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How to Make a Chart in Excel

To make a chart in Excel, select your data (including the headers) and press Alt+F1 for an instant column chart, or go to Insert › Recommended Charts to choose a type. This guide covers the main chart types, when to use each, and the tweaks that make a chart readable.

Excel CSE · 4 min read

Make a chart in 3 steps

1. Select A1:C5, headers included. Excel uses the first column as labels and the headers as series names.
2. Go to Insert and pick a chart type, or click Recommended Charts to see previews.
3. Use the + button next to the chart to add or remove the title, data labels, legend and gridlines.

Shortcuts: Alt+F1 puts a chart on the same sheet, F11 on a new chart sheet. To chart columns that aren't next to each other, hold Ctrl while selecting them.

Which chart should you use?

Column and bar charts

Insert › Column or Bar Chart. Clustered columns put Sales and Target side by side per month. Stacked columns put them on top of each other, which only makes sense when the values add up to a meaningful total.

For a ranked bar chart, sort the data first (sort and filter). Bar charts list the first row at the bottom; to put the largest bar on top, sort smallest to largest or tick Categories in reverse order under Format Axis.

Line charts

Insert › Line Chart. Use a line when the order matters, like months or days. Too many lines get messy: four or five is the practical limit. Add markers (Line with Markers) when you have only a few points.

Pie charts

Insert › Pie Chart, with one column of values. Add percentages via + › Data Labels › More Options and tick Percentage. Pie charts get hard to read with many small slices; group the smallest into "Other", or use a bar chart instead.

Combo chart with a secondary axis

1. Select the data and go to Insert › Combo Chart › Create Custom Combo Chart.
2. Set Sales to Clustered Column and Target to Line.
3. Tick Secondary Axis for a series with very different numbers, such as a percentage next to amounts.

Make your chart readable

• Title that says the point: "Sales above target in 3 of 4 months" says more than "Sales".
• Remove clutter: click gridlines or the legend and press Delete if they don't add anything.
• Data labels on a few bars can replace the vertical axis entirely.
• Change colours via Chart Design › Change Colors, or right-click a bar › Fill to highlight one value.
• Axis starts at 0 for column and bar charts, otherwise small differences look huge.

Charts that update automatically

Turn the data into a table with Ctrl+T before you make the chart. New rows you add to the table appear in the chart without editing the data range. With a normal range, change it via Chart Design › Select Data.

Need a project timeline? See how to make a Gantt chart.