel. It resembles a white "E" on a green background.
   • If you want to create a graph from pre-existing data, instead double-click the Excel document that contains the data to open it and .
2. Click Blank workbook (PC) or Excel Workbook (Mac). It's in the top-left side of the template window.
3. Add labels for the graph's X- and Y-axes. To do so, click the A1 cell (X-axis) and type in a label, then do the same for the B1 cell (Y-axis).
   • For example, a graph measuring the temperature over a week's worth of days might have "Days" in A1 and "Temperature" in B1.
4. Enter data for the graph's X- and Y-axes. To do this, you'll type a number or word into the A or B column to apply it to the X- or Y- axis, respectively.
   • For example, typing "Monday" into the A2 cell and "70" into the B2 field might show that it was 70 degrees on Monday.
5. Finish entering your data. Once your data entry is complete, you're ready to use the data to create a bar graph.

Creating a Graph

1. Select all of your data. To do so, click the A1 cell, hold down ⇧ Shift, and then click the bottom value in the B column. This will select all of your data.
   • If your graph uses different column letters, numbers, and so on, simply remember to click the top-left cell in your data group and then click the bottom-right while holding ⇧ Shift.
2. Click the Insert tab. It's at the top of the Excel window, just right of the Home tab.
3. Click the "Bar chart" icon. This icon is in the "Charts" group below and to the right of the Insert tab; it resembles a series of three vertical bars.
4. Click a bar graph option. The templates available to you will vary depending on your operating system and whether or not you've purchased Excel, but some popular options include the following:
   • 2-D Column - Represents your data with simple, vertical bars.
   • 3-D Column - Presents three-dimensional, vertical bars.
   • 2-D Bar - Presents a simple graph with horizontal bars instead of vertical ones.
   • 3-D Bar - Presents three-dimensional, horizontal bars.
5. Customize your graph's appearance. Once you decide on a graph format, you can use the "Design" section near the top of the Excel window to select a different template, change the colors used, or change the graph type entirely.
   • The "Design" window only appears when your graph is selected. To select your graph, click it.
   • You can also click the graph's title to select it and then type in a new title. The title is typically at the top of the graph's window.

Sample Bar Graphs

Doc:Horizontal Bar Graph,Vertical Bar Graph,Stacked Bar Graph

Tips

• Graphs can be copied and then pasted into other Microsoft Office programs like Word or PowerPoint.

Related Articles

• Add Titles to Graphs in Excel
• Make a Line Graph in Microsoft Excel
• Add a Second Y Axis to a Graph in Microsoft Excel
• Create a Chart from a Pivot Table

See also

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• Use Excel for Your Finances
• Parse Data in Excel
• Create Custom Lists in Excel
• Remove Leading or Trailing Zeros in Excel
• Remove Spaces Between Characters and Numbers in Excel
• Use Vlookup With an Excel Spreadsheet
• Create a User Defined Function in Microsoft Excel

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