presentation in excel chart

Excel Visualization: A Guide to Clear Data Presentation for Beginners

I once struggled with dull data tables.

Numbers clustered in rows and columns become a blur. But with Excel visualization , you can empower your audience to make informed decisions based on the data presented. Excel charts and graphs replace chaos, revealing patterns and trends.

Convey ideas efficiently with the right visual. It’s not just about creating a chart; it’s about making data understandable and engaging.

In this article, I’ll guide you step-by-step on transforming your Excel data into insightful visuals.

Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Understanding the Basics of Excel Visualization

Excel provides various visualization options, whether 2D or 3D versions, standard, stacked, or 100% stacked options. It’s all about finding the right fit that best represents your data and message.

The Excel Charting Interface

Let’s start with creating a chart in Excel.

When you click on the Insert tab in Excel, you’ll see various chart types that you can use to visualize your data.

The Excel charting interface provides a wide range of options, from line and area charts to bar and column charts. When you click on a chart, the ‘ Chart Tools ’ contextual tab provides additional features for customizing your charts.

Types of Data for Visualization

Excel visualization data can be broadly categorized into numerical, categorical, and time-series data.

• Numerical data includes values that can be measured, such as sales figures or temperature readings.
• Categorical data includes information such as names, labels, or groups.
• Time-series data involves values measured over time, such as stock prices or website traffic.

Excel offers different chart types depending on your data type.

Selecting the Right Chart Type

Selecting the right chart type is half the battle for effective data visualization in Excel.

Pie charts are best for part-to-whole comparisons. Use line charts for time series or trends. Bar or column charts are the most suitable for categorical comparisons.

However, consider more advanced chart types for more complex data sets.

Scatter plots are excellent for correlation analysis , while histograms and box plots are ideal for distribution analysis of quantitative data.

It’s all about understanding your data and determining the best way to display it.

Steps for Visualizing Data in Excel – Creating Basic Charts

Creating basic charts in Excel is a fundamental skill for anyone looking to present data in a visual format.

Excel offers a variety of chart types, each with unique properties and use cases. The key to successful chart creation in Excel is understanding these different chart types and knowing how to present your data most effectively with them.

Organizing Your Data

Before you dive into creating Excel charts, it is crucial to organize your data correctly . 

Well-organized data will make the charting process easier and the resulting charts more meaningful. Ensure your data is clean, error-free, and arranged clearly and logically.

This will make it easier to select the data for your charts and create visuals that effectively communicate your data analysis results.

Pie and Donut Chart

Pie charts are popular for showing the proportion of different categories within a whole. While visually appealing, they are often misused and can lead to misleading interpretations.

Generally, they are most effective when comparing a few categories representing parts of a whole.

On the other hand, donut charts are a variation of pie charts with a hole in the middle (as the name implies!). Like pie charts, they can display multiple data series, but they should be used sparingly.

To create a pie chart in Excel:

• Select the data you want to visualize
• From the “ Insert ” tab, choose “ Pie ” from the chart options.
• You can customize your chart by changing the colors, adding labels, and adjusting other settings in the “ Format Chart Area ” pane.

Here’s a video guide on how to create a donut chart:

Line and Area Chart

Line and area charts are handy when dealing with time-series data . These charts plot data points on a graph and connect them with a line, allowing you to see trends over time. 

Check out this video for a step-by-step guide on how to create a line chart:

One of the business essentials when working with line and area charts is customizing the axis and gridlines. This can help make your chart more readable and meaningful .

The “ Format Axis ” pane allows you to customize the axis labels, adjust the scale, and add gridlines.

Column and Bar Graph

Bar and column charts are Excel’s most commonly used chart types. They are excellent for comparing different categories of data.

While bar charts and column charts are often used interchangeably, there is a difference: A bar chart presents data horizontally , while a column chart presents data vertically . This distinction can influence how easily your audience interprets the chart.

You can also choose between a stacked or clustered bar and column chart layout.

In a stacked chart , data series are stacked on each other, while in a clustered chart , they are placed side by side.

To create a bar or column chart:

• Select the data
• Then choose either “Bar” or “Column” from the chart options in the “ Insert ” tab
• Remember to format the chart and the axis labels to make the chart easier to understand

Advanced Charting Techniques

In this section, I’ll describe how to present complex data in a visually appealing and easily understandable format. Since each dataset is unique, treat these charts as ideas for meaningfully presenting your data.

Combination Charts

This type of chart combines the features of line and column charts, allowing you to present mixed data more comprehensively.

For example, when you have a target and actual data for comparison , a combination chart can be the perfect tool for visualization.

Clicking the Chart Design tab on the ribbon allows you to change the chart type and create a customized combination chart.

This allows you to have your target values in columns and the actual values marked along the line, which provides a clearer visualization of your data.

Trendlines and Data Analysis

Another essential feature of Excel charts is the ability to add trendlines. These can be linear, polynomial, or moving average trendlines.

A trendline graphically displays trends in your data , and you can extend it beyond the actual data to predict future values.

Along with trendlines, interpreting R-squared values is also crucial in data analysis. This will help you understand the relationship between your dependent and independent variables, thus enhancing your analysis results.

Check out our detailed how-to post on adding trendlines to Excel charts .

Conditional Formatting in Charts

Conditional formatting is another advanced charting technique in Excel that can enhance your data visualization. You can also add data bars, color scales, and icon sets.

These features allow you to customize your charts based on certain conditions, making it easier for your audience to understand your data. Applying these formatting options enables you to create more engaging and visually appealing charts for your data presentation.

Creating a Tornado Chart in Excel

Tornado charts are particularly effective when comparing and contrasting different variables . A well-crafted tornado chart can help you visualize how changes in several factors can impact a specific outcome – for example, the impact of inflation on NPV and IRR results.

Here’s a video showing you how to create a tornado chart:

Designing a Funnel Chart in Excel

Funnel Charts in Excel are highly effective tools for monitoring sales processes or any other process that narrows down over time.

Here are two quick methods for designing funnel charts in Excel:

Building a Waffle Chart in Excel

Waffle charts, also known as square pie or waffle bar charts, are a great way to visualize individual data points compared to the whole data set. They are a fun and engaging way to present percentages or proportions.

Here is a simple method for creating waffle charts:

Data Visualization Tips – Enhancing Chart Aesthetics

The aesthetics of your Excel chart play a significant role in how effectively your data is communicated.

A visually appealing chart is easier to understand and engages your audience. Enhancing chart aesthetics involves working with various chart elements and features, such as colors, styles, and data labels.

Adding data labels, for instance, provides additional information on your chart, making it easier to interpret.

Besides, you can customize the chart’s colors and styles to match your presentation theme or company branding.

Check out this post for more information on good dashboard design principles .

Working with Chart Elements

Working with chart elements can significantly improve the readability and effectiveness of your data visualization.

Some key chart elements you can manipulate include titles, legends, and data labels.

• Data labels provide additional context to your data and can be customized to suit your chart
• Modify axis labels and gridlines to adjust their appearance and improve readability. Check out this video on how to add gridlines to your Excel charts:

These chart elements can enhance your aesthetic appeal and make your data easier to interpret.

Customizing Chart Colors and Styles

Spicing up your Excel charts is easier than you think.

The ‘ Chart Design ‘ tab in the Excel ribbon allows you to alter your charts’ aesthetics significantly.

Navigate to the ‘ Chart Styles ‘ section, and you’ll see various styles for your chart. 

Looking for a bit more customization? No problem! Simply click the ‘ Change Colors ‘ dropdown and choose a color scheme.

You can use Excel’s preset color schemes or create a custom color palette for brand consistency. Minor visual changes can significantly affect your chart’s overall look and feel.

3D Charts and Effects

Adding a third dimension to your charts can make them pop . But be careful.

While 3D effects can add a specific wow factor, they can also lead to misinterpretations of your data if they are not used properly.

To add 3D effects to your charts, click the ‘ Chart Styles ‘ and choose a style with 3D effects. 

Remember, though, that 3D effects should be used sparingly and only when they can enhance the understanding of the data. Overuse of these effects can lead to cluttered, confusing charts. When it comes to 3D effects, less is often more .

Advanced Excel Graphics

Beyond the basic charts, Excel offers advanced graphics capabilities to take your data presentation to the next level.

This includes using Sparklines, shapes, and icons, among other features.

Sparklines are mini-charts within individual cells, each representing a row of data. They give a quick snapshot of trends, helping you understand your data at a glance.

Excel offers line, column, and win/loss types of Sparklines that you can add with the Quick Analysis tool.

Using Shapes and Icons

Remember to appropriately format these shapes and icons to convey the right message and not distract from the data.

Portraying a Story Through Data

Excel visualization is not just about creating charts or diagrams; it’s about telling a story with your data. This is where the concept of data storytelling comes in.

It’s about using visualization tools to highlight key points and trends in your data, making it easier for your audience to understand and absorb.

It’s not unlike creating a plot in a novel where rows and columns of data are the characters, and the chart is the narrative arc. Every element should convey your story effectively and compellingly, from simple bar charts to intricate trend analysis.

Exporting and Sharing Your Visualizations

Once you’ve created your data visualization in Excel, it’s important to know how to share it! This involves exporting the visual representation of data in a format that others can easily access.

Whether you’re sharing a simple bar graph or a complex infographic, the export method will depend on the intended use of the chart/graphic.

This process can be as simple as saving your chart as an image or embedding Excel visuals in PowerPoint presentations and documents.

Saving Charts as Images

One of the simplest ways to share visualizations is by saving them as images .

To do this, right-click the chart and select ‘Save as Picture.’ Several image formats are available, each with its uses.

For instance, JPEG is great for photographic images, while PNG is ideal for images with transparent backgrounds. However, it’s important to consider the resolution of your image. High resolution is crucial for clear, crisp images, especially if they’re intended for print.

Embedding Excel Visuals in Presentations and Documents

Embedding them in presentations and documents is another way to share your Excel visualizations.

This can be done in two ways: linking and embedding .

• Linking refers to connecting the original Excel file and the document where it’s inserted. Any changes made to the original file will automatically update in the document (assuming the link isn’t broken ).
• Embedding involves inserting a copy of the chart into the document. While this won’t update automatically, it ensures that the chart will always be available, regardless of the status of the original file.

Both methods have advantages and should be chosen based on your specific needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some common mistakes for beginners to avoid in data visualization with excel.

Common mistakes include overcrowding the chart with too much data, using inappropriate chart types, neglecting to label axes or data points clearly, and choosing colors or styles that reduce readability.

What are the best practices for presenting Excel data visually to a non-technical audience?

Focus on simplicity and clarity .

Use straightforward chart types, avoid technical jargon, and highlight key takeaways. Ensure your charts are well-labeled, and use annotations or callouts to draw attention to important data points.

What are some resources to learn more about Excel visualization? 

For more tips and tricks, visit my YouTube channel . Alternatively, look at Chandoo’s training, where I learned many excellent dashboard design ideas.

Can Excel visualization help in career development?

Absolutely! Proficiency in Excel visualization is a valuable skill in many industries.

It’s especially relevant in fields like data science, finance, marketing, and others involving large amounts of data. Effectively communicating data through graphical representation can give you a significant advantage in your professional journey.

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How to add a chart from microsoft excel to a powerpoint presentation.

In the world of presentations, visual aids are important. One such tool is a chart from Microsoft Excel in a PowerPoint presentation. This helps to show complex data in an appealing way, so your audience can understand the key messages quickly.

You can enhance your message by adding charts to PowerPoint . It’s easy! Open both Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint . Select the chart from Excel that you want to use. Then, press “Copy” under the “Home” tab or Ctrl+C.

Switch to your PowerPoint presentation . Put the chart where you want it. Then, press “Paste” under the “Home” tab or Ctrl+V. You’ll see the chart appear in the slide.

Any changes made in Excel will automatically update in PowerPoint too. Right-click the chart in PowerPoint to access formatting options. Choose colors, labels, titles, legends, fonts, and more. This enables you to customize the chart to match your design theme.

Following these steps, you can integrate charts from Microsoft Excel into your PowerPoint presentation without hassle. According to Microsoft, this process ensures data accuracy and dynamism.

Step 1: Exporting the chart from Microsoft Excel

Export your charts from Microsoft Excel to enhance your PowerPoint presentation! Here’s how:

• Open the Excel spreadsheet with the chart you want
• Select the entire chart (including labels and titles)
• Right-click and choose the “Copy” option
• Switch to your PowerPoint presentation
• Right-click where you want to insert the chart and select “Paste”

Remember, any changes made to the chart in Excel won’t be reflected automatically in PowerPoint, so make sure the chart is finalized before exporting.

Adding professionally designed visuals with data to your slides will make a lasting impression on your audience. So go ahead and try it out in your next presentation – they’ll thank you!

Step 2: Opening the PowerPoint presentation

• Achieving seamless integration of an Excel chart in a PowerPoint presentation requires just a few easy steps.
• First, make sure both the Excel file and PowerPoint presentation are saved in a place you can access on your computer.
• Then, open PowerPoint and select the File tab.
• Click Open to access your saved presentations.
• Having a well-organized file structure will also make locating and opening both files simpler.
• Follow these guidelines and you’ll be able to impress your audience with stunning data visualizations!

Step 3: Pasting the chart into the PowerPoint slide

• To paste a chart into PowerPoint, there are some steps to take. Start by opening your Excel file.
• Select the chart you want to add then press Ctrl + C or right-click and choose “Copy”.
• Switch to PowerPoint and go to the slide where you want to paste the chart. Press Ctrl + V or right-click and select “Paste”.
• To adjust size and position, click and drag the edges or corners.
• To customize the chart further, use PowerPoint’s formatting options like changing colors, fonts, or adding titles.
• Remember: pasting a chart from Excel preserves its link with the original data. This means any changes made in Excel will automatically update in your PowerPoint.
• For example, I once had to present sales data in a PowerPoint meeting. By following these steps, I was able to integrate an Excel chart into my slides. The audience was impressed with the clean and professional look which helped them understand the data better.

Step 4: Adjusting the chart in PowerPoint

It’s time to jazz up your PowerPoint chart! Follow these three steps for maximum visual impact.

• Formatting: Select the chart and head to the ‘Chart Tools’ tab. Adjust colors, fonts, and styles to match your presentation theme.
• Resizing and positioning: To resize, click the border and drag the corner handles. Use the ‘Format’ tab for precise measurements. Move the chart by clicking and dragging it.
• Data updates: Link an Excel spreadsheet to your chart by selecting it and clicking ‘Edit Data’. This keeps your data accurate and up-to-date.

Optimizing your chart will help you engage your audience. Amp up your presentation skills – start using these techniques now!

Incorporating Excel charts into PowerPoint presentations is a great way to improve data visualization. To do this, use the “Copy” and “Paste Special” functions. This maintains the formatting and data.

Link your chart to the original Excel file for real-time updates. This ensures your presentation is always up-to-date.

For a streamlined presentation, only select relevant data or portions of the chart.

These steps and tips will help you deliver effective presentations with ease.

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How to Insert a Linked Excel Chart or Graph into PowerPoint

Easily Insert Excel Linked Charts or Graphs onto PowerPoint Slides

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated May 16, 2022

Applies to: Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365, (Windows)

It's easy to insert a linked Excel chart or graph into PowerPoint by copying and pasting. There are two common methods you can use – copy and paste to insert a linked chart or copy and paste special to insert an embedded chart with a link. If you insert a linked or embedded Excel chart, you can update the chart in PowerPoint when the Excel source file changes.

If you created a linked chart in PowerPoint by copying and pasting a chart from Excel, the chart displays in PowerPoint and you can format it, refresh it and even animate the chart elements. A linked chart can be updated by refreshing the data. If you embed an Excel chart using Paste Special and then Paste link, you will need to format the chart in Excel as it is displayed as an embedded object in PowerPoint. You can double-click an embedded chart object to open the Excel file and then edit the file.

Linked and embedded charts with a link are stored in the source Excel file. The PowerPoint presentation (destination file) stores the location of the source file.

If you add a lot embedded Excel charts with a link in a PowerPoint deck, it will increase the size of the PowerPoint file so you may want to break the links when the presentation is finalized if you need to reduce the size of your PowerPoint file. It's best to break links in a copy of the presentation.

Recommended article: How to Break, Update or Change Links to Excel Charts or Worksheets in PowerPoint

Do you want to learn more about PowerPoint? Check out our virtual classroom or in-person classroom PowerPoint courses >

Insert a linked Excel chart into PowerPoint using Copy and Paste

To insert a linked Excel chart or graph onto a PowerPoint slide by copying and pasting:

• Open the Excel workbook containing the chart you want to use.
• Save the workbook.
• Click in a blank area in the chart or on the edge of the chart.
• Press Ctrl + C. Alternatively, right-click and select Copy. You can also press Shift + F10 or press the Context button on your keyboard to display the context menu and then select Copy.
• Open the PowerPoint presentation in which you want to insert the chart.
• Go to Normal View (click the Normal button on the bottom right) and display the slide where you want to insert the chart.
• Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and in the Slides group, select the Title Only layout from the Layout drop-down menu. You can also delete the body placeholder on the slide by clicking its edge and then pressing Delete.
• Click in a blank area on the slide.
• Press Ctrl +  V to paste the chart onto the slide. A Smart Tag appears on the bottom right of the chart.
• Click the Smart Tag. A drop-down menu appears.
• Select one of the options (hover over the icons to view a pop-up about each option). You can select Use Destination Theme and Embed Workbook, Keep Source Formatting & Embed Workbook, Keep Source Formatting & Link Data, Use Destination Theme & Link Data or Picture. You can also press Shift + F10 or the Context button on your keyboard to display the context menu and then select the desired option. The two Link options will create links to the original Excel file and can be managed and updated.
• If necessary, resize the chart by dragging the corner handles and move the chart by dragging it by its edge.

If you want the chart to keep the formatting from the Excel file, select Keep Source Formatting & Link Data. If you want the chart to use the formatting in the PowerPoint presentation, select Use Destination Theme & Link Data.

The following options appear when you click the Smart Tag:

If you use the same theme colors in both the Excel file and the PowerPoint deck, you should achieve more consistent chart formatting. If the chart does not format in PowerPoint using the destination theme method, the chart may have been formatted in Excel using standard colors (which override theme colors) and non-theme fonts.

Update or refresh a linked chart

If you use the copy and paste method to insert a linked chart, you will be able to refresh it using the chart tools in PowerPoint.

To update or refresh a linked chart:

• In Normal View, click the chart on the slide.
• Click the Chart Design or Chart Tools Design tab in the Ribbon.
• Click Refresh Data in the Data group.

Refresh data appears in the Ribbon in PowerPoint when you click a linked chart:

Insert an embedded Excel chart with a link into PowerPoint using Paste Special

To insert an embedded Excel chart or graph with a link onto a PowerPoint slide using Paste Special:

• Click in a blank area in the chart.
• Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and click Copy in the Clipboard group.
• Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and click Paste in the Clipboard group. A drop-down menu appears.
• Select Paste Special. A dialog box appears.
• Click Paste link and then select Microsoft Excel Chart Object. If you click Paste, not Paste link, the embedded object will not be linked to the source Excel file.
• Click on OK.

Below is the Paste Special dialog box in PowerPoint:

Excel will insert an embedded chart that is linked to the original chart. You will not be able to format the embedded chart object in PowerPoint.

Refresh or update embedded Excel charts

To update an embedded chart with a link in PowerPoint if the Excel data has changed:

• Save the PowerPoint file.
• Click the File tab in the Ribbon and then click Info.
• On the bottom right, click Edit Links. A dialog box appears.
• Click the link path you want to update and then click Update.

If both the Excel and PowerPoint files are open, embedded charts should automatically update.

Open presentations with embedded charts with links

If you have embedded charts with links in a PowerPoint presentation, each time you open the presentation, PowerPoint should prompt you to update the links or Enable Content.

Troubleshoot linked or embedded Excel charts

In order to insert a linked or embedded Excel chart with links and maintain the links, you should:

• Save the Excel workbook first before linking with PowerPoint
• Keep the Excel file in the same folder as the PowerPoint file if you can
• Ensure the Excel file is not moved to another folder or the link will break (you can fix this issue)
• Ensure the Excel file is not renamed or the link will break (you can fix this issue)

If the Excel file has been moved or renamed, you'll still be able to view the chart in PowerPoint but you won't be able to update or edit the chart unless you change the source using Edit Links.

You can double-click an embedded chart object to open the Excel source file and then edit the data in Excel. When you save the edited file and return to PowerPoint, the updated chart should appear automatically in your presentation.

Linked or embedded charts with links can present a security issue as users may be able to access the source Excel file and select other tabs in the workbook. If you email the presentation without the source Excel files, this is not an issue. You can also break links to embedded charts before sharing the PowerPoint presentation.

This article was first published on December 16, 2016 and has been updated for clarity and content.

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More resources

3 Ways to Change the Font on All Slides in PowerPoint

How to Quickly Remove All Speaker Notes in PowerPoint (PC or Mac)

How to Insert Linked or Unlinked Excel Worksheet Data into PowerPoint

How to Reduce PowerPoint File Size (10 Ways to Compress PowerPoint Decks)

How to Break, Update or Change Links to Excel Charts or Worksheets in PowerPoint

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Excel Charts In Powerpoint

Key takeaway:.

• Excel Charts in PowerPoint can be a powerful tool for enhancing presentations: Using Excel Charts in PowerPoint can help to present data in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand manner, making presentations more effective and engaging.
• Inserting Excel Charts in PowerPoint is simple and straightforward: Excel Charts can be easily inserted into PowerPoint using either the copy and paste method or the Excel Object insertion method, both of which are simple to execute and offer flexibility in terms of editing and customization.
• A few best practices can help ensure the best results when using Excel Charts in PowerPoint: Consistency in chart design, choosing appropriate chart types for data, and ensuring data accuracy are all key factors that can help make Excel Charts in PowerPoint more effective and impactful.

Have you ever wanted to use data visuals to make a point in a presentation? Excel Charts in PowerPoint makes it easy for you to create a professional, dynamic presentation that captivates your audience. With a few simple steps, you can turn data into powerful visuals to help bolster your message.

Overview of Excel Charts in PowerPoint

Excel charts are a powerful tool for creating visual representations of data. They can help communicate complex information quickly and effectively. When used in PowerPoint presentations, Excel charts can enhance the overall impact of the presentation and convey the information more clearly.

Here are six key features of using Excel charts in PowerPoint:

• Excel charts are easily customizable in PowerPoint. Users have access to a range of chart styles and formatting options that can be tailored to the specific needs of the presentation.
• Excel charts can be updated easily. Users can update charts directly within PowerPoint and the changes will be reflected in real-time. This saves time and effort, as there is no need to create new charts each time data is updated.
• Excel charts can be animated in PowerPoint. Animation can help to engage the audience and draw attention to important data points.
• Excel charts can be excellently manipulated in PowerPoint. Users can arrange the charts on the slide and resize them as desired to make them stand out or fit in with the overall design of the presentation.
• Excel charts are seamlessly integrated into the PowerPoint presentation. Users can embed the charts directly into the presentation without having to switch between different applications.
• Excel charts allow for data-driven presentation design. Users can create a presentation based on data insights and showcase the data in an easily digestible format using Excel charts.

In addition to these benefits, Excel charts offer a level of flexibility that allows users to create the precise visual representation needed to convey the data effectively.

It’s worth noting that Microsoft first introduced Excel charts in PowerPoint in 1993, and since then, they have become an integral feature of the software. The seamless integration of Excel and PowerPoint has been a core focus of Microsoft, and it is clear that users appreciate the convenience and functionality of using Excel charts in PowerPoint.

Benefits of using Excel Charts in PowerPoint

Excel Charts in PowerPoint: Professional Benefits Explored

Excel Charts in PowerPoint enhance the visual appeal of presentations, and assist in better data comprehension, especially in professional settings.

Advantages of Integrating Excel Charts in PowerPoint

• Excel Charts help in displaying complex data sets in a visually informative and easy-to-understand format.
• Excel Charts keep the data point consistent and ensure accuracy in presentation.
• Excel Charts allow for better presentation customization, including style, colors, and fonts.
• Excel Charts can be easily updated and edited to reflect new data sets.
• Excel Charts offer an efficient and impressive way to present quantitative information.

Unique Details about Excel Charts in PowerPoint Integration

Essentially, incorporating Excel Charts in PowerPoint means more than just inserting data from Excel, but using it as an embedded data sheet in the PowerPoint. Such integration guarantees data consistency and easy update, while allowing formatting changes to be done on both platforms simultaneously.

Suggestions for Enhancing PowerPoint Presentations with Excel Charts

Incorporation of clear and concise titles, axis labels, and legends make it significantly easier for audience comprehension. Similarly, it is essential to select the correct chart type for the data presentation in order to maximize visual impact, and also optimize colors for better visual appeal.

How to Insert Excel Charts in PowerPoint

Want to place Excel charts in PowerPoint? No worries! Copy and paste them , or use the Excel Object in PowerPoint. You’ll be able to add your data quickly and without difficulty. Easy-peasy!

Copying and Pasting Excel Charts in PowerPoint

Selecting and Placing Excel Charts in PowerPoint

To embed and display charts created in Excel within the presentation slides of PowerPoint, users should follow a simple procedure:

• Copy your desired chart from the Excel worksheet by either right-clicking on it or pressing ‘CTRL + C.’
• Then, go to your desired slide location in PowerPoint and select either ‘Paste’ or ‘Paste Special’ options from the ‘Home’ tab.
• Finally, adjust size and formatting options for each specific chart as necessary.

It is important to note that depending on the type of data visualization used to create a chart, adjusting colors or size may be necessary to cater to your audiences needs.

Ensuring clear visual aids can support powerful narratives helps make for more effective presentations. Making sure visuals are large enough for audience members to see and understand ensures that everyone can get the most out of all presentations they attend! When PowerPoint and Excel collide, it’s like the ultimate power couple. Inserting Excel charts into PowerPoint? Piece of cake, even for technologically-challenged individuals.

Inserting Excel Charts using Excel Object in PowerPoint

Inserting Excel Charts in PowerPoint using Excel Object is a seamless way to enhance your presentations with rich data visuals that are easy to update and manipulate. Here’s how you can do it in just 6 simple steps:

• Open both Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint applications.
• Select the chart you want to insert into PowerPoint from your Excel spreadsheet.
• Click on Copy or press Ctrl+C on your keyboard.
• Go to the slide where you want to insert the chart in your PowerPoint presentation.
• Press Ctrl+V on your keyboard
• Right-click and select Paste from the context menu.
• Your chart will now appear in your slides, and you can format it as desired using various design tools available in PowerPoint.

When pasting an Excel chart into a PowerPoint presentation, ensure that both applications are open simultaneously. Make sure there are no confidential data present while copying the charts.

Did you know that Excel charts embedded in PowerPoint presentations were introduced back in 1997 with Microsoft Office? The feature has evolved significantly over time with newer versions of Office offering more advanced visual design tools for charts!

Editing Excel charts in PowerPoint: where you can finally fix all those mistakes you made in your data entry.

Editing Excel Charts in PowerPoint

Make your Excel charts look great in your PowerPoint presentations! To do this, you need to edit them. In this section, we’ll show you how to refine your charts. It’s called “Editing Excel Charts in PowerPoint” .

We will also teach you “Updating Chart Data in PowerPoint from Excel” and “Customizing Chart Elements in PowerPoint” . Match the look and feel of your presentation with these solutions!

Updating Chart Data in PowerPoint from Excel

To update chart data in PowerPoint from Excel, you can edit the charts directly from the presentation.

Follow these 4 simple steps to Update Chart Data in PowerPoint from Excel using Semantic NLP variation:

• On the slide with the chart, click on it to select it.
• In the ribbon menu, choose “ Chart Tools ” and then select “ Design “.
• Click “ Edit Data ” to open up the Excel spreadsheet containing the chart’s data.
• Make necessary changes in the Excel sheet then click outside of the spreadsheet window to automatically update the chart in PowerPoint.

It is worth noting that this method applies equally for bar graphs, pie charts as well as other chart types.

Pro Tip: If you want to make only minor edits or updates like changing labels or numbers on a chart, you can just double-click directly on that part of the visual inside PowerPoint and make those changes there.

Get ready to take your PowerPoint presentation to the next level by giving your charts a makeover that even Cinderella would envy.

Customizing Chart Elements in PowerPoint

Customizing the visual elements of a chart in PowerPoint enables you to create a cohesive and compelling presentation.

Here is a 4-Step Guide to Customizing Chart Elements in PowerPoint :

• Select the chart, go to ‘Chart Tools’ and click on ‘Design.’
• To modify chart elements, click on ‘Add Chart Element’ and select options such as ‘Data Labels,’ ‘Legends,’ or ‘Axis.’
• You can customize colors, shapes, and formatting of various elements through the “Format” tab.
• Ensure that your modifications are saved by right-clicking in the chart area and choosing “Save As Template.”

Of significance, keep in mind that when adding data labels to charts for large datasets, consider using leader lines or remove clutter by only labeling critical values.

Pro Tip: When modifying chart elements in PowerPoint remember that your final goal is to produce engaging graphics that enhance your message. Because who needs boring bullet points when you can visually impress with Excel charts in PowerPoint?

Best Practices for Using Excel Charts in PowerPoint

To smoothly integrate Excel charts in PowerPoint, it’s best to use these tips:

• Make sure a consistent design for the charts .
• Choose the correct chart type for your data .
• Verify that the data in the charts is accurate .

Keep Chart Designs Consistent

Establishing Uniformity in Chart Design

Maintaining a uniform template for the design aspects of Excel charts is crucial when creating presentations using PowerPoint. This helps to achieve consistency and ensures that your charts match the overall look and feel of your presentation. Here are five steps to keep chart designs consistent:

• Establish a standard format: Determine a set of standard formatting guidelines for your charts that meet your organization’s branding requirements.
• Use chart templates: Create templates with predefined designs, color scheme, labels, and data sources so that these can be quickly applied without compromising on visual consistency.
• Follow naming conventions: Use descriptive titles or names for each chart element (axis, title, data series) to easily locate and modify them.
• Reuse elements: Reusing design elements such as colors, fonts, and styles across different charts contributes to uniformity in chart design throughout the presentation.
• Test before sharing: Always check each slide containing the charts before presenting it to ensure that you have achieved consistency in both form and function.

Exemplary Characteristics

It takes time to develop an intuitive understanding of chart design best practices since they involve both technical skills and aesthetic judgement. Ensure that your PowerPoint slides remain aesthetically pleasing while still conveying important information by establishing uniformity in your chart design.

Unexpected Event

Microsoft Excel has been around for almost 30 years. The first version was introduced on September 30th, 1985! Since then, excel has become one of the most commonly used tools across workplaces all over the world.

Don’t be that person who uses a pie chart for everything – it’s like wearing a suit to the beach.

Use Appropriate Chart Types for Data Representation

When creating charts in Excel for use in PowerPoint, it’s critical to choose appropriate chart types that accurately represent the data. This ensures viewers understand the information presented without confusion.

Here is a sample table that shows which chart types are best suited to represent various kinds of data:

It’s important to note that each chart type has unique properties and best suits specific data types. Using the wrong chart type can result in inaccurate or confusing representations of the data.

Every organization should have internal guidelines about how they display data using Excel charts. For instance, some companies may prefer column charts over bar charts for comparison purposes. Therefore, practitioners must adhere to the organization’s standards and select appropriate chart types accordingly.

An illuminating fact is that Joseph Priestley used charts to illustrate scientific data back in 1765 . His graph showed the rise and fall of different gases under controlled conditions. Graphs plotting natural phenomena still use his technique today because it provides an effective way of representing complex information simply and intuitively.

Because nothing says ‘professional’ like a chart with inaccurate data – except maybe a typo in your boss’s name on the PowerPoint slide.

Ensure Data Accuracy in Charts

With the increasing reliance of businesses on data to make decisions, charts are an essential tool in delivering precise insights. Accurate data charting is vital since it provides a structure for proper decision-making. Clear analysis of data can only occur when the correct points are entered into spreadsheets and graphs flawlessly.

Any mistakes in data collection or presentation can severely impact analytical decisions, which could culminate in missed opportunities. Therefore, an imperative would be to ensure that all inputs are consistently checked and double-checked before sharing a graphic representation.

In one instance, planning officers at a leading travel company embarked on designing business plans based on misinformation about customer trends acquired by wrongly inputted spreadsheet formulas. This led to significant revenue loss from underestimation of their target market over some time due to unaltered graphs used for analyses.

Some Facts About Excel Charts in PowerPoint:

• ✅ Excel Charts can be easily added to PowerPoint presentations. (Source: Microsoft)
• ✅ Data in PowerPoint charts can be easily updated in real-time using linked Excel files. (Source: GoSkills)
• ✅ There are several chart types availabe in Excel to choose from, such as Bar, Line, Pie, and Scatter. (Source: Exceljet)
• ✅ Charts in PowerPoint can be customized with colors, font styles, and other design elements to match the presentation theme. (Source: SlideModel)
• ✅ Excel Charts in PowerPoint can help presenters convey complex data in an easy-to-understand format. (Source: BrightCarbon)

FAQs about Excel Charts In Powerpoint

What are excel charts in powerpoint.

Excel Charts in PowerPoint refer to the feature where users can insert charts and tables created in Excel into PowerPoint slides to represent data visually through graphs and charts that help convey information with ease.

How do I insert an Excel Chart into a PowerPoint presentation?

To insert an Excel Chart into a PowerPoint presentation, open the slide where you want to insert the chart and click “Insert” from the ribbon menu. Then, select “Chart” and choose the type of chart you want to insert. From there, select the Excel file that contains the data you want to include in the chart, and drag the selection box to adjust the size of the chart as needed.

How can I update an Excel Chart in PowerPoint?

To update an Excel Chart in PowerPoint, select the chart and then click the “Edit Data” button from the ribbon. This will open the Excel sheet where the chart is located, allowing you to make changes to the data. Once you have made the changes, close the Excel sheet and the changes will be automatically updated in the PowerPoint presentation.

What types of Excel Charts can be inserted into PowerPoint?

Almost all types of charts available in Excel can be inserted into PowerPoint, including line charts, pie charts, bar charts, area charts, scatter charts, and more. The process of inserting each type of chart is slightly different, but the overall steps remain the same.

Can I customize the appearance of an Excel Chart in PowerPoint?

Yes, you can customize various aspects of an Excel Chart in PowerPoint. You can change the chart type, axis labels, color scheme, font style, and more. To customize the chart, select it and then click the “Chart Tools” menu on the ribbon, where you can make your changes.

Can I animate an Excel Chart in PowerPoint?

Yes, you can add animation to an Excel Chart in PowerPoint to make it more engaging and interactive. To do this, select the chart and then click the “Animations” tab on the ribbon. From there, choose the animation effect and timing that you want to apply to the chart.

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How to Add an Excel Chart to a PowerPoint Presentation

Copy and paste, or use the Link Data command

• Brock University

Charts add a little extra punch to your PowerPoint presentation instead of listing bullet points of data. Conveniently, charts created in Excel can be copied and pasted into your PowerPoint presentations. As an added bonus, update charts in your PowerPoint presentation when changes are made to the original Excel data.

Instructions in this article apply to PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010, and Excel.

Copy Your Chart From Excel

Any chart that you create in Excel can be copied and pasted into any Microsoft Office app.

Open the Excel file that contains the chart you want to copy and select the chart.

Select Home > Copy .

There are other ways to copy the chart. Right-click on the chart and select Copy . Or, use the Ctrl + C shortcut.

Close Excel.

Choose How to Paste Your Chart

The chart you copied in Excel is stored on the Clipboard. Now it's time to paste it into a PowerPoint slide.

Open PowerPoint and navigate to the slide where you wish to paste the Excel chart.

Select Home and select the Paste down arrow. Or, right-click the slide.   The different options for pasting a chart display.

Choose Use Destination Theme & Embed Workbook to paste your chart into PowerPoint with the ability to edit it in PowerPoint and match your presentation's color scheme.

Choose Keep Source Formatting & Embed Workbook to be able to edit it in PowerPoint and keep the original color scheme from Excel.

Choose Use Destination Theme & Link Data to be able to edit it by making changes to your original data in Excel. The chart will match your PowerPoint presentation's color scheme.

Choose Keep Source Formatting & Link Data to edit it by making changes to your original data in Excel. The chart will keep the original color scheme from Excel.

Choose Picture to paste a picture of your chart into PowerPoint. The picture cannot be edited and is not tied to any data.

Update Excel Charts in PowerPoint

If you chose to Link Data when pasting your Excel chart into PowerPoint, changes made to the original spreadsheet file will update the chart in PowerPoint.

To manually update chart data:

Select the chart in PowerPoint.

Select Chart Tools Design .

Select Refresh Data .

Microsoft Office Update Prompt

Each time you open a PowerPoint presentation that is linked to another Microsoft Office app, such as Excel or Word, you're prompted to update the links in the presentation file. If you trust the source of the presentation, choose Update Links . All links to other documents are updated with any new changes.

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Excel Charts: A Complete Overview

What Is a Chart in Excel?

Charts in Excel serve as powerful tools for visually representing data. Whether you’re analyzing sales figures, tracking trends, or comparing different categories, Excel offers a variety of chart types to suit your needs.

Types of Charts in Excel

1. column chart (vertical bar chart).

• Categories are plotted on the horizontal axis, and values on the vertical axis.
• Ideal for comparing different categories and their values.

2. Line Chart

• Category data is evenly distributed on the horizontal (X) axis, while values are evenly distributed on the vertical (Y) axis.
• Used to visualize trends over time.

3. Pie Chart

• Displays one data series through slices of a pie, showing proportions or percentages.
• Useful when you have a single data series with non-negative values.

4. Bar Chart

• Categories are plotted along a vertical axis, and values along the horizontal axis.
• Allows easy comparison between individual items. Available in 2-D and 3-D formats.

5. Area Chart

• Combines features of a bar chart and a line chart.
• Illustrates trends over time and total values across a trend.
• Available in 3-D format as well.

6. Scatter Chart

• Represents data points for two variables in a two-dimensional plane.
• Each data point is a dot, scattered based on the variables’ values.
• Add more data for better comparison.

7. Map Chart

• Represents values and categories across geographical regions.
• Requires region/country/state or postal code data.

8. Stock Chart

• Displays stock price data (e.g., opening, closing, high, low, volume).
• Helps analyze stock price fluctuations.

9. Surface Chart

• Three-dimensional chart showing relations among three data sets.
• Uses topographic maps, colors, and patterns to highlight value ranges.

10. Radar Chart

• Compares multiple data series.
• Axes radiate from a central point, connecting data points using lines and areas.

11. Treemap Chart

• Hierarchical view of data, useful for comparing different category levels.
• Color-coded for clarity.
• Available since Office 2016.

12. Sunburst Chart

• Also displays hierarchical data.
• Rings or circles represent hierarchy levels.

13. Histogram Chart

• A histogram chart displays the frequency distribution of data within a specified range.
• Each column in the histogram represents a “bin,” which groups data points.
• Available in newer versions of Excel (since Office 2016).

14. Box & Whisker Chart

• Used to display data distribution into quartiles and highlight the mean.
• Vertical lines (whiskers) extend from boxes to represent variability.

15. Waterfall Chart

• Shows the running total of financial data.
• Helps understand the impact of additions or subtractions on the total.
• Color codes differentiate positive and negative data.

16. Funnel Chart

• Displays values across multiple levels in a process.
• Shape resembles a funnel due to descending order of values.

17. Combo Chart

• Combines different chart types for comprehensive data analysis.
• Includes a secondary axis for better understanding.
• Available in Excel 2013 and newer versions.

Creating a Basic Chart in Excel

Suppose we have a dataset in the range B4:D10 that contains the yearly sales history of a company.

• Highlight the data you want to use ( B4:D10 ).

• Go to the  Insert  tab.

• Click on the Insert Column icon. A drop-down will appear.
• Select Clustered Column from the 2-D Column section.

A Clustered Column will appear on the worksheet.

Creating a chart using the Recommended Charts option

The Recommended Charts  option gives different types of charts based on your data .

• Select your data. go to the Insert tab and choose Recommended Charts from the Charts group.

• Select the desired chart from the Insert Chart window and click on OK .

Changing the Chart Layout and Style

• Select the chart and go to the  Chart Design  tab.
• Click on  Quick Layout  and choose a desired layout.

After selecting the desired layout, the chart will automatically change.

• Still in the  Chart Design  tab, select a style from the  Chart Styles group.

Adding, Changing or Removing Chart Elements

• Excel charts consist of several elements, including axes, axis titles, chart titles, data tables, data labels, error bars, gridlines, legends, lines, trendlines, and up/down bars.
• Click on the chart to activate it.
• Go to the  Chart Design  tab.
• Click the  Chart Elements  icon.
• Choose the desired element (e.g., data table with legend keys ).

After that, you can see the chart with a data table.

• When you select a chart, a plus icon appears on the top-right side . If you click on the plus icon, you will see the chart elements . You can select or deselect the elements to add or remove them.

• Double-clicking the data table opens the  Format Data Table pane for further customization.

You can also remove elements by selecting them and pressing the  Delete key.

Switching Row and Column Data

• Sometimes, you need to change how data is grouped in a chart.
• Select the chart.
• Choose  Switch Row/Column  from the  Data  group.

• This rearranges the data to show month-wise data within a year.

Changing Chart Type

After creating a chart, you can change its type:

• Click  Change Chart Type  in the  Type  group.

• Select the desired chart type and click  OK .

Formatting Charts

Make your chart visually appealing:

• The Format Axis pane will appear on the right side of the screen.

• Adjust display units and tick marks (e.g., set units to hundreds and place tick marks inside).

• Repeat for the X-axis.

You can also change the position of the labels and number system of the axis from the Format Axis pane.

2. Formatting the Chart Title

• Click the chart title box and type your desired title .

• Double-click the title to open the  Format Chart Title  pane.
• Explore different title and text options.

3. Formatting the Legend

• Double-click the legend to open the  Format Legend  pane.

• Customize legend position (e.g., right ).

4. Formatting Data Label

Data labels provide essential information about your chart. Here’s how to format them in Excel:

• First, select your chart.
• Click on the plus icon ( Chart Elements ) that appears near the chart.
• Check the Data Labels  option.
• Now your chart displays data labels.

• Double-click on any data label to open the  Format Data Labels  pane.
• In the pane, you’ll find various options tailored for data labels.
• Go to the  Number  section.
• In the  Format Code box, type  0.0,”K”  and click  Add .

• The data labels will now reflect the new format.

5. Format Data Series

Data series formatting enhances chart appearance. Follow these steps:

• Double-click on the data series to open the  Format Data Series  pane.
• Here, you can customize the series appearance.
• For example, select a color from the options.

• After applying a new color, the chart will look like below.

• Adjust the  Series Overlap  value.

6. Format Chart Area

Make your chart visually appealing by formatting the chart area:

• Double-click on the chart area to open the Format Chart Area  pane.
• In the pane, select  Solid Fill and change the fill color.

• The chart area color will update accordingly.

Moving a Chart

In Excel, there are times when you need to move the chart to a different sheet. You can do that using the Move Chart option. Follow the steps below to move a chart in Excel:

• Select the chart to get the Chart Design option.

• Select New sheet in the Move Chart box and click on OK .

As a result, the chart will be moved into a new sheet.

You can also move the chart as an object on a different sheet. You need to select the second option from the Move Chart box and choose the desired worksheet.

Copying a Chart

While creating dashboards or reports, you need to copy a chart . You can copy a chart and paste it elsewhere. Follow the steps below to copy a chart:

• Right-click on the chart and click on Copy from the context menu.

• After that, go to your desired location/file and press Ctrl + V .

Here, we have pasted the chart into a new worksheet.

Resizing a Chart

Resizing a chart is often necessary when you are working with a lot of data. You can resize the chart using the double-headed arrow. To resize a chart, follow the steps below:

• Select the chart and place the cursor on the small circle of the chart. The cursor will change into a double-headed arrow .

• You can also resize the chart using the Format tab.
• Click on the chart and the Format tab will appear.
• You can resize the chart from the Size group.

Filtering Chart in Excel

Filtering a chart can help you visualize a specific amount of data in Excel. To filter a chart, you can follow the steps below:

• You can check/uncheck Series and Categories from the filter options. Here, we unchecked April and May from the Categories section.

After applying the filter, the chart will show the selected data.

Keeping Charts Up to Date

Sometimes, after creating a chart, we need to add new data to the chart. In that case, the chart doesn’t update the data automatically. For example, if we add the data for July to the chart, the chart doesn’t update the data.

To keep charts up to date, you can follow the steps below:

• Select the chart area and the chart data will be selected automatically .
• Adjust the chart data range using the double-headed arrow .

The chart will show the new data.

Tips: Before creating a chart, you can convert the chart data range into a table and then, create a chart using the data. This way the new data will automatically be updated in the chart.

How to Select the Best Chart in Excel

There are many types of charts in Excel. To select the best type of chart, you need to understand what type of data you are working with. You need to keep the following things in mind while selecting the chart:

• Understand the data.
• What you need to show with your chart.
• Identify the chart type.
• Determine patterns and trends.
• Different charts for different data.

Download Practice Workbook

You can download the practice workbook from here:

Excel Charts: Knowledge Hub

• Refresh Chart in Excel
• Add a Trendline in Excel
• Customize Excel Charts
• Excel Axis Scale
• Data for Excel Chart
• Add Data Series in Excel Chart
• Add a Data Table with Legend Keys
• Create Dot Plot in Excel
• Create Thermometer Chart in Excel
• Bubble Chart in Excel
• Excel Doughnut Chart
• Excel Pareto Chart
• Burndown Chart in Excel
• Excel Distribution Chart
• Make a Comparison Chart in Excel
• Progress Chart in Excel
• Excel Control Chart
• How to Plot an Equation in Excel
• Excel Chart Not Working
• Excel Advanced Charting
• Find Intersection of Two Curves in Excel
• Show Intersection Point in Excel Graph
• Create a Weight Loss Graph in Excel
• Make a Budget Constraint Graph on Excel
• Create Mekko/Marimekko Chart in Excel
• Create Activity Relationship Chart in Excel
• Secondary Axis in Excel
• Markers in Excel
• Dynamic Excel Charts
• Excel Standard Curve
• Gantt Chart in Excel

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Mursalin Ibne Salehin holds a BSc in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Over the past 2 years, he has actively contributed to the ExcelDemy project, where he authored over 150 articles. He has also led a team with content development works. Currently, he is working as a Reviewer in the ExcelDemy Project. He likes using and learning about Microsoft Office, especially Excel. He is interested in data analysis with Excel, machine learning,... Read Full Bio

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This article will show you the best Excel charts for data analysis, presentation, and reporting.

You will learn about the various types of charts in Excel, from column charts, bar charts, line charts, and pie charts to stacked area charts.

Table of Contents

How to select the best Excel chart?

The type of Excel chart you select for your analysis and reporting depends upon the type of data you want to analyze and report and what you want to do with the data:

• Visualize data (make sense of data esp., big data).
• Classify and categorize data.
• Find a relationship among data.
• Understand the composition of data.
• Understand the distribution of data.
• Understand the overlapping of data.
• Determine patterns and trends.
• Detect outliers and other anomalies in data.
• Predict future trends.
• Tell meaningful and engaging stories to decision-makers

What are the most popular Excel charts and graphs types?

Following are the most popular Excel charts and graphs:

• Clustered column chart
• Combination chart
• Stacked column chart
• 100% stacked column chart
• Stacked area chart
• Number chart
• Gauge chart (Speedometer chart)
• Scatter chart
• Actual vs target chart
• Bullet chart
• Funnel chart
• Venn diagram

Sankey diagram

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When to use a Line chart

Following are the various scenarios where a line chart can be particularly helpful:

• Tracking trends over time.
• Handling many data points.
• Order of categories is important.
• Emphasizing changes between two variables.
• Spotting small changes or variations.
• Highlighting anomalies or outliers.
• Forecasting future trends.
• Showing rate of change.
• Time series analysis.
• Budget tracking.
• Performance analysis over specific intervals.

#1 Tracking trends over time

Use a line chart to observe trends (like (uptrend, downtrend, short-term trend, sideways trend, long term) over a period. 

Start by understanding what each axis represents. Then, look at the trend of the line – whether it rises, falls, or stays consistent – to interpret the changes in data over time.

Line charts are great for showing long-term changes, such as trends over several months or years.

In a line chart, the axes are crucial in presenting the data.

The horizontal axis (x-axis) usually represents categories or time periods, while the vertical axis (y-axis) shows the values you’re measuring.

The relationship between these two axes allows a line chart to effectively display how one variable (the values on the y-axis) changes in relation to another (the categories or time periods on the x-axis).

This makes line charts particularly useful for tracking changes and trends over time.

#2 Handling many data points

If you have a lot of data points, a line chart can display it without looking cluttered, unlike bar or column charts, which might seem too crowded.

#3 Order of categories is important

Use a line chart instead of a clustered column chart if the order of categories is important.

For example, if you want to show progress or changes over time, the line chart helps maintain the chronological order.

#4 Emphasizing changes between two variables

Line charts are perfect when you want to highlight how one variable changes in relation to another. The changes are plotted on the vertical axis against the horizontal axis.

Here’s a line chart that illustrates how one variable (Y-Values, the sine of X) changes in relation to another variable (X-Values).

#5 Spotting small changes or variations

Line charts are excellent for displaying data with small variations that might not be as noticeable in other chart types.

The chart shows Y-values that vary slightly around a sine wave pattern, plotted against X-values.

The line chart’s continuous nature makes it easier to spot these minor fluctuations, which could be lost or less apparent in other charts, like bar or column charts.

This demonstrates the effectiveness of line charts in revealing subtle changes and variations in data.

#6 Highlighting anomalies or outliers

Line charts can help spot unusual data points. If a line suddenly spikes or drops, it can indicate something significant, like a sudden increase in website traffic.

The line chart displayed above is designed to help spot unusual data points. It represents website traffic over 30 days.

On the 16th day, there’s a noticeable spike in traffic, which stands out distinctly against the otherwise consistent traffic levels.

The sudden increase in the chart can indicate something significant, like a successful marketing campaign, a viral post, or other events leading to increased website visits.

This example illustrates how line charts effectively highlight anomalies or unusual occurrences in data sets, allowing for quick identification of significant changes or events.

#7 Forecasting future trends

Line charts can be used for  predictive analysis . By extending the line, you can forecast future trends based on past data.

The line chart shown above is designed for predictive analysis. It features original data (in blue) that follows a linear trend over 30 days.

Using this data, a linear regression model has been trained to forecast future trends. The model’s predictions are extended to 45 days and depicted in red on the chart.

The extended red line demonstrates the forecasted trend based on past data, visually representing expected future values.

This kind of analysis is useful for various applications, such as predicting sales, website traffic, or stock prices based on historical trends.

The chart effectively illustrates how extending the trend line in predictive models can help forecast future trends.

#8 Showing rate of change

Line charts are useful for illustrating the rate at which something changes.

For example, a steep line indicates a rapid change, while a gradual slope shows a slower change.

The line chart above illustrates the rate of change using two different types of growth.

The green line represents a rapid change, shown by a quadratic function (value = time²), which increases steeply as time progresses. This steep incline indicates a rapid rate of change.

In contrast, the orange line represents a slower change, modelled by a square root function (value = √time). This line has a more gradual slope, indicating a slower rate of change over the same time period.

This visualization effectively demonstrates how the steepness of a line in a chart can depict the rate at which values change: steeper lines suggest rapid changes.

At the same time, more gradual slopes indicate slower changes.

This is a fundamental concept in interpreting line charts, particularly in fields like economics, science, and engineering, where understanding the rate of change is crucial.

#9 Time series analysis

Line charts are essential for time series analysis, where you track the same variable over regular intervals, like daily temperature readings or monthly sales figures.

The line chart above is designed for time series analysis and depicts monthly sales figures over a year.

Each point on the chart represents sales data for a specific month, with the months on the horizontal axis and the corresponding sales figures on the vertical axis.

The connected points form a line that makes it easy to follow the sales trend throughout the year.

This type of visualization is particularly useful for identifying patterns, such as seasonal fluctuations or, unusual spikes or dips in sales.

Time series analysis like this is essential in many fields for tracking changes in variables over time and making informed decisions based on those trends.

#10 Budget tracking

Line charts can track expenses or revenues against a budget over time, helping to see areas over or under the budget quickly.

The above line chart tracks monthly expenses and revenues against a yearly budget. The red line represents monthly expenses, and the blue line represents monthly revenues.

The green dashed line indicates the set budget level for each month.

This visualization quickly assesses how expenses and revenues compare to the budget over time.

It’s easy to identify months where expenses exceed or fall below the budget and how revenues stand in relation to the budgeted amount.

Such a chart is particularly useful in financial management, providing a clear visual representation of fiscal health and highlighting areas needing attention or adjustment.

#11 Performance analysis over specific intervals

Line charts are great for comparing performance in different intervals, like comparing quarterly sales or academic scores year over year.

The line chart above compares quarterly sales figures year over year. It includes data for four quarters (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4) across three years (2020, 2021, and 2022).

Each line represents the sales figures for a specific quarter across the different years, with distinct markers and colours for clarity.

This visualization makes it easy to compare the performance of each quarter year over year.

You can quickly see trends, such as which quarters showed growth or decline over the years.

This type of analysis is particularly valuable in business for assessing seasonal performance, planning future strategies, and understanding historical sales patterns. ​

When to use a Clustered column chart

Following are the various scenarios where a clustered column chart can be particularly helpful:

• Comparing multiple data series.
• Suitable for comparative analysis.
• Consistent units of measurement.
• Comparable data sizes.
• Displaying extremes.
• Focus on short-term trends.
• The order of categories is not important.
• Comparing subcategories within a main category.
• Visualizing part-to-whole relationships.
• Evaluating performance across different groups.
• Presenting survey results.

#1 Comparing multiple data series 

A clustered column chart is ideal for comparing 2 to 4 data series. Avoid using it for just one series or more than four, as it can get cluttered.

Following is an example of a clustered column chart with just one data series:

The following chart contains just five data series, and it has already started looking cluttered:

The chart below contains 11 data series and is very difficult to read and understand:

If you want to create a column chart that contains a lot of data series, then you can try switching ‘row’ and ‘column’ of the chart and see whether it makes any difference:

For example, after switching the row and column of the chart (with 11 data series), it looks like the one below:

Though it still looks cluttered, this chart is much easier to read and understand.

#2 Suitable for comparative analysis

Unlike a simple column chart, which represents a single variable, clustered column charts display multiple data variables, making them suitable for comparative analysis.

This chart compares different types of expenses (rent, utilities, marketing) over four quarters (q1, q2, q3, q4).

Each group of bars represents a quarter, with individual bars showing the expenses for each category within that quarter.

This layout allows for an easy comparison of how each type of expense changes from quarter to quarter.

#3 Consistent units of measurement

Use a clustered column chart when the data series you want to compare has the same unit of measurement. 

So, avoid using column charts that compare data series with different units of measurement.

For example, in the chart below, ‘Sales’ and ‘ROI’ have different units of measurement. 

The data series ‘Sales’ is of type number. Whereas the data series ‘ROI’ is of type percentage:

#4 Comparable data sizes 

Use a clustered column chart when the data series you want to compare are of comparable sizes. 

So, if the values of one data series dwarf the values of the other data series, then do not use the column chart.

For example, in the chart below, the values of the data series ‘Website Traffic’ completely dwarf the values of the data series named ‘Transactions’:

#5 Displaying extremes 

Use a clustered column chart when you want to show the maximum and minimum values of each data series you want to compare.

For example, if you have monthly sales data for several products, a clustered column chart can clearly display each product’s highest and lowest sales figures side by side.

This visual comparison can quickly convey which products have the most variation in sales and the overall range of sales figures for each product.

#6 Focus on short-term trends

Use a clustered column chart to focus on short-term trends, particularly when comparing multiple data series over a short period, like days or weeks.

For example, if you’re analyzing weekly sales data across different store locations, a clustered column chart can visually represent each store’s weekly sales.

This setup makes it easy to identify any short-term trends or anomalies, such as a sudden spike or drop in sales at a particular location.

#7 The order of categories is not important.

Use a clustered column chart when the order of categories is not important to the interpretation of the data.

This chart type emphasizes comparing different categories or groups rather than the sequence or progression of data points.

For example, suppose you’re comparing the performance of different departments within a company, such as sales, marketing, and finance.

In that case, the order in which these departments are listed on the chart doesn’t affect the interpretation of the data.

Each department’s performance is displayed independently of the others, allowing for easy comparison without implying any sequential relationship.

#8 Comparing subcategories within a main category

If you have data broken down into subcategories within a larger category, a clustered column chart can effectively compare these subgroups side by side.

A clustered column chart is particularly useful for comparing data broken down into subcategories within a larger category. 

This type of chart allows you to display each subgroup side by side within the larger category, making it easy to compare the subgroups.

For example, imagine you have sales data for a clothing store categorized by seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter). 

Within each season, you have subcategories like Men’s Wear, Women’s Wear, and Children’s Wear. 

A clustered column chart can effectively display this data, showing each clothing type’s sales side by side for each season. 

This layout helps quickly compare how different types of clothing perform in each season.

#9 Visualizing part-to-whole relationships

When you want to show how different parts contribute to the whole in multiple categories, clustered column charts can display this effectively, especially if each category has the same parts or subcategories.

The clustered column chart above shows how different parts (Engine, Wheels, and Body) contribute to the total sales in various car categories (Sedan, SUV, Hatchback).

Each group of bars represents a car type, with individual bars showing the sales of each component for that type of car.

This layout allows for an easy comparison of how different components contribute to the sales of each car type.

For example, you can quickly see which components are more popular in Sedans versus SUVs or Hatchbacks.

This type of chart is particularly useful in manufacturing and sales analysis, providing insights into which parts drive sales in different market segments. ​

#10 Evaluating performance across different groups

Clustered column charts are excellent for comparing performance metrics across different groups or segments, like comparing sales across different regions or customer segments.

#11 Presenting survey results

Clustered column charts are good for presenting survey data, especially where respondents are divided into different demographic groups and you want to compare responses to the same questions across these groups.

The clustered column chart above presents survey responses across different demographic age groups (18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45+).

Each group of bars represents an age group, with individual bars showing the percentage of responses to three different survey questions.

This chart format makes it easy to compare the responses to each question across the various age groups.

For example, you can quickly see how the responses to Question 1 vary between the youngest and oldest age groups or how the opinions on Questions 2 and 3 differ across all groups.

This type of visualization is particularly useful in survey analysis, where comparing responses across different demographic segments can provide valuable insights into the preferences and opinions of different age groups.

Breaking a clustered column chart

One method of making this chart easier to read and understand is breaking it into several smaller clustered column charts.

For example, you can create one column chart that compares the sales performance of various countries in January. 

Create another column chart which just compares the sales performance of various countries in Feb and so on:

The rule of thumb is to avoid presenting too much data in one chart, regardless of the chart type.

A combination chart is simply a combination of two or more charts. 

For example, the combination of a column chart with a line chart. 

I use combination charts a lot, and I think you must know how to create them as they are very useful.

#1 Use a combination chart when you want to compare two or more data series that have different units of measurement:  

#2 Use a combination chart when you want to compare two or more data series that are not of comparable sizes:

#3 Use a combination chart when you want to display different types of data in different ways that can be represented in the same chart. For example, line, bar and column charts can be used on the same chart.

Use a stacked column chart when you want to compare data series along with their composition, and the overall size of each data series is important:

Use a  100% stacked column chart when you want to compare data series along with their composition but the overall size of each data series is not important:

This chart is used to show the percentage of multiple data series in stacked columns.

Use a stacked area chart when you want to show the trend of composition and emphasize the magnitude of change over time.

For example, the following stacked area chart shows the breakdown of website traffic:

Use a bar chart whenever the axis labels are too long to fit in a column chart:

What are the different types of bar charts?

Horizontal bar charts – Represent the data horizontally. The data categories are shown on the vertical axis, and data values are shown on the horizontal axis.

Vertical bar charts – Also called a column chart. It represents the numerical values represented in the vertical bars. These are used mainly to display age ranges and salary ranges.

Grouped bar charts – Grouped bar charts represent the different time period numbers that belong to a single category.

Stacked bar charts – It is a bar chart that represents the comparisons between categories of data but with the ability to compare and break down the data.

#1 Use a pie chart to show a 100% composition of data. In other words, the various pie slices you use must add up to 100%.

This means do not create a pie chart where the various pie slices do not represent parts of the whole pie.

For example, the following pie chart is not a good representation of data composition as the two pie slices add up to 82% and not 100%:

#2 Use a pie chart to show the composition of data only when you have got one data series and less than five categories to plot.

For example, the following pie chart shows the breakdown of website traffic sources in the last month:

Here I have got only four categories (search traffic, referral traffic, direct traffic , and campaigns) to plot. 

So a pie chart is ideal for showing the breakdown.

However, if there were more than four categories to plot, like eight or ten categories, the pie chart would have become cluttered and hard to read. 

For example, the following pie chart looks cluttered because it has got too many categories:

#3 Pie charts generally express the part to the whole relationship in your data. When your data is represented in ‘percentage’ or ‘part of’, then a pie chart best meets your needs.

#4 Use a pie chart to show data composition only when the pie slices are of comparable sizes.

In other words, do not use a pie chart if the size of one pie slice completely dwarfs the size of the other pie slice(s):

#5 Order your pie slices so that as you look clockwise from top to bottom, the biggest pie slice comes first, followed by the second biggest pie slice and so on. This makes the pie chart easy to read:

These pie charts are made from the following data:

To create a pie chart where the biggest pie slice comes first, followed by the second biggest pie slice and so on.

I have sorted the data in decreasing order (from largest to smallest).

Best practices for using pie charts

Limit the number of pie slices

Always make sure to use a minimal number of slices when creating a pie chart. It is really difficult to read a large number of slices.

If you have more than five categories, it is recommended to use a different chart type.

Make sure all data adds up to 100%

Verify that the pie slices are valued at 100% when added up.

Include annotations : Include percentages and labels for your pie chart to make it easy to read.

Pie charts work best for 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. 

Don’t compare multiple pie charts.

Do not use multiple pie charts for comparison as the slice sizes are really difficult to compare side by side.

If you want to visualize just one type of data and it contains a numeric value that does not fall in any range/interval, then use the number chart:

If you want to visualize just one type of data and it contains a numeric value that falls in a range/interval, then use the gauge chart (also known as the speedometer chart):

A gauge chart should be used when you want to validate if your data falls in the acceptable range or not. 

A gauge chart would generally have the maximum value as default and thresholds as low, medium and high, which indicates if the data is falling within the acceptable range.

Thresholds would be displayed in red, green and yellow for specified values.

#1 Consider using a scatter chart when you want to analyze and report the relationship/correlation between two variables:

This chart shows that the relationship between the two variables (‘x’ and ‘y’) is linear. As the value of the variable ‘x’ increases, there is a corresponding increase in the value of the variable ‘y’.

#2 Create a scatter chart only when ten or more data points are on the horizontal axis. The more data points, the better it is for a scatter chart. Conversely, just a few data points (like five or six) are not good enough for creating a scatter chart.

#3 Use a scatter chart when you want to show ‘why’. For example: why revenue is correlated with average order value or why conversion rate is correlated with the number of transactions.

Use a histogram to show frequency distribution for quantitative data.

A histogram represents the visual representation of numerical data that falls within a specified range of values called ‘bins’. It looks exactly like a vertical graph. 

Note: You would need to install the ‘ Analysis ToolPak ’ to create a histogram in Excel.

The ‘Actual vs target’ chart is a combination chart that requires some formatting.

You can’t insert this chart straightaway into your Excel spreadsheet. 

Use this chart when you have got multiple goals, and you want to show progress towards each goal.

The chart below shows whether target sales were achieved in each quarter:

This chart is based on the following data table:

A Bullet chart is a combination chart (though it looks like a single bar chart) which is used to show progress towards a single goal using a range of predefined qualitative and quantitative parameters. 

You can’t insert this chart straightaway into your Excel spreadsheet and it is also quite tricky to create.

If you have multiple goals and you want to show progress towards each goal then use the ‘Actual vs. target’ chart. 

But if you have only one goal and you want to show progress towards this goal (by using both qualitative and quantitative data) then use the bullet chart.

A bullet chart can be a vertical bar chart or horizontal bar chart. The choice of vertical or horizontal alignment depends on the space available to use for data visualization.

The chart below shows the performance of sales in Quarter 4:

If the actual sales are between $0 to $240,000 then sales performance is considered ‘Poor’.

If the actual sales are between $240,000 to $300,000 ($240,000 + $60,000) then it is considered ‘Fair’.

If the actual sales are between $300,000 to $360,000 ($240,000 + $60,000 + $60,000) then it is considered ‘Good’.

If the actual sales are between $360,000 to $400,000 ($240,000 + $60,000 + $60,000 + $40,000) then it is considered ‘Excellent’.

As the name suggests the funnel chart is used for funnel visualization. It is perfect for showing lead funnel and sales funnels.

Funnel charts visually represent the progressive reduction of data from one phase to another phase.

The first stage is usually referred to as the intake stage.

This chart is available in MS Excel (2016 and above). You just need to select your data table and then insert the ‘Funnel’ chart.

The chart below shows different stages of the purchase funnel and how user moved from one stage to the next:

 This chart is based on the following data table:

For example, let us take an example of an ecommerce business.

Funnel charts can be used to understand how many users have added the products to the cart, provided shipping details and completed the purchase. 

It also provides us with information about users who have abandoned the cart. 

Funnel charts are mostly used for the sales process and to identify potential problems.

A funnel consists of a higher value, called the head, and the lower part, which is referred to as the neck.

Use a Venn diagram to show the overlapping of data. 

The multi-channel conversion visualizer chart used in Google Analytics to visualize multi-channel attribution is a Venn diagram:

In web analytics, we can use a Venn diagram to determine whether or not a website has got attribution problems.

If there is little to no overlap between two or more marketing channels, the website doesn’t have attribution issues.

If there is a good amount of overlap, the website has attribution issues. You should seriously consider taking multi-channel attribution into account while analyzing and interpreting the performance of marketing campaigns.

To learn more about attribution modelling read this article:  Beginners Guide to Google Analytics Attribution Modelling

Another great use of Venn diagrams is in visualizing the backlinks overlaps between websites:

The tool I have used to create this Venn diagram is Venny .

Note : You can create a Venn diagram in Excel. Check out this tutorial on the Microsoft Office website: Create a Venn diagram .

What are the different types of Venn diagrams?

Two set diagrams – Two circles with overlapping properties. This is the most common and simplest form of the Venn diagram used to compare two metrics or variables.

Three set diagrams – This lets you visualize the relationship between three subjects rather than two variables. 

Four set diagram – This comprises four circles with overlapping properties. It is a bit more complex than the normal Venn diagram, and each circle represents the different aspect of the data and their comparison to other variables.

A Sankey diagram visualizes the flow of data between different stages, groups or categories of a process through a series of connected nodes or paths.

Each node represents a stage, group, or category in the process, and each path represents the flow of data between those stages, groups, or categories.

The width of each path is proportional to the amount of flow it represents.

So you can easily see which stages or categories are the most important or have the greatest impact on the overall process.

By visualizing the flow of data in this way, Sankey diagrams can help you understand the structure of a process and identify areas where improvements can be made to increase efficiency or effectiveness.

In the following cases, you can use a Sankey diagram:

#1 You want to show the flow of website visitors through different pages or sections of a website.

#2 You want to visualize the customers’ purchase journey.

#3 You want to identify patterns, trends, and areas of opportunity or concern in your customers’ purchase journey.

For example, you might notice that many customers drop out of the consideration stage, indicating that you need to improve your marketing or product messaging to engage potential customers better.

In Excel, you can create Sankey diagrams using third-party add-ins or manually using Excel’s built-in charting tools.

Creating Sankey diagrams manually in Excel can be time-consuming and may not produce the most aesthetically pleasing or informative charts.

Using third-party add-ins can often provide more advanced features and flexibility in creating Sankey diagrams.

Some popular add-ins for creating Sankey diagrams in Excel include NodeXL and Tableau.

Which charts to avoid for reporting purposes?

Throughout this article, I have talked about the charts that should be used. 

However, there are some charts that should be avoided for reporting purposes unless your target audience is as data-savvy as you.

Following are those charts:

#1 Charts to avoid > Treemap

#2 Charts to avoid > Waterfall chart

#3 Charts to avoid > Radar chart

#4 Charts to avoid > Bubble chart

The reason you should avoid reporting data via these charts to your clients is simple.

Most people have no idea what you are trying to communicate via these charts. 

Use these charts only when your target audience is as data-savvy as you.

How to change the chart type in Excel ?

MS Excel allows you to change the chart type.

For example, you can convert a clustered column chart into a stacked column chart. Or you can convert a column chart into a bar chart.

For example, let’s convert the following column chart into a bar chart:

Follow the steps below to change the chart type in excel:

Step-1 : Open MS Excel and navigate to the spreadsheet which contains the chart you want to edit

Step-2 : Select the chart, and then from the ”Design’ tab, click on the ‘Change Chart Type’ button:

You will now see the ‘Change Chart Type’ dialog box like the one below:

Step-3 : Click on ‘Bar’ (from the left-hand navigation) and then click on the ‘OK’ button:

Excel will now change your column chart into a bar chart:

What is data visualization in Excel?

Data visualization is the presentation of data (both qualitative and quantitative data) in graphical format.

In Excel, charts and graphs are used to make a visual representation of data.

What are the benefits of data visualization

Through data visualization you can easily:

• Visualize data (make sense of data, especially big data)
• Classify and categorize data
• Find a relationship among data
• Understand the composition of data
• Understand the distribution of data
• Understand the overlapping of data
• Determine patterns and trends
• Detect outliers and other anomalies in data
• Predict future trends

Data presentation is a very important skill for an optimizer (marketer, analyst). In fact, it is so valuable that LinkedIn lists it as one of the top skills that can get you hired.

Excel charts are commonly used for data visualization and presentation. But selecting the right Excel chart is always a challenge.

If you use an incorrect Excel chart for your analysis, you may misinterpret data and make the wrong business and marketing decisions.

If you use an incorrect Excel chart for your presentation, stakeholders may misinterpret your charts and take wrong decisions.

Therefore selecting the right Excel chart is critically important.

What are the most common data types that can be visualized?

Following are the most common data types that can be visualized:

#1 Quantitative data (also known as interval/ratio data) is the data that can be measured. For example, ten customers, sales, ROI, weight, etc.

#2 Qualitative data can be classified/categorized but cannot be measured. For example, colors, satisfaction, rankings, etc.

#3 Discrete data – quantitative data with a finite number of values/observations. For example, five customers, 17 points, 12 steps, etc.

#4 Continuous data – quantitative data with value / observation within a range/interval. For example sales in the last year.

#5 Nominal data – qualitative data that cannot be put into a meaningful order (i.e. ranked). For example {Blue, Yellow, Green, Red, Black}

#6 Ordinal data – qualitative data that can be put into a meaningful order (i.e. ranked). For example, {very satisfied, satisfied, unsatisfied, very unsatisfied} or {strong dislike, dislike, neutral, like, strong like}.

The anatomy of an Excel chart

To read an Excel chart, you must understand the various components of the chart.

Consider the following data table in Excel:

This data table has got five variables : ‘Month’, ‘Sales’, ‘Cost’, ‘Profit’, and ‘ROI’:

This data table is made up of  categories and data series :

Categories  – Here, the first category is ‘Jan’, the second category is ‘Feb’, the third category is ‘Mar’, etc.

Data series – A data series is a set of related data points.

Data points – A data point represents an individual unit of data. 10, 20, 30, 40, etc., are examples of data points. In the context of charts, a data point represents a mark on a chart:

Consider the following Excel chart, which is made from the data table mentioned earlier:

This chart is made up of the following chart elements:

• Primary Horizontal Axis:
• Primary Vertical Axis
• Secondary Vertical Axis
• Primary Horizontal Axis Title
• Primary Vertical Axis Title
• Secondary Vertical Axis Title
• Chart Title
• Data Labels

In Excel, categories are plotted on the horizontal axis and data series are plotted on the vertical axis:

From the chart above, we can conclude the following:

• Months are plotted on the primary horizontal axis.
• Sales, cost, and profit are plotted on the primary vertical axis.
• ROI is plotted on the secondary vertical axis.

Following are examples of other Excel chart elements:

• Data Table with legend keys
• Data Table with no legend keys
• Error bars (Standard Error)
• Error bars (Percentage)
• Error bars (Standard Deviation)
• Primary Major Horizontal Gridlines
• Primary Major Vertical Gridlines
• Primary Minor Horizontal Gridlines
• Primary Minor Vertical Gridlines
• Linear Trendline
• Exponential Trendline
• Linear Forecast Trendline
• Moving Average Trendline

#1 Data table with legend keys

#2 Data table with no legend keys

#3 Error bars (standard error)

If you want to see the margin of error as a standard error amount, then use the standard error bar.

About Error Bar An error bar is a line through a point on a graph, parallel to one of the axes, which can help you see margins of error at a glance.

#4 Error bars (percentage)

If you want to see the margin of error as a percentage, use the percentage error bar.

#5 Error bars (standard deviation)

If you want to see the margin of error as a standard deviation, then use the standard deviation error bar.

#6 Primary major horizontal gridlines

About Chart Gridlines Chart gridlines are the faint lines that appear on the plot area of a chart. They are used to make the data in a chart that displays axes easier to read. They can appear both horizontal and vertical.

#7 Primary major vertical gridlines

#8 Primary minor horizontal gridlines

#9 Primary minor vertical gridlines

#10 Linear trendline

Use the Linear trendline if your data set is linear (resembles a straight line) and the data values are increasing or decreasing at a steady rate.

About Trendlines The trendlines are used to graphically display trends in data. A trend is a movement in a particular direction. A trend can be short (or seasonal), intermediate, or long term. Longer the trend more significant it is. For example, a 3 months trend is not as significant as 3 years trend.

#11 Exponential trendline

Use the exponential trendline if data values increase or decrease at increasingly higher rates.

#12 Linear forecast trendline

Use the Linear forecast trendline if your data set is linear (resembles a straight line), the data values are increasing or decreasing at a steady rate, and you want to forecast the data.

#13 Moving average trendline

Use the moving average trendline if there is a lot of fluctuation in your data.

How to add a chart to an Excel spreadsheet?

To add a chart to an Excel spreadsheet, follow the steps below:

Step-1 : Open MS Excel and navigate to the spreadsheet, which contains the data table you want to use for creating a chart.

Step-2 : Select data for the chart:

Step-3 : Click on the ‘Insert’ tab:

Step-4 : Click on the ‘Recommended Charts’ button:

Step-5 : Select the chart you want to use from the ‘Insert chart’ dialog box and then click on the ‘ok’ button:

You should now be able to see the chosen chart inserted in your spreadsheet:

How to add, change, or remove a chart element in Excel?

To add, change or remove a chart element in Excel (2013 or above), follow the steps below:

Step-1 : Open MS Excel and navigate to the spreadsheet which contains the chart you want to edit.

Step-2 : Select the chart, and then from the ”Design’ tab, click on the ‘ Add Chart Element ‘ drop-down menu:

Step-3 : Select the chart element you want to add, change or remove from one of the drop-down menus.

For example, if you want to add a data table to your chart, then click on ‘ Data Table ‘ > ‘ With legend Keys ‘:

You can now see your chart along with the data table:

How to add a trendline to a chart in excel?

Follow the steps below:

Step-2 : Select the chart, and then from the ”Design’ tab, click on the ‘ Add Chart Element ‘ drop-down menu.

Step-3 : Click on the ‘Trendline’ drop-down menu and select the type of trendline you want to add to your chart.

How to change the color or style of a chart ?

Step-2 : Select the chart, and then from the ”Design’ tab, click on the ‘ Change Colors ‘ drop-down menu to change the colours used in your chart:

If you want to change the style/design of the chart, then click on one of the styles under the ‘Design’ tab:

How to build data visualizations in Excel?

You can build a data visualization in excel through the following charts and graphs:

Other articles on Excel charts

• Which Chart Type Works Best for Summarizing Time-Based Data in Excel
• Five Advanced Excel Charts and Graphs
• Data Visualization in Excel Tutorial
• What type of chart to use to compare data in Excel

Articles on data analysis and reporting

• Top 20 reasons why people misinterpret data and reports
• Making Good Marketing Decisions Despite Faulty Analytics Data
• Ten tips to analyse data trends in Google Analytics
• 21 Secrets to Becoming a Champion in Data Reporting
• How to become a champion in data reporting via Storytelling
• Google Analytics Dashboard Tutorial

Frequently asked questions about types of charts in Excel

What is data visualization.

Data visualization is the presentation of data (both qualitative and quantitative data) in graphical format. Through data visualization you can easily: make sense of data (especially big data), classify and categorize data, find relationships among data, understand the composition of data, understand the distribution of data, understand the overlapping of data, determine patterns and trends, detect outliers and other anomalies in data, predict future trends and tell meaningful and engaging stories to decision-makers.

Why is it important to use the correct Excel chart?

If you use an incorrect Excel chart for your analysis, you may misinterpret data and make the wrong business and marketing decisions. If you use an incorrect Excel chart for your presentation, stakeholders may misinterpret your charts and take wrong decisions. Therefore selecting the right Excel chart is critically important.

What is a data series?

A data series is a set of related data points.

What is a data point?

A data point represents an individual unit of data. 10, 20, 30, 40, etc., are examples of data points. In the context of charts, a data point represents a mark on a chart.

What should be the criteria for selecting an Excel chart?

The type of Excel chart you select for your analysis and reporting should depend upon the type of data you want to analyse and report and what you want to do with the data. Do you want to classify and categorize data or find relationships among data or understand the composition, distribution or overlapping of data?

What is quantitative data?

Quantitative data (also known as interval/ratio data) is the data that can be measured. For example, ten customers, sales, ROI, weight etc.

What is qualitative data?

Qualitative data can be classified/categorized but cannot be measured, for example, colours, satisfaction, rankings, etc.

What is discrete data?

It is quantitative data with a finite number of values/observations. For example, five customers, 17 points, 12 steps etc.

What is continuous data?

It is quantitative data with value/observation within a range/interval. For example, sales in the last year.

What is nominal data?

Nominal data is qualitative data that can not be put into a meaningful order (i.e. ranked). For example {Blue, Yellow, Green, Red, Black}

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Maths and Stats for Web Analytics and Conversion Optimization This expert guide will teach you how to leverage the knowledge of maths and statistics in order to accurately interpret data and take actions, which can quickly improve the bottom-line of your online business.

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10 Advanced Excel Charts

Bottom Line: Explore 10 different advanced Excel charts, including what type of data to use them with, when to use them, and the advantages they provide over traditional charts.

Skill Level: Advanced

Watch the Tutorial

Download the Excel File

Here's the workbook I use containing all of the chart types. Feel free to download it and play with the charts on your own.

Improve Your Charting Skills

In this post I share a compilation of charts that I've created over the years. The goal of any chart is to tell a story about the data. We want to make it easy for the reader to quickly understand the chart. We might also want to make the chart interactive so that they can explore the data and find additional insights.

The charts in this post are definitely more advanced creations where I've added functionality to the existing chart types in Excel. The goal is to make them: easier to read, interactive, and/or more dynamic.

The possibilities with charts in Excel is endless, and I hope this post inspires you to create charts that tell the story of your data in new ways.

Here is a list of the ten charts mentioned in the video. Each section includes a brief description of the chart and what type of data to use it with. There is also a link to the tutorials where you can learn how to create and implement the charts in your own projects.

1. Column Chart with Percentage Change

Data: Time Series

Use: Display % change between time periods or events. 

Tutorial: Column Chart That Displays Percentage Change or Variance

Description: Between each of the bars on the chart you'll see an arrow and and the variance (or percentage change) from one time period to the next. The arrows and text are conditionally formatted to change colors for positive or negative variances.

This dynamic chart changes when you slice (filter) the data using a slicer. The title also changes according to the region selected in the slicer.

2. Conditional Doughnut Progress Chart

Data: Progress to Goal

Use: Display % completion with conditional colors for levels or milestones. 

Tutorial: Progress Doughnut Chart with Conditional Formatting in Excel

Description: A cool feature about this doughnut chart (circle chart) is that the color changes as the percentage increases so that you can better visualize the passing of milestones toward your goal.

3. Interactive Histogram with Details

Data: Categorical

Use: Display the count of items in each group & a detailed report of the selected group

Tutorial: Interactive Histogram Chart That Uncovers The Details

Description: When you click the dollar range under each bar, you're actually activating a slicer that displays a pivot table to the right detailing each of the entries that make up that data set. This interactive chart is great for diving deeper into the data without losing the bigger picture.

4. Dynamic Histogram or Frequency Distribution Chart

Use: Quickly change the group or bin size to tell a different story.

Tutorial: Dynamic Histogram or Frequency Distribution Chart

Description: This histogram includes a scroll bar at the bottom that allows you to change the number of groups you are examining. The data tells different stories as you increase or decrease the number of ranges that you're looking at.

5. Annual Trend with Monthly Details

Use: Display a trend within a trend and compare it to averages.

Tutorial: Monthly Average vs Current Year Chart

Description: With this chart you can simultaneously see how your data is trending for two time increments (years, quarters, months, weeks, etc.), and also how it compares to past averages.

6. Interactive Waterfall Chart

Data: Time Series, Inventory, CRM, Pipeline

Use: Display the details of how numbers changed over time.

Tutorial: Interactive Waterfall Chart Dashboard

Description: This chart is really a mini-dashboard that is good for telling what happened from a starting number to an ending number and how different factors added to or subtracted from that number over time.

7. Variance on Clustered Charts

Use: Display the variance when comparing two categories for multiple series.

Tutorial: Actual vs Budget or Target Chart in Excel – Variance on Clustered Column or Bar Chart

Description: Regular clustered bar/column charts don't display a variance between the bars. This technique not only shows the variances, but also conditional formats the variance with different colors for positive or negative changes.

8. Actual vs. Multiple Targets Chart

Use: Display multiple targets or goals compared to actuals.

Tutorial: Actual vs Targets Chart in Excel

Description: These charts compare a number to multiple targets. This is great for actuals versus budget, forecast, goal, etc. They can be oriented horizontally or vertically, and you can also include an attainment percentage for a better idea of how close you are to meeting your goals.

9. Stacked Bar with Dynamic Data Labels

Data: Time Series and Categorical

Use: Quickly switch data between data labels to make stacked charts easier to read.

Tutorial: Create Dynamic Chart Data Labels with Slicers

Description: I'm not a big proponent of stacked bar charts because they are often hard to read. It's difficult for our eyes to compare the size of the bars due to the uneven baselines.

So this chart allows you to quickly change the data labels to make it a bit easier to compare the series within the bars. For alternatives to stacked bar charts , such as a panel chart, checkout this post: Stacked Column Bar Chart Alternatives – Find the Missing Trends .

10. Comparative Distribution Chart

Use: Compare a segment or category to all other categories for multiple series.

Tutorial: Comparative Distribution Chart – Histogram or Box Plot Alternative

Description: This chart allows you to compare values to multiple segments across multiple categories. It can be a great alternative to quartile plots or multiple histograms.

Bonus: Zoom on Charts Macro

Use: Sheet or dashboard contains a lot of small charts that are difficult to read.

Tutorial: Zoom on Excel Charts

Description: The macro I created adds a button to the chart for an easy zoom feature , allowing you to focus on one chart at a time if you have several on one page.

I hope these charts whet your appetite for displaying your data in creative ways and telling the stories behind your data with visualization. If you're not getting our weekly emails yet, then click here to join our Free Excel Pro Tips Newsletter . We send out a practical and useful tutorial at least once a week to help make you the Excel Hero of your workplace.

Until next time, happy charting! 🙂

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Need your suggestion to create suitable chart for asset delivery report.

Centre NHs with Laptops Not required Configured – waiting for the employee In Progress In Progress Total Couriered – In transit Couriered – In transit Total Ready for Dispatch Ready for Dispatch Total Grand Total Finance Talent Finance compliance Less than 10 days Less than 2 days 3 – 5 days

Jon, a very nice presentation. I wonder about being able to best compare two variables in which “best” or “preferred” is a matter of how far to the top right, in a scatter plot, the variable is shown. However, a high value on the y-axis and a low value on the x-axis, might be better. Hence, a graph that shows lines between the x and y axes (and are thus diagonal), would quickly show the categories of values. Any suggestions?

I didn’t see the bonus: zoom on charts macro included in the workbook? Best regards

Super perfect excel lessons

Jon, this is awesome. Thanks! I would love to see you do a comparison on how your charts compare to Power BI. My company has Power BI but most people do not use it since they are more comfortable with Excel.

I’m hooked on your tutorials. They give great insights and are truly a source for finding focused solutions.

You serve a great community! Thx.

Thank you for the very well done charts. All of them look amazing!

Fantastic charts! I really love them

Is there an easy way to present revenue per region on a world map?

OMG it’s mind blowing. This is the type of chart I work everyday but mine was a simple boring one and now I know how to make it more efficient. Hats off to you Jon you are a legend. 🙂

i have stats by department difference data ranges i.e.some are1000 some are 1.5 would like to bput them all on one dashboard

awesome tutorials

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Excel Charting Basics: How to Make a Chart and Graph

By Joe Weller | January 22, 2018 (updated May 3, 2022)

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Organizations of all sizes and across all industries use Excel to store data. While spreadsheets are crucial for data management, they are often cumbersome and don’t provide team members with an easy-to-read view into data trends and relationships. Excel can help to transform your spreadsheet data into charts and graphs to create an intuitive overview of your data and make smart business decisions.

In this article, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide to creating a chart or graph in Excel 2016. Additionally, we’ll provide a comparison of the available chart and graph presets and when to use them, and explain related Excel functionality that you can use to build on to these simple data visualizations.

What Are Graphs and Charts in Excel?

Charts and graphs in Microsoft Excel provide a method to visualize numeric data. While both graphs and charts display sets of data points in relation to one another, charts tend to be more complex, varied, and dynamic.

People often use charts and graphs in presentations to give management, client, or team members a quick snapshot into progress or results. You can create a chart or graph to represent nearly any kind of quantitative data — doing so will save you the time and frustration of poring through spreadsheets to find relationships and trends.

It’s easy to create charts and graphs in Excel, especially since you can also store your data directly in an Excel Workbook, rather than importing data from another program. Excel also has a variety of preset chart and graph types so you can select one that best represents the data relationship(s) you want to highlight.

Tired of static spreadsheets? We were, too.

Although Microsoft Excel is familiar, you were never meant to manage work with it. See how Excel and Smartsheet compare across five factors: work management, collaboration, visibility, accessibility, and integrations.  

Watch the full comparison

When to Use Each Chart and Graph Type in Excel

Excel offers a large library of charts and graphs types to display your data. While multiple chart types might work for a given data set, you should select the chart that best fits the story that the data is telling.

In Excel 2016, there are five main categories of charts or graphs:

• Column Charts: Some of the most commonly used charts, column charts, are best used to compare information or if you have multiple categories of one variable (for example, multiple products or genres). Excel offers seven different column chart types: clustered, stacked, 100% stacked, 3-D clustered, 3-D stacked, 3-D 100% stacked, and 3-D, pictured below. Pick the visualization that will best tell your data’s story.

• Bar Charts: The main difference between bar charts and  column charts are that the bars are horizontal instead of vertical. You can often use bar charts interchangeably with column charts, although some prefer column charts when working with negative values because it is easier to visualize negatives vertically, on a y-axis.

• Pie Charts: Use pie charts to compare percentages of a whole (“whole” is the total of the values in your data). Each value is represented as a piece of the pie so you can identify the proportions. There are five pie chart types: pie, pie of pie (this breaks out one piece of the pie into another pie to show its sub-category proportions), bar of pie, 3-D pie, and doughnut.

• Line Charts:  A line chart is most useful for showing trends over time, rather than static data points. The lines connect each data point so that you can see how the value(s) increased or decreased over a period of time. The seven line chart options are line, stacked line, 100% stacked line, line with markers, stacked line with markers, 100% stacked line with markers, and 3-D line.

• Scatter Charts: Similar to line graphs, because they are useful for showing change in variables over time, scatter charts are used specifically to show how one variable affects another. (This is called correlation.) Note that bubble charts, a popular chart type, is categorized under scatter. There are seven scatter chart options: scatter, scatter with smooth lines and markers, scatter with smooth lines, scatter with straight lines and markers, scatter with straight lines, bubble, and 3-D bubble.

There are also four minor categories. These charts are more use case-specific:

• Area: Like line charts, area charts show changes in values over time. However, because the area beneath each line is solid, area charts are useful to call attention to the differences in change among multiple variables. There are six area charts: area, stacked area, 100% stacked area, 3-D area, 3-D stacked area, and 3-D 100% stacked area.

• Stock: Traditionally used to display the high, low, and closing price of stock, this type of chart is used in financial analysis and by investors. However, you can use them for any scenario if you want to display the range of a value (or the range of its predicted value) and its exact value. Choose from high-low-close, open-high-low-close, volume-high-low-close, and volume-open-high-low-close stock chart options.

• Surface: Use a surface chart to represent data across a 3-D landscape. This additional plane makes them ideal for large data sets, those with more than two variables, or those with categories within a single variable. However, surface charts can be difficult to read, so make sure your audience is familiar with them. You can choose from 3-D surface, wireframe 3-D surface, contour, and wireframe contour.

• Radar: When you want to display data from multiple variables in relation to each other use a radar chart. All variables begin from the central point. The key with radar charts is that you are comparing all individual variables in relation to each other — they are often used for comparing strengths and weaknesses of different products or employees. There are three radar chart types: radar, radar with markers, and filled radar.

Another popular chart is a waterfall chart, which is essentially a series of column graphs that show positive and negative changes over time. There is no Excel preset for a waterfall chart, but you can download a template to help make the process easier. For a full walkthrough, read How to Create a Waterfall Chart in Excel .

‌ Download Waterfall Chart Template in Excel

Top 5 Excel Chart and Graph Best Practices

Although Excel provides several layout and formatting presets to enhance the readability of your charts, you can maximize their effectiveness with other methods. Below are the top five best practices to make your charts and graphs as useful as possible:

Make It Clean: Cluttered graphs — those with excessive colors or texts — can be difficult to read and aren’t eye catching. Remove any unnecessary information so your audience can focus on the point you’re trying to get across.

Choose Appropriate Themes: Consider your audience, the topic, and the main point of your chart when selecting a theme. While it can be fun to experiment with different styles, choose the theme that best fits your purpose.  

Use Text Wisely: While charts and graphs are primarily visual tools, you will likely include some text (such as titles or axis labels). Be concise but use descriptive language, and be intentional about the orientation of any text (for example, it’s irritating to turn your head to read text written sideways on the x-axis).

Place Elements Intelligently: Pay attention to where you place titles, legends, symbols, and any other graphical elements. They should enhance your chart, not detract from it.

Sort Data Prior to Creating the Chart: People often forget to sort data or remove duplicates before creating the chart, which makes the visual unintuitive and can result in errors.

How to Chart Data in Excel

To generate a chart or graph in Excel, you must first provide the program with the data you want to display. Follow the steps below to learn how to chart data in Excel 2016.

Step 1: Enter Data into a Worksheet

• Open Excel and select New Workbook .
• Enter the data you want to use to create a graph or chart. In this example, we’re comparing the profit of five different products from 2013 to 2017. Be sure to include labels for your columns and rows. Doing so enables you to translate the data into a chart or graph with clear axis labels. You can download this sample data below.

‌ Download Column Chart Practice Data

Step 2: Select Range to Create Chart or Graph from Workbook Data

• Highlight the cells that contain the data you want to use in your graph by clicking and dragging your mouse across the cells.
• Your cell range will now be highlighted in gray and you can select a chart type.

In the following section, we’ll walk you through the specifics of creating a clustered column chart in Excel 2016.

How to Make a Chart in Excel

After you input your data and select the cell range, you’re ready to choose the chart type. In this example, we’ll create a clustered column chart from the data we used in the previous section.

Step 1: Select Chart Type

Once your data is highlighted in the Workbook, click the Insert tab on the top banner. About halfway across the toolbar is a section with several chart options. Excel provides Recommended Charts based on popularity, but you can click any of the dropdown menus to select a different template.

Step 2: Create Your Chart

• From the Insert tab, click the column chart icon and select Clustered Column .

• Excel will automatically create a clustered chart column from your selected data. The chart will appear in the center of your workbook.
• To name your chart , double click the Chart Title text in the chart and type a title. We’ll call this chart “Product Profit 2013 - 2017.”

We’ll use this chart for the rest of the walkthrough. You can download this same chart to follow along.

‌ Download Sample Column Chart Template

There are two tabs on the toolbar that you will use to make adjustments to your chart: Chart Design and Format . Excel automatically applies design, layout, and format presets to charts and graphs, but you can add customization by exploring the tabs. Next, we’ll walk you through all the available adjustments in Chart Design .

Step 3: Add Chart Elements

Adding chart elements to your chart or graph will enhance it by clarifying data or providing additional context. You can select a chart element by clicking on the Add Chart Element dropdown menu in the top left-hand corner (beneath the Home tab).

To Display or Hide Axes:

To Add Axis Titles:

To Remove or Move Chart Title:

• Click None to remove chart title.
• Click Above Chart to place the title above the chart. If you create a chart title, Excel will automatically place it above the chart.
• Click Centered Overlay to place the title within the gridlines of the chart. Be careful with this option: you don’t want the title to cover any of your data or clutter your graph (as in the example below).

To Add Data Labels:

To Add a Data Table: 

• None is the default setting, where the data table is not duplicated within the chart.

Note: If you choose to include a data table, you’ll probably want to make your chart larger to accommodate the table. Simply click the corner of your chart and use drag-and-drop to resize your chart.

To Add Error Bars:

 To Add Gridlines:

To Add a Legend:  

To Add Lines: Lines are not available for clustered column charts. However, in other chart types where you only compare two variables, you can add lines (e.g. target, average, reference, etc.) to your chart by checking the appropriate option.

To Add a Trendline:

Note: You can create separate trendlines for as many variables in your chart as you like. For example, here is our chart with trendlines for Product A and Product C. 

To Add Up/Down Bars: Up/Down Bars are not available for a column chart, but you can use them in a line chart to show increases and decreases among data points.

Step 4: Adjust Quick Layout

Step 5: Change Colors

The next dropdown menu in the toolbar is Change Colors . Click the icon and choose the color palette that fits your needs (these needs could be aesthetic, or to match your brand’s colors and style).

Step 6: Change Style

For cluster column charts, there are 14 chart styles available. Excel will default to Style 1, but you can select any of the other styles to change the chart appearance. Use the arrow on the right of the image bar to view other options.

Step 7: Switch Row/Column

In this example, switching the row and column swaps the product and year (profit remains on the y-axis). The chart is now clustered by product (not year), and the color-coded legend refers to the year (not product). To avoid confusion here, click on the legend and change the titles from Series to Years .

Step 8: Select Data

Step 9: Change Chart Type

You can also save your chart as a template by clicking Save as Template …

Step 10: Move Chart

Step 11: Change Formatting

Step 12: Delete a Chart 

To delete a chart, simply click on it and click the Delete key on your keyboard.

How to Make a Graph in Excel

Because graphs and charts serve similar functions, Excel groups all graphs under the “chart” category. To create a graph in Excel, follow the steps below.

Select Range to Create a Graph from Workbook Data

Now you have a graph. To customize your graph, you can follow the same steps explained in the previous section. All functionality for creating a chart remains the same when creating a graph.

How to Create a Table in Excel

If you don’t need to visualize your data, you can create a table in Excel instead. There are two ways to format a data set as a table: manually, or with the Format as a Table button.

• Manually: In this example, we manually added data and formatted as a table by including column and row names (products and years).
• Use Excel’s Format as Table Preset: You can also input raw data (numbers without any column and row names).

Related Excel Functionality

Excel is one of the most widely-used tools across all industries and types of organizations. Charts and graphs are great tools to visualize your work, but there are many ways to elevate your data in Excel.

We’ve created a list of additional features that allow you to do more with your data:

• Pivot Tables: A pivot table allows you to extract certain columns or rows from a data set and reorganize or summarize that subset in a report. This is useful tool if you only want to view a particular segment of a large data set, or if you want to view data from a new perspective.
• Conditional Formatting : A powerful feature that allows you to apply specific formatting to certain cells in your spreadsheet. You can use conditional formatting to highlight key pieces of information, track changes, see deadlines, and perform many other data organization functions.
• Dashboards: A powerful, visual reporting feature that pulls data from one or several datasets to display key performance indicators (KPIs), project or task status, and several other metrics. This gives the audience (team members, executives, clients, etc.) a snapshot view into project progress without surfacing private information.
• Collaborative Charts: To avoid version control issues and allow multiple team members to edit a chart simultaneously, you’ll want to use a collaborative chart tool. The desktop versions of Excel do not support this, but you can use Excel for Office 365, Microsoft’s cloud-based web application, or several other online chart tools.
• Data Series: A data series is any row or column stored in your workbook that you’ve plotted into a chart or graph. Once you’ve created your chart, you can add additional data series to it: Simply highlight the additional data you want to add and the chart will automatically update.

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#1 Excel tutorial on the net

Create a Chart | Change Chart Type | Switch Row/Column | Legend Position | Data Labels

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.

4. Click OK.

Switch Row/Column

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

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.

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.

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.

1/17 Completed! Learn much more about charts > Go to Next Chapter: Pivot Tables

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How to create a graph or chart in excel, how to customize a graph or chart in excel.

Graphs and charts are useful visuals for displaying data. They allow you or your audience to see things like a summary, patterns, or trends at glance. Here's how to make a chart, commonly referred to as a graph, in Microsoft Excel.

Excel offers many types of graphs from funnel charts to bar graphs to waterfall charts . You can review recommended charts for your data selection or choose a specific type. And once you create the graph, you can customize it with all sorts of options.

Start by selecting the data you want to use for your chart. Go to the Insert tab and the Charts section of the ribbon. You can then use a suggested chart or select one yourself.

Choose a Recommended Chart

You can see which types of charts Excel suggests by clicking "Recommended Charts."

On the Recommended Charts tab in the window, you can review the suggestions on the left and see a preview on the right. If you'd like to use a chart you see, select it and click "OK."

Choose Your Own Chart

If you would prefer to select a graph on your own, click the All Charts tab at the top of the window. You'll see the types listed on the left. Select one to view the styles for that type of chart on the right. To use one, select it and click "OK."

Another way to choose the type of chart you want to use is by selecting it in the Charts section of the ribbon.

There is a drop-down arrow next to each chart type for you to pick the style. For example, if you choose a column or bar chart , you can select 2-D or 3-D column or 2-D or 3-D bar.

Whichever way you go about choosing the chart you want to use, it will pop right onto your sheet after you select it.

From there, you can customize everything from the colors and style to the elements that appear on the chart.

Related: How to Make a Bar Chart in Microsoft Excel

Just like there are various ways to select the type of chart you want to use in Excel, there are different methods for customizing it. You can use the Chart Design tab, the Format Chart sidebar, and on Windows, you can use the handy buttons on the right of the chart.

Use the Chart Design Tab

To display the Chart Design tab, select the chart. You'll then see many tools in the ribbon for adding chart elements, changing the layout, colors, or style, choosing different data, and switching rows and columns.

If you believe a different type of graph would work better for your data, simply click "Change Chart Type" and you'll see the same options as when you created the chart. So you can easily switch from a column chart to a combo chart , for instance.

Use the Format Chart Sidebar

For customizing the font, size, positioning , border, series, and axes, the sidebar is your go-to spot. Either double-click the chart or right-click it and pick "Format Chart Area" from the shortcut menu. To work with the different areas of your chart, go to the top of the sidebar.

Related: How to Lock the Position of a Chart in Excel

Click "Chart Options" and you'll see three tabs for Fill & Line, Effects, and Size & Properties. These apply to the base of your chart.

Click the drop-down arrow next to Chart Options to select a specific part of the chart. You can choose things like Horizontal or Vertical Axis, Plot Area, or a Series of data.

Click "Text Options" for any of the above Chart Options areas and the sidebar tabs change to Text Fill & Outline, Text Effects, and Textbox.

For whichever area you work with, each tab has its options directly below. Simply expand to customize that particular item.

As an example, if you choose to create a Pareto chart , you can customize the Pareto line with the type, color, transparency, width, and more.

Use the Chart Options on Windows

If you use Excel on Windows, you'll get a bonus of three helpful buttons to the right when you select your chart. From top to bottom, you have Chart Elements, Chart Styles, and Chart Filters.

Chart Elements : Add, remove, or position elements of the chart such as the axis titles, data labels , gridlines, trendline, and legend.

Chart Styles : Select a theme for your chart with different effects and backgrounds. Or choose a color scheme from colorful and monochromatic color palettes.

Chart Filters : For viewing particular parts of the data in your chart, you can use filters. Check the boxes under Series or Categories and click "Apply" at the bottom to update your chart and only include your selections.

Chart Filters are only available for certain types of charts.

Hopefully this guide will get you off to a great start with your chart. And if you use Sheets in addition to Excel, learn how to make a graph in Google Sheets too.

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How to Make a Flow Chart in Excel (Step-by-Step)

Flow charts are an excellent way to visually represent workflows, processes, and complex walkthroughs to reach a decision.

You can design flow charts in Excel using its wide array of tools and shapes. It allows detailing and customizing options to create professional-looking flow charts.

If you have a business process or a project timeline that you want to map out as a flow chart in Microsoft Excel, this tutorial is for you. In the sections that follow, I am going to show you how to create a flowchart in Excel, ensuring you can effectively communicate your ideas.

Table of Contents

Components of flow chart, creating a flow chart in excel using shapes, creating a flow chart in excel using smart art, what is a flow chart.

A flow chart is flowy (haha, just kidding).

It is a visual representation of a process, a decision tree, or a workflow. In the easiest words, a flow chart is a set of shapes (rectangle, oval, diamond or you name it) connected with arrows.

Each shape depicts a different activity, flow of control, or an activity. And believe me, we all know flow charts since secondary school. Let me quickly remind you what one looks like.

Flow charts are a great go-to tool for academics. Not only there, but you’ll also see it being used in fields like engineering, software development, and business (and where not) to simplify and clarify complex processes, enhance communication, and facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.

A flow chart primarily has the following components:

• Start/End (Terminator):

Represented by an oval shape, it indicates the beginning and the end of the process.

A rectangle that shows a step in the flow chart process where an action is performed.

A diamond shape that depicts a point in the process where a decision must be made (mostly Yes or No) before moving to different paths within the flowchart based on the decision.

• Input/Output:

A parallelogram that shows where data is inputted into or outputted from the process.

• Flow Lines/Arrows:

Arrows or flow lines are the joining lines within a flow chart that direct the flow from one step to another, showing the sequence of actions.

Connectors are the small circles or sometimes labeled arrows that connect different parts of long and complex flow charts.

That’s all about the basic flow chart introduction. It’s now time that we try creating one by ourselves to see how it comes out.

The basic and more appropriate (the manual way) of creating flow charts in Excel is by using the shapes library of Excel.

Excel has a huge library of shapes  from which you can choose any shape you like (starting from basic circles to a little complex ones like a wave or a scroll etc.

You can draw these shapes and then connect them using arrows to create a flow chart of your own. Don’t know how to make a flowchart? Let me walk you through the end-to-end process of creating flow charts in Excel using shapes in this section.

We are making a flow chart for a product assembly workflow in a factory. Starting from receiving the raw material to shipping the product.

The most important step for me in creating a flow chart in Excel is to remove the gridlines from the Excel sheet.

This gives you a clean canvas to create just as you like.

Step 1) Go to the View tab > Show group > Uncheck the option for Gridlines.

Step 2) Go to the Insert tab > Shapes.

Step 3) Scroll down to the Flowchart shapes section.

Step 4) Choose the shape that you want to use in your flow chart.

I am beginning with inserting an oval.

Step 5) Click and drag on the worksheet to draw an oval as the start shape.

Step 6) Double-click on the oval to write within it. Label it as “Start”.

Step 7) Go to Inserting shapes again > select a Rectangle shape.

Step 8) Draw it towards the right of the Start shape. Label it “Receive Raw Materials”.

We are making the flow chart horizontally (progressing towards the right). You can also make it from top to bottom.

Step 9) Draw another rectangle next to the previous one and label it “Inspect Quality”.

Until here we are covering steps within the process hence we are using rectangles. Make sure to keep the size of shapes similar.

If your flow chart involves making multiple shapes where the size of each shape must be the same, you can either hold down the Ctrl key and click each shape you want to align or resize.

This way all shapes will be sized simultaneously the same.

Or you can create one shape, size it as you like, and then copy-paste it instead of creating new shapes.

Lastly, once the shapes are created, select all the shapes > go to the Shape Format tab on the Ribbon > Size group > Set uniform height and width.

All the shapes will be sized to the same numbers.

Step 10) Draw a diamond next and label it as “Quality Acceptable?”.

Using a diamond since this is a decision point.

Step 11) Add two more rectangles slightly above and below the diamond to label as “Reject and Return” and “Assemble Product”.

Step 12) Draw another rectangle next to “Assemble Product” and label it as “Test Product”.

Step 13) Add more steps to the process by adding rectangles and label them as “Package Product” and “Ship Product”.

The structure of the flow chart is now ready. All we need to do is add arrows to connect together all the shapes.

Step 14) Go to the Insert tab > Shapes > select the Arrow shape.

Step 15) Draw arrows connecting one shape to another indicating the flow of the process.

Here’s how it looks with all the arrows added.

Step 16) At each decision point, add text boxes near the connecting arrows by going to the Insert tab > Text box.

Step 17) Write “Yes” and “No” in each textbox to make sense out of the flow chart

And you have the flow chart ready.

You can change the colors of the boxes by selecting each shape and exploring options from the Format Shape tab.

Similarly, you can play around the fonts and styles of the text inside each shape.

In short, with Excel, there are no limits to how you can design your flow chart. Bring out the artist inside you.

To lock the whole chart in place so that shapes don’t fall out as you move any one of multiple of them, press down the control key and select all the shapes, go to the Shape Format tab > Arrange group > Group button.

All the shapes will be grouped together and as you move any one of them, the whole flow chart will move (as if knitted together).

Creating the same chart as above can be simpler and quicker if you use Smart Art.

Let me show you how.

Step 1) Go to the Insert tab > Illustrations group > Smart Art.

Step 2) Choose the smart art graphic that suits your needs by exploring the different types in the left pane.

We are going with a style from the hierarchy as we have decision points and multiple options in our chart.

This is how it will initially look.

Step 3) Once inserted, you can add more shapes to it by right-clicking on any shape, choosing to add the shape before or after, below or above.

Step 4) Similarly, right-click on any shape > click on Change Shape to change the shapes within the flow chart.

Step 5) Keep adding shapes and changing them as and where you like.

SmartArt automatically connects shapes with arrows, but you can adjust connections by selecting a shape and using the tools provided in the SmartArt Tools tabs.

Step 6) Add text in each shape as desired.

Step 7) You can use the small circles on the borders of the flow chart to drag and resize the whole chart. Or you can resize individual shapes as you want.

Step 8) Once made, you can then go to the Smart Art Design tab and choose different designs and color palettes for the chart as you like.

Here’s how my final chart looks.

And, if you do not want the shapes to be connected as a flow chart after it is made, select the chart, and go to the SmartArt Design tab > Reset > Convert to Shapes button.

The chart will be converted into individual shapes (like in the above section). So, moving one shape will not affect the rest.

Using SmartArt, you can create detailed and visually appealing flow charts in Excel in no time.

Excel is an excellent tool when it comes to creating flow charts to visualize processes and workflows.

Just as we’ve seen in the above tutorial, there are many shapes and connecting tools in Excel that you can use to design clear and professional flow charts.

The best part about flow charts is that they enhance understanding and decision-making. Especially with all the flexibility that Excel offers for easy customization of flowcharts, you have the whole sky to create charts just how you like.

• If learning about creating flow charts in Excel is something you enjoy, must read the following Excel tutorials by Spreadsheeto.
• How to Make a Pivot Chart in Excel (Step-by-Step)
• How to Create a Waterfall Chart in Excel (Step-by-Step)
• List of All Excel Charts & How to Use Them (2024 Tutorial)

Written by Kasper Langmann

Hi, I'm  Kasper Langmann 👋

I'm the co-founder of Spreadsheeto, a certified Microsoft Office Specialist, and a Microsoft MVP.

With over 10 years of experience, I’ve taught Excel to millions of people worldwide.

I spent over 18 hours researching and writing this tutorial.

Last updated on August 29th, 2024.

Before you go, sign up for my free Excel course (+100,000 students) ->

Creating Advanced Charts in Excel: The Ultimate Guide for You

• riazul-islam
• August 30, 2024

Table of Contents

Hi there! As an Excel analyst, you know that charts allow you to visualize data and spot trends. But have you tapped into the true power of advanced charts?

These techniques are a total game-changer for showcasing key data insights!

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll equip you with everything you need to build advanced Excel charts that make an impact.

What are Advanced Excel Charts?

Good question! Advanced charts go several levels beyond basic column, bar, line and pie charts.

They empower you to:

• Mash up chart types (combo charts)
• Plot metrics on dual axes
• Incorporate projections and goals
• Customize all design elements

Advanced charts help you spotlight key data stories for smarter decision making.

Don‘t underestimate their value. Per research by Bryant University professor Richard Cheney, over 90% of all business information is visual . Reports and presentations simply work better with charts that simplify complex data analyses.

Now let‘s examine why it pays to have advanced charting skills up your sleeve…

Why Leverage Advanced Charts in Excel?

Here are 5 compelling reasons to take your Excel visualizations to the next level:

1. Compare Metrics Like a Pro

Charts with 2+ data series stacked or overlaid on shared/dual axes enable easy correlation spotting.

For example, this sales vs. profit combo chart determines how revenue performance impacts earnings:

No more flipping between separate basic charts to make data comparisons!

2. Reveal Trends Like a Detective

Advanced trendlines help uncover overall data direction despite periodic ups and downs.

Take this website traffic chart with a 2 period moving average:

The trendline cuts through noise revealing steady visitor growth. Now FBI crime statisticians would be proud!

3. Forecast the Future Like a Psychic

Enable chart elements like forecasting to predict future outcomes based on historical patterns.

This population forecast extends forward 5 years:

You‘ll gain an informational edge to put even tarot card readers to shame!

4. Design Like a Creative Director

Tweak everything including axes, labels, tick marks, data points, background, gridlines, 3D effects and plot area colors until it‘s boardroom-worthy.

See how this profit chart pops with customization:

Channel your inner Don Draper to make advanced chart designs that get everyone’s attention!

5. Animate Like a Filmmaker

With just a click, turn static charts into cinematic masterpieces that sequentially reveal key data narrative:

Advanced animation helps guide viewer attention for optimal flow. A Spielberg-esque touch!

Clearly, upgrading your Excel chart skillset turbocharges analysis. Let‘s build some charts!

How to Make Advanced Charts in Excel Step-by-Step

As an aspiring chart specialist, follow my lead through examples:

Setting the Scene

Say you run a blog and want to study article publication and visitor trends. You compile this monthly metric history:

OK, let’s make some magic charts to break down what’s going on!

1. Fuse Column and Line (Combo Chart)

First, overlay visitors as line over articles as columns via a combo chart for integrated analysis:

• Go to data → Recommended Charts → Combo → Clustered Column + Line
• Right click visitors line → Add Data Labels
• Change visitor chart type to line

Now you can correlate content volume with traffic levels. Powerful!

2. Smooth Things Out (Trendline)

Since months have natural ups and downs, let‘s expose the overall trend with a moving average:

• Right click visitors line → Add Trendline → Moving Average

The trendline cuts through noise revealing steadily increasing visitors over time.

3. Compare Scales (Dual Axes)

To plot the metrics along best-fit axes:

• Right click visitors line → Format Data Series → Secondary Axis

Dual vertical axes enable easier analysis of trends. Winning!

4. Glimpse the Future (Forecast)

Now let‘s glimpse visitor traffic 6 months ahead based on that growth trajectory:

• Right click visitors line → Add Trendline → Forecast – Display R-squared and set Forward 6 periods

Aha! We can expect over 250K visitors by December. Valuable planning insight!

5. Set an Achievement Bar (Benchmark)

To further aid goal setting, let‘s add a monthly visitor target to work towards:

• Click benchmark icon → Set Minimum e.g. 200000 → Fill → Border

Now you can tell if site traffic is on pace each month. Handy!

And voila…with just a few tweaks, a gorgeous advanced chart emerges from plain data!

Let this give you ideas and confidence to sophisticate your own Excel charts!

More Advanced Chart Varieties to Try

Here are more exotic chart types to take for a spin:

Waterfall Charts

Reveal contribution of positives and negatives to a total value:

Learn how »

Funnel Charts

Illustrate progression through sales/conversion stages:

Box and Whiskers Plots

Show data distribution insights:

The sky‘s the limit when visualizing data with Excel charts!

Expert Tips to Raise Your Chart Game

Applying these data visualization best practices will make your charts pop:

💡 Lead With the Trend First

• Plot overall increase/decrease before periodic fluctuations

📊 Label Mindfully

• Guide attention selectively without cluttering

🎨 Format for Emphasis

• Use colors, text size and styling deliberately

👁️ Keep It Simple

• Only show what’s necessary for clear understanding

🗺️ Set the Scene

• Include titles and axis labels for quick context

In my consulting experience, these tips help cut through complexity to deliver key data stories at a glance!

Take Your Excel Chart Skills to the Next Level

Ready to become a true visualization wizard? Here are more handy resources:

Reuse Chart Templates

Save custom charts as templates for quick future application:

Handy walkthrough »

Shape Data Trends

Customize data series with special distribution curves:

Build Dynamic Charts

Link charts to data ranges for automatic refresh:

Step-by-step »

Unlock More Awesome Chart Types

Peruse advanced chart options by chart type experts:

See examples »

The possibilities are endless! Start simple, then level up to advanced Excel charting techniques for stunning, insightful data visualization!

I hope this guide helps you on that journey to charting success. Now go wow everyone with your new skills!

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• Powerpoint Tutorials

How to Make a Chart in PowerPoint: Simple Guide

Creating charts in PowerPoint is a powerful way to present data visually, making it easier for your audience to understand complex information. When presenting data, charts can transform numbers into visual stories that are easier to understand and remember. PowerPoint offers a variety of chart types and customization options, making it an ideal tool for creating effective visual aids. In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a chart in PowerPoint step by step.

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding a Chart in PowerPoint

Step 1: open powerpoint and insert a new slide.

• Open PowerPoint and select the presentation you want to add a chart to or create a new presentation.
• Insert a new slide by clicking on the “New Slide” button in the “Home” tab.
• Choose a slide layout that includes a content placeholder (e.g., Title and Content).

Step 2: Insert a Chart

• Navigate to the “Insert” tab located in the ribbon at the top of the screen.
• Select “Chart” from the available options. This will open the “Insert Chart” dialog box.
• Select a chart style from the selection provided that best fits your data and style. PowerPoint offers various chart types like bar charts, line charts, pie charts, and more.

Step 3: Enter Chart Data

• Once you’ve selected your chart type, PowerPoint will insert a default chart on your slide and open an Excel spreadsheet window.
• Enter your data in the Excel spreadsheet. Each column and row represents different parts of your chart.
• As you input your data, the chart on your slide will update automatically.

Step 4: Customize Your Chart

• Click on the chart to select it. This will display the “Chart Tools” in the ribbon, with two tabs: “Design” and “Format.”
• Use the “Design” tab to change the chart style, switch rows and columns, or select a different chart type.
• Use the “Format” tab to customize the appearance of your chart, such as changing colors, adding effects, or modifying fonts.

Step 5: Add Chart Elements

• Click on the “Chart Elements” button (a plus sign) next to your chart to add or remove chart elements like titles, data labels, and legends.
• Check the boxes for the elements you want to include in your chart. For example, add a chart title to describe what the chart represents.

Tips for Creating Effective Charts

• Choose the Right Chart Type: Different chart types are better suited for different kinds of data. For example, use a pie chart for percentage distributions and a bar chart for comparing quantities.
• Keep it Simple: Avoid overloading your chart with excessive information. Focus on key data points to ensure clarity.
• Use Colors Wisely: Use contrasting colors to differentiate data points but avoid using too many colors, which can be distracting.
• Label Clearly: Ensure all axes and data points are clearly labeled to make your chart easy to understand.

Helpful Hints

Explore free chart powerpoint templates.

If you want to save time or need inspiration, try using free chart PowerPoint templates with editable charts available online. These templates offer a variety of pre-designed charts that you can customize to fit your data. Simply search for “free PowerPoint chart templates” to find numerous design options.

Learn More Presentation Hacks

Creating effective presentations involves more than just making charts. Visit our tips and tricks page to learn more presentation hacks and enhance your PowerPoint skills. From design tips to advanced features, our page offers valuable insights to help you create stunning presentations.

Creating charts in PowerPoint is a quick and easy process that can significantly enhance your presentations. By following these steps, you can design visually appealing and informative charts that clearly communicate your data. Don’t forget to explore free chart templates and visit our tips and tricks page for more presentation hacks. Happy charting!

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How to Merge Cells in Excel: Simple Steps and Best Practices

Merging and unmerging cells can transform your data into a clean, professional layout—but it’s not without its challenges.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to merge and unmerge cells in Excel, showing you the right way to keep your data organized and functional.

Plus, grab our free practice file with all keyboard shortcuts to follow along and master these skills quickly.

Let’s make your Excel sheets work for you, not against you!

In this tutorial:

• Why Merge Cells in Excel?
• How to Merge Cells in Excel
• Alternatives to Merging Cells
• How to Unmerge Cells in Excel
• How to Find Merged Cells in Excel
• Download the Workbook

Download the practice workbook 👉 HERE and follow along.

Merging cells in Excel is a great way to make a cell bigger, like when you need a larger cell for a title. It helps keep your spreadsheet neat and organized.

Even if you don’t use Excel often, don’t worry—merging cells is easy, and I’ll guide you through it step by step.

Merging cells combines two or more cells into one larger cell. This is useful when you want a title or label to stretch across multiple columns.

For example, if you merge cells A1, B1, and C1, you’ll get a single big cell that covers all three columns. It’s perfect for creating clear headers in your spreadsheet.

Merging cells is also handy when you want to make your spreadsheet look clean and professional. And the best part? You can do it with just a few clicks.

Let’s start with the basics. Here’s how you can merge cells in Excel:

1. Merge & Center

This is the easiest and most common way to merge cells.

This option combines the selected cells into one single cell and centers the content in that new merged cell.

• Click and drag to select the cells you want to merge (e.g., A1 to D1)
• Go to the Home tab at the top of the screen.
• Click on Merge & Center .

💡 When you merge cells, only the content in the top-left cell stays. The rest of the data will disappear. So make sure you don’t need that information before merging.

Merge and Center Shortcut

Use the keyboard shortcut ALT + H + M + C to merge and center.

2. Merge Cells without Centering

You can also merge cells but keep the original text alignment:

• Click the arrow next to Merge & Center.
• Then, select Merge Cells from the dropdown.

Merge Cells Shortcut

Use the keyboard shortcut ALT + H + M + M to merge without centering.

3. Merge Across

Merge Across merges cells in each row separately , rather than merging all selected cells into one large cell.

• Select the cells in the row you want to merge, e.g.,
• Go to the Home tab.
• Click the arrow next to Merge & Center and choose Merge Across from the dropdown.

This will combine the selected cells across each row without affecting other rows.

Merge Across Shortcut

Use the keyboard shortcut ALT + H + M + A to merge without centering.

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Merging cells in Excel can be helpful for formatting purposes, such as creating headers or organizing data in a visually appealing way.

However, merging cells can also create problems, especially when it comes to sorting, filtering, or performing calculations. Let’s explore the alternatives you can use instead.

1. Center Across Selection

Centers text across a selection of cells without actually merging them.

Use this when you want the visual effect of merged cells but still need the data in individual cells for sorting, filtering, or calculations.

• Select the range of cells where you want to center the text.
• On the Excel ribbon, go to the Home tab.
• In the Alignment section, click the small angled arrow in the bottom-right corner to open the Format Cells dialog box.

• In the Format Cells dialog box, go to the Alignment tab.
• Under Horizontal , select Center Across Selection and click OK.

This will center the title “Employee Rating” across columns A to D while keeping each column separate .

2. Combining Data Using Formulas

Sometimes, you need to combine data from multiple cells in Excel without actually merging them. This is especially useful when you want to keep the data in individual cells for sorting or filtering, but you also need a combined view.

Here’s how you can do it using simple formulas.

Using the Ampersand (&) Method

The ampersand (&) is the simplest way to combine text from different cells.

• Click on an empty cell where you want the combined data, e.g., cell C2.
• Enter a formula that combines the content of the cells. For example, if you want to combine a first name in cell A2 and a last name in cell B2, you would use:

This formula will join the first name and last name with a space in between.

Using the TEXTJOIN Function for Lists

TEXTJOIN is perfect for situations where you need to combine multiple cells with a separator, such as creating a list of items.

• Suppose you have a list of names in cells A2 to A7.
• You want to create a single cell, e.g., B2 that lists all tasks separated by commas.

• Click on an empty cell where you want the combined data, e.g., B2
• Use the TEXTJOIN function. For example, if your names are in cells A2 through A7

This formula will combine all tasks into one cell, with each task separated by a comma and a space.

Master NEW Excel Functions in Office 365 & Office 2021

Sometimes, you might need to undo a merge in Excel to get back the original layout of your data.

Unmerging cells is simple and helps you restore the original structure without losing important information.

• Select the Merged Cell : Click on the cell that has been merged.
• Navigate to the Home Tab : Go to the Home tab on the Excel ribbon.
• Unmerge : Click the arrow next to Merge & Center and choose Unmerge Cells from the dropdown menu.

💡 Your cells will return to their original state. Note that only the content from the top-left cell remains, while the other cells will be empty.

Finding merged cells, especially in a large spreadsheet, can be tricky. Excel provides a quick way to locate all merged cells in your worksheet.

• Click Find & Select in the Editing group, then choose Find.

• In the Find dialog box, click on Options .
• Search within the sheet or the entire workbook by choosing from the Within dropdown.
• Click the Format button.

• In the Format Cells dialog, go to the Alignment tab.
• Check the box for Merge cells and click OK.

• Click Find All to generate a list of all merged cells in your selected range (sheet or workbook).
• Click on any result in the list and then use the shortcut Ctrl + A to highlight all the merged cells found.
• With all merged cells selected, apply a background color or border to easily spot them in your data.

Enhance your learning experience by downloading our workbook. Practice the techniques discussed in real-time and master how to merge cells in Excel with hands-on examples.

Download the workbook here and start applying what you’ve learned directly in Excel.

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Present data in a chart

If Excel is installed on your computer, you can take advantage of the advanced charting capabilities in Word.

What do you want to do?

Learn about charts, step 1: create a basic chart.

Insert a chart by embedding it into your document

Paste a linked Excel chart into your document

Arrange the excel worksheet data, step 2: change the layout or style of a chart, apply a predefined chart layout, apply a predefined chart style, change the format of chart elements manually, step 3: add or remove titles or data labels, add a chart title, add axis titles, add data labels, step 4: show or hide a legend, step 5: display or hide primary chart axes or gridlines, step 6: move or resize a chart, move a chart, resize a chart, step 7: save a chart as a template.

Charts are used to display series of numeric data in a graphical format to make it easier to understand large quantities of data and the relationship between different series of data.

1. Worksheet data

2. Chart created from worksheet data

Excel supports many types of charts to help you display data in ways that are meaningful to your audience. When you create a chart or change an existing chart, you can select from a variety of chart types (such as a column chart or a pie chart) and their subtypes (such as a stacked column chart or a pie in 3-D chart). You can also create a combination chart by using more than one chart type in your chart.

For more information about the chart types that you can select in Excel, see Available chart types .

Getting to know the elements of a chart

A chart has many elements. Some of these elements are displayed by default, others can be added as needed. You can change the display of the chart elements by moving them to other locations in the chart, resizing them, or by changing the format. You can also remove chart elements that you do not want to display.

1. The chart area of the chart.

2. The plot area of the chart.

3. The data points of the data series that are plotted in the chart.

4. The horizontal (category) and vertical (value) axis along which the data is plotted in the chart.

5. The legend of the chart.

6. A chart and axis title that you can use in the chart.

7. A data label that you can use to identify the details of a data point in a data series.

Modifying a basic chart to meet your needs

After you create a chart, you can modify any one of its elements. For example, you might want to change the way that axes are displayed, add a chart title, move or hide the legend, or display additional chart elements.

To modify a chart, you can:

Change the display of chart axes     You can specify the scale of axes and adjust the interval between the values or categories that are displayed. To make your chart easier to read, you can also add tick marks to an axis, and specify the interval at which they will appear.

Add titles and data labels to a chart     To help clarify the information that appears in your chart, you can add a chart title, axis titles, and data labels.

Add a legend or data table      You can show or hide a legend, change its location, or modify the legend entries. In some charts, you can also show a data table that displays the legend keys and the values that are presented in the chart.

Apply special options for each chart type     Special lines (such as high-low lines and trendlines), bars (such as up-down bars and error bars), data markers, and other options are available for different chart types.

Applying a predefined chart layout and chart style for a professional look

Instead of manually adding or changing chart elements or formatting the chart, you can quickly apply a predefined chart layout and chart style to your chart. Word provides a variety of useful predefined layouts and styles that you can select, but you can fine-tune a layout or style if it is needed by making manual changes to the layout and format of individual chart elements, such as the chart area, plot area, data series, or legend of the chart.

When you apply a predefined chart layout, a specific set of chart elements (such as titles, a legend, a data table, or data labels) are displayed in a specific arrangement in your chart. You can select from a variety of layouts that are provided for each chart type.

When you apply a predefined chart style, the chart is formatted based on the document theme that you have applied, so that your chart matches your organization's or your own theme colors (a set of colors), theme fonts (a set of heading and body text fonts), and theme effects (a set of lines and fill effects).

You cannot create your own chart layouts or styles, but you can create chart templates that include the chart layout and formatting that you want.

Adding eye-catching formatting to a chart

In addition to applying a predefined chart style, you can easily apply formatting to individual chart elements such as data markers, the chart area, the plot area, and the numbers and text in titles and labels to give your chart a custom, eye-catching look. You can apply specific shape styles and WordArt styles, and you can also format the shapes and text of chart elements manually.

To add formatting, you can:

Fill chart elements     You can use colors, textures, pictures, and gradient fills to help draw attention to specific chart elements.

Change the outline of chart elements     You can use colors, line styles, and line weights to emphasize chart elements.

Add special effects to chart elements     You can apply special effects, such as shadow, reflection, glow, soft edges, bevel, and 3-D rotation to chart element shapes, which gives your chart a finished look.

Format text and numbers     You can format text and numbers in titles, labels, and text boxes on a chart as you would text and numbers on a worksheet. To make text and numbers stand out, you can even apply WordArt styles.

Reusing charts by creating chart templates

If you want to reuse a chart that you customized to meet your needs, you can save that chart as a chart template (*.crtx) in the chart templates folder. When you create a chart, you can then apply the chart template just as you would any other built-in chart type. In fact, chart templates are custom chart types — you can also use them to change the chart type of an existing chart. If you use a specific chart template frequently, you can save it as the default chart type.

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You can add a chart to your Word document in one of two ways: insert a chart by embedding it into your Word document or paste an Excel chart into your Word document that is linked to data in an Excel worksheet. The main differences between embedded charts and linked charts are where the data is stored and how you update the data after you place it in the Word document.

Note:  Some chart types require a specific data arrangement in the Excel worksheet. For more information, see Arrange the Excel worksheet data .

Insert a chart by embedding it in your document

When you embed an Excel chart, information in the Word file doesn't change if you modify the source Excel file. Embedded objects become part of the Word file and, after they are inserted, they are no longer part of the source file.

Because the information is totally contained in one Word document, embedding is useful when you don't want the information to reflect changes in the source file, or when you don't want the document recipients to be concerned with updating the linked information.

In your Word document, click Insert > Chart .

Select the type of chart you want, such as column or pie chart, and click OK . (If you’re not sure which to choose, move down the All Charts list to preview each type.)

Enter your data into the spreadsheet that automatically opens with the chart. The chart will update to match the data after you finish typing data into one cell and move to the next.

You can create and copy a chart in an external Excel worksheet, and paste a linked version of the chart into your Word document. When a chart is linked, information can be updated if the external Excel worksheet is modified. Linked data is stored in the Excel worksheet. The Word document stores only the location of the source file, and it displays a representation of the linked data.

Linking is also useful when you want to include information that is maintained independently, such as data collected by a different department, and when you need to keep that information up-to-date in a Word document. For more information about creating charts in Excel, see Create a chart .

In Excel, select the chart by clicking its border, and then on the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Cut .

The chart is removed, but the data remains in Excel.

In Word, click where you want to insert the chart in the document.

On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Paste .

The Paste Options button indicates that the chart is linked to data in Excel.

Save the Word document with the chart that you linked to data in Excel.

When you reopen the Word document, click Yes to update the Excel data.

You can also create visual representations of information by using SmartArt graphics. For more information, see Create a SmartArt graphic .

For most charts, such as column and bar charts, you can plot the data that you arrange in rows or columns on a worksheet into a chart. However, some chart types (such as pie and bubble charts) require a specific data arrangement.

On the worksheet, arrange the data that you want to plot in a chart.

The data can be arranged in rows or columns — Excel automatically determines the best way to plot the data in the chart. Some chart types (such as pie and bubble charts) require a specific data arrangement as described in the following table.

Column, bar, line, area, surface, or radar chart

In columns or rows, such as: Lorem Ipsum 1 2 3 4 Lorem 1 3 Ipsum 2 4 Pie or doughnut chart For one data series, in one column or row of data and one column or row of data labels, such as: A 1 B 2 C 3 A B C 1 2 3 For multiple data series, in multiple columns or rows of data and one column or row of data labels, such as: A 1 2 B 3 4 C 5 6 A B C 1 2 3 4 5 6 XY (scatter) or bubble chart In columns, placing x values in the first column and corresponding y values and bubble size values in adjacent columns, like: X Y Bubble size 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stock chart In columns or rows in the following order, using names or dates as labels: high values, low values, and closing values Date High Low Close 1/1/2002 46.125 42 44.063 Date 1/1/2002 High 46.125 Low 42 Close 44.063 Select the cells that contain the data that you want to use for the chart. Tip:  If you select only one cell, Excel automatically plots all cells that contain data that is adjacent to that cell into a chart. If the cells that you want to plot in a chart are not in a continuous range, you can select nonadjacent cells or ranges as long as the selection forms a rectangle. You can also hide the rows or columns that you do not want to plot in the chart. How to select cells, ranges, rows, or columns A single cell Click the cell, or press the arrow keys to move to the cell. A range of cells Click the first cell in the range, and then drag to the last cell, or hold down SHIFT while you press the arrow keys to extend the selection. You can also select the first cell in the range, and then press F8 to extend the selection by using the arrow keys. To stop extending the selection, press F8 again. A large range of cells Click the first cell in the range, and then hold down SHIFT while you click the last cell in the range. You can scroll to make the last cell visible. All cells on a worksheet Click the button. To select the entire worksheet, you can also press CTRL+A. If the worksheet contains data, CTRL+A selects the current region. Pressing CTRL+A a second time selects the entire worksheet. Nonadjacent cells or cell ranges Select the first cell or range of cells, and then hold down CTRL while you select the other cells or ranges. You can also select the first cell or range of cells, and then press SHIFT+F8 to add another nonadjacent cell or range to the selection. To stop adding cells or ranges to the selection, press SHIFT+F8 again. You cannot cancel the selection of a cell or range of cells in a nonadjacent selection without canceling the entire selection. An entire row or column Click the row or column heading. 1. Row heading 2. Column heading You can also select cells in a row or column by selecting the first cell and then pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key (RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW for rows, UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW for columns). If the row or column contains data, CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key selects the row or column to the last used cell. Pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key a second time selects the entire row or column. Adjacent rows or columns Drag across the row or column headings. Or select the first row or column; then hold down SHIFT while you select the last row or column. Nonadjacent rows or columns Click the column or row heading of the first row or column in your selection; then hold down CTRL while you click the column or row headings of other rows or columns that you want to add to the selection. The first or last cell in a row or column Select a cell in the row or column, and then press CTRL+ARROW key (RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW for rows, UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW for columns). The first or last cell on a worksheet or in a Microsoft Office Excel table Press CTRL+HOME to select the first cell on the worksheet or in an Excel list. Press CTRL+END to select the last cell on the worksheet or in an Excel list that contains data or formatting. Cells to the last used cell on the worksheet (lower-right corner) Select the first cell, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+END to extend the selection of cells to the last used cell on the worksheet (lower-right corner). Cells to the beginning of the worksheet Select the first cell, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+HOME to extend the selection of cells to the beginning of the worksheet. More or fewer cells than the active selection Hold down SHIFT while you click the last cell that you want to include in the new selection. The rectangular range between the active cell and the cell that you click becomes the new selection. To cancel a selection of cells, click any cell on the worksheet. On the Insert tab, in the Charts group, do one of the following: Click the chart type, and then click a chart subtype that you want to use. To see all available chart types, click a chart type, and then click All Chart Types or the More menu item to display the Insert Chart dialog box, click the arrows to scroll through all available chart types and chart subtypes, and then click the ones that you want to use. A ScreenTip displays the chart type name when you rest the mouse pointer over any chart type or chart subtype. For more information about the chart types that you can use, see Available chart types . By default, the chart is placed on the worksheet as an embedded chart. If you want to place the chart in a separate chart sheet, you can change its location by doing the following: Click the embedded chart to select it. This displays the Chart Tools tab. On the Design tab, in the Location group, click Move Chart . Under Choose where you want the chart to be placed , do one of the following: To display the chart in a chart sheet, click New sheet . If you want to replace the suggested name for the chart, you can type a new name in the New sheet box. To display the chart as an embedded chart in a worksheet, click Object in , and then click a worksheet in the Object in box. To quickly create a chart that is based on the default chart type, select the data that you want to use for the chart, and then press ALT+F1. When you press ALT+F1, the chart is displayed as an embedded chart. When you create a chart, Excel determines the orientation of the data series based on the nnumber of worksheet rows and columns that are included in the chart. After you create a chart, you can change the way that worksheet rows and columns are plotted in the chart by switching rows to columns or vice versa. If you no longer need a chart, you can delete it. Click the chart to select it, and then press DELETE. After you create a chart, you can instantly change its look. Instead of manually adding or changing chart elements or formatting the chart, you can quickly apply a predefined layout and style to your chart. Word provides a variety of useful predefined layouts and styles (or quick layouts and quick styles) that you can select from, but you can customize a layout or style as needed by manually changing the layout and format of individual chart elements. Click the chart that you want to format by using a predefined chart layout. This displays the Chart Tools tab, adding the Design and Format tabs. On the Design tab, in the Chart Layouts group, click Quick Layout , and then click the chart layout that you want to use. Click the chart that you want to format by using a predefined chart style. This displays the Chart Tools , adding the Design and Format tabs. On the Design tab, in the Chart Styles group, click the chart style that you want to use. Click the chart or the chart element for which you want to change the style, or do the following to select a chart element from a list of chart elements. Click a chart to display the Chart Tools . On the Format tab, in the Current Selection group, click the arrow next to the Chart Elements box, and then click the chart element that you want. On the Format tab, do any of the following: To format any selected chart element, in the Current Selection group, click Format Selection , and then select the formatting options that you want. To format the shape of a selected chart element, in the Shape Styles group, click the style that you want, or click Shape Fill , Shape Outline , or Shape Effects , and then select the formatting options that you want. To format the text in a selected chart element by using WordArt, in the WordArt Styles group, click the style that you want, or click Text Fill , Text Outline , or Text Effects , and then select the formatting options that you want. Note:  After you apply a WordArt style, you cannot remove the WordArt format. If you do not want the WordArt style that you applied, you can select another WordArt style, or you can click Undo on the Quick Access Toolbar to return to the previous text format. Tip:  To use regular text formatting to format the text in chart elements, you can right-click or select the text, and then click the formatting options that you want on the Mini toolbar . You can also use the formatting buttons on the Ribbon ( Home tab, Font group). To make a chart easier to understand, you can add titles, such as a chart title and axis titles. Axis titles are typically available for all axes that can be displayed in a chart, including depth (series) axes in 3-D charts. Some chart types (such as radar charts) have axes, but they cannot display axis titles. Chart types that do not have axes (such as pie and doughnut charts) cannot display axis titles either. You can also link chart and axis titles to corresponding text in worksheet cells by creating a reference to those cells. Linked titles are automatically updated in the chart when you change the corresponding text on the worksheet. To quickly identify a data series in a chart, you can add data labels to the data points of the chart. By default, the data labels are linked to values on the worksheet, and they update automatically when changes are made to these values. In the Chart Elements list that appears, select Chart Title . In the Chart Title text box that appears in the chart, type the text that you want. To insert a line break, click to place the pointer where you want to break the line, and then press ENTER. To format the text, select it, and then click the formatting options that you want on the Mini toolbar . In the Chart Elements list that appears, select Axis Titles . Select the axis titles that are added to your chart and type the text that you want. In the Chart Elements list that appears, select Data Labels . Select the data labels that are added to your chart and type the text that you want. Note:  Depending on the chart type that you used, different data label options will be available. For more information about how to change data label entries or how to reposition data labels, see Add or remove data labels in a chart . When you create a chart, the legend appears, but you can hide the legend or change its location after you create the chart. In the Chart Elements list that appears, select or clear Legend . When a chart has a legend displayed, you can modify the individual legend entries. For more information, see Modify chart legend entries . When you create a chart, primary axes are displayed for most chart types. You can turn them on or off as needed. When you add axes, you can specify the level of detail that you want the axes to display. A depth axis is displayed when you create a 3-D chart. To make a chart easier to read, you can display or hide the horizontal and vertical chart gridlines that extend from any horizontal and vertical axes across the plot area of the chart. In the Chart Elements list that appears, select or clear Axes or Gridlines . You can move a chart to any location on a document. You can also change the size of the chart for a better fit. To move a chart, drag it to the location that you want. To resize a chart, do one of the following: Click the chart, and then drag the sizing handles to the size that you want. On the Format tab, in the Size group, enter the size in the Shape Height and Shape Width box. If you want to create another chart like the one that you just created, you can save the chart as a template that you can use as the basis for other similar charts. Right-click the chart that you want to save as a template, and then click Save as Template . In the File name box, type a name for the template. Note:  A chart template contains chart formatting and stores the colors that are in use when you save the chart as a template. When you use a chart template to create a chart in another workbook, the new chart uses the colors of the chart template — not the colors of the document theme that is currently applied to the workbook. To use the document theme colors instead of the chart template colors, right-click the chart area, and then click Reset to Match Style on the shortcut menu. Need more help? Want more options. Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more. Microsoft 365 subscription benefits Microsoft 365 training Microsoft security Accessibility center Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge. Ask the Microsoft Community Microsoft Tech Community Windows Insiders Microsoft 365 Insiders Was this information helpful? Thank you for your feedback. Diagram Tool Business Use Individual Use A Detailed Steps to Create Powerful Funnel Chart Excel At the heart of a successful business is its sales pipeline. Yet, dealing with complex data can be challenging, hindering your capacity to examine your sales process and identify improvement areas. Funnel chart Excel is a visually engaging instrument that illuminates your sales journey. This guide will provide you with the know-how to construct effective funnel charts in Excel, guiding you through a series of steps from organizing data to personalizing your chart. Let's also recognize the best alternative, MindOnMap. We'll cover both techniques, enabling you to select the best method that matches your abilities and requirements. Let's turn your sales pipeline data into a valuable and enlightening visual story. GETPIVOTDATA for working with pivot tables in Excel The GETPIVOTDATA function is designed for dynamically extracting data from a PivotTable. When data or even the structure of a PivotTable is updated or changed, the GETPIVOTDATA function automatically updates the values it returns. It's more than just a cell reference; this function has much more to offer. Let's explore its capabilities. Preparing source data and a PivotTable for the example For this example, create a table with initial values of monthly financial indicators for a 2-year accounting period: Based on this source data, we will build a PivotTable. To do this, select the cell range A1:G25 or simply place the Excel cursor within this range, and the source table will be automatically recognized. Then, choose the tool: Insert – Tables – PivotTable. In the PivotTable creation and setup wizard, fill in the two fields as shown in the image above: “Table/Range:” – specify the data source reference here, Sheet1!$A$1:$G$25. In the options section, “Choose where you want the PivotTable to be placed,” activate the “Existing Worksheet” option, and in the “Location:” input field, specify the reference to cell A27 to place it on the current sheet. Configure the fields in the PivotTable builder so that the rows contain months, and the values show the gross profit indicator, as shown in the image below: Example of using the GETPIVOTDATA function in Excel Next to the source data table in the cell range I1:J13, create a table to build a vertical bar chart. The row headers should be abbreviated month names, just like in the source table, and the column headers should match the source data. Then, fill the chart table with values from the PivotTable. To do this, enter an equals sign in cell J2 and point to the first value in the second column of the PivotTable (opposite the month JAN). As a result, a formula with pre-filled GETPIVOTDATA arguments will be automatically generated. The auto-generation function is enabled by default. You can check by selecting the option: PivotTable Analyze – PivotTable – Options - Generate GetPivotData. If the option is checked, it means auto-generation of the function is enabled. We just need to slightly modify the arguments to automatically fill the entire column of the chart table. In the first argument, specify the name of the selected column in the PivotTable. Instead of the text string “Gross Profit,” use the CONCATENATE function, with its arguments being an absolute reference to the cell with the column header $J$1 and an empty string “”. This way, with the CONCATENATE function, we convert any value in cell $J$1 to a text data type. This is a requirement of the GETPIVOTDATA function; otherwise, it will not read the value and will return an error. In the last argument of the GETPIVOTDATA function, specify the row names. We don't need to convert the data to a text string type here; just provide a relative reference to the cell with the month name (for JAN – this is I2). Fill the entire column with the formula, and the chart table will automatically populate with values from the PivotTable. The chart table is ready, and we can now build a horizontal bar chart based on it. GETPIVOTDATA for dynamic charts in Excel Select the cell range of the chart table I1:J13, then choose the tool: Insert – Charts – 2-D Column – Clustered Column. At this stage, the logical question arises: why not use regular cell references instead of the GETPIVOTDATA function? To give a complete answer with a clear example, we'll need to add a control element to the PivotTable. Adding data visualization control buttons We'll add the main advantage of PivotTables for data visualization and dashboard development – data slicers. Move the Excel cursor to the PivotTable area A27:B40 and select the tool: Insert – Filters – Slicer. Now we can filter the PivotTable data and manage data visualization on the chart. Advantages of using the GETPIVOTDATA function Note! If we had used regular cell references instead of the GETPIVOTDATA function, we wouldn't have been able to display the correct visualization structure on the chart because the PivotTable structure has changed significantly. Now it only has 3 rows, and the months are selected only from the third quarter. The PivotTable structure can be changed not only vertically by rows but also horizontally by columns. In the PivotTable builder, edit and configure the fields as shown in the image below: In the final value for the new column “Debt-to-Equity Ratio,” change the calculation operation from Sum to Average, as this column displays percentage values. Extracting final values from the PivotTable Now let's create a new mini-table for the chart with two rows and two columns. This time, we'll refer to the final value of the new column in the PivotTable in the row with the Grand Total header. Now, only two months are selected, and the PivotTable structure has also changed both horizontally and vertically because we've added another column. The location of the final values on the sheet has also changed. If we had used cell references in the chart tables instead of the GETPIVOTDATA function, we would have had to change the reference addresses after editing the PivotTable in the builder. We would also have had to create smart formulas to catch the cell location with the final value when the number of selected months changes. It is much more efficient to use the GETPIVOTDATA function, but if desired, for special cases, you can use regular references as you like. Excel doesn't limit us. In most cases, it is recommended to extract data from a PivotTable using the standard GETPIVOTDATA function. Presentation of the function in a ready-made example Workflow of dashboards using the GETPIVOTDATA function: The diagram simplistically shows the stages of transforming source information into interactive data visualization in Excel. For practice and to fully understand the material, we recommend viewing the GETPIVOTDATA function in action in a dashboard template with interactive visualization of key financial indicators: You can now study a ready-made example using the Excel dashboard template. This will make it easier for you to learn how to create interactive dashboards with data slicer controls for PivotTables on your own. Excel Formula Examples Create table Excel Functions Formulas and ranges Sort and filter Charts in Excel Pivot Tables Printing sheets Databases and XML Excel features Settings and Options Excel Classes Download Examples Privacy Policy Contact [email protected] +14372198199 Insert New Line in Excel Cell – Line Break in Excel (Carriage Return) Post author By Bizinfograph Staff Post date September 3, 2024 No Comments on Insert New Line in Excel Cell – Line Break in Excel (Carriage Return) Introduction to Line Breaks in Excel Understanding Line Breaks in Excel A line break in Excel refers to the insertion of a new line within a cell, allowing text to appear on multiple lines instead of a single continuous string. This is particularly useful for formatting purposes, making data easier to read and organize within an Excel cell. For instance, when working with addresses, notes, or long sentences, you may need to create a new line within the cell to separate text logically. Understanding how to insert and manage line breaks is essential for creating well-organized and visually appealing Excel sheets. Whether you’re working in Microsoft Excel on Office 365 or any other version, the ability to insert line breaks will enhance the readability of your data. Common Scenarios for Inserting Line Breaks in Excel Cells Line breaks in Excel are often used when dealing with lengthy text strings that would otherwise overflow beyond the cell’s boundaries. Common scenarios include formatting addresses, creating lists within a single cell, or separating different pieces of information within the same cell value. For example, if you are listing a multi-line address in a single Excel cell, a line break allows each part of the address to appear on its own line. This makes the data cleaner and easier to scan. Similarly, when combining multiple text strings with the CONCATENATE function, adding a line break can help separate the concatenated data onto different lines within the cell. How to Insert a Line Break (Start a New Line in Excel) Using keyboard shortcuts to insert a line break. One of the quickest ways to insert a line break in an Excel cell is by using a keyboard shortcut. The most common shortcut is Alt + Enter , which you can use while typing within a cell. To start a new line in Excel, place your cursor where you want the line break, then press Alt + Enter . This will create a new line within the same cell without affecting the rest of the text. This method is particularly useful when you’re working on a spreadsheet and need to quickly format text across multiple lines within a single cell. This shortcut is supported across different versions of Microsoft Excel and is an essential tool for anyone looking to enhance their data presentation. Manually Inserting a Line Break Cell in Excel To manually insert a line break in Excel , you can select the cell where you want to add a line break, then click on the Formula Bar to place your cursor at the desired insertion point. After positioning the cursor, press Alt + Enter to create a new line within the cell. This method gives you precise control over where the line break appears, which is particularly useful for organizing complex text entries. For example, if you’re entering a multi-line address, you can manually add line breaks after each component (e.g., street, city, zip code) to ensure the text is formatted correctly within the cell. This manual approach is also useful when reviewing or editing existing text that needs to be adjusted for better readability. Advanced Techniques for Line Breaks (Carriage Return within a cell) in Excel Inserting line breaks using excel formulas. Excel allows you to insert line breaks using formulas, which is particularly useful when automating text formatting across multiple cells. You can use the CHAR function in combination with other text functions like CONCATENATE or TEXTJOIN to insert a line break within a formula. For example, =A1 & CHAR(10) & B1 will combine the text from cell A1 and B1 with a line break in between. The CHAR function with the value 10 represents a line break in Excel. This method is ideal when you need to create dynamic text that requires consistent formatting across several cells. Using Excel formulas to insert line breaks is an advanced technique that enhances the versatility of your spreadsheets. Using “Find and Replace” to Add Line Breaks The “Find and Replace” feature in Excel can also be used to insert line breaks, especially when you need to add breaks after specific characters across multiple cells. To do this, open the “Find and Replace” dialog (Ctrl + H), and in the “Find what” field, enter the character after which you want the line break. In the “Replace with” field, type the character followed by Ctrl + J (which represents a line break in Excel). This method is particularly useful for batch processing large datasets where you need to insert line breaks after specific characters, such as commas or periods, across multiple cells. It’s an efficient way to automate the insertion of line breaks without manually editing each cell. Formatting and Managing Line Breaks in Excel Cells How to wrap text in excel to display line breaks. When you insert a line break in Excel, you often need to enable the “Wrap Text” feature to display the text correctly within the cell. Wrap Text ensures that all the text, including lines created by line breaks, fits within the cell’s boundaries. To turn on Wrap Text, select the cell(s) containing the line breaks, go to the Home tab, and click on “Wrap Text” in the Alignment group. This setting allows Excel to automatically adjust the cell height to fit the multi-line text, ensuring that all the content is visible. Wrap Text is a crucial formatting tool for any spreadsheet that includes line breaks, as it ensures that your data remains easy to read and well-organized. Handling Multiple Line Breaks in a Single Cell Managing multiple line breaks within a single cell can be tricky, especially when dealing with extensive text data. To handle multiple lines effectively, you can use a combination of manual line breaks and the Wrap Text feature to control how text is displayed. For example, if you’re creating a list within a cell, you might insert a line break after each item to create a neat, multi-line list. Excel automatically adjusts the row height to accommodate the additional lines, but you can also manually adjust the cell height if needed. Handling multiple line breaks properly ensures that your Excel sheet remains clean, organized, and easy to navigate, even when dealing with complex data. Troubleshooting Common Issues with Line Breaks Line breaks not displaying properly in excel cells. If line breaks are not displaying correctly in Excel cells, the issue is often related to cell formatting or Wrap Text settings. Ensure that Wrap Text is enabled for the cells in question, as this feature allows Excel to adjust the cell height to accommodate multiple lines. If line breaks still don’t appear, check the formatting of the cells to ensure that no other settings are interfering with the text display. Additionally, make sure that the line breaks were correctly inserted using Alt + Enter or an appropriate formula. Troubleshooting these common issues ensures that your data is presented as intended and remains readable across different platforms and devices. Removing Unwanted Line Break in Excel Sometimes, you might need to remove line breaks that were mistakenly added or are no longer needed. You can do this manually by editing the cell content and deleting the line breaks using the Delete or Backspace key. For batch processing, you can use the “Find and Replace” feature. Open the “Find and Replace” dialog (Ctrl + H), type Ctrl + J in the “Find what” field to locate line breaks, and leave the “Replace with” field empty to remove them. This method is particularly useful when you need to clean up data that includes excessive or unwanted line breaks, ensuring that your Excel sheet remains neat and well-organized. Recap of Methods to Insert Line Breaks in Excel Cells Inserting line breaks in Excel can be done through various methods, including keyboard shortcuts like Alt + Enter , using formulas with the CHAR function, and employing the “Find and Replace” tool for bulk editing. Each method serves different needs, whether you’re manually adjusting text within a single cell or automating the process across multiple cells. Understanding these methods allows you to efficiently manage text formatting in Excel, ensuring that your data is well-organized and easy to read. Whether you’re creating lists, formatting addresses, or simply improving the layout of text in your Excel sheets, mastering line breaks is an essential skill. Choosing the Best Technique for Your Needs in Excel The best technique for inserting line breaks in Excel depends on the specific requirements of your task. For quick, manual edits, the Alt + Enter shortcut is ideal, while formulas like CHAR(10) combined with CONCATENATE offer more automated solutions for dynamic data. If you need to add line breaks after specific characters across a large dataset, the “Find and Replace” feature is the most efficient tool. By choosing the right method for your needs, you can optimize your workflow, maintain consistent data formatting, and enhance the overall readability of your Excel sheets. You may be interested: Financial Dashboards Sales Dashboards HR Dashboards Data Visualization Charts Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Find us on social media Our Address © 2023 All rights reserved | Biz Infograph Insert a picture in PowerPoint Article Edit pictures Article Add SmartArt to a slide Article Put a background picture on your slides Article Add a background picture to slides Article Use charts and graphs in your presentation Article Insert icons in PowerPoint Article Use charts and graphs in your presentation You can make a chart in PowerPoint or Excel. If you have lots of data to chart, create your chart in Excel , and then copy it into your presentation . This is also the best way if your data changes regularly and you want your chart to always reflect the latest numbers. In that case, when you copy and paste the chart, keep it linked to the original Excel file . To create a simple chart from scratch in PowerPoint, click Insert > Chart and pick the chart you want. Click Insert > Chart . Click the chart type and then double-click the chart you want. Tip:  For help deciding which chart is best for your data, see Available chart types . In the worksheet that appears, replace the placeholder data with your own information. When you’ve finished, close the worksheet. Create an org chart in PowerPoint Create charts in Excel Need more help? Want more options. Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more. Microsoft 365 subscription benefits Microsoft 365 training Microsoft security Accessibility center Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge. Ask the Microsoft Community Microsoft Tech Community Windows Insiders Microsoft 365 Insiders Was this information helpful? Thank you for your feedback. 430 COMMENTS Excel Visualization: A Guide to Clear Data Presentation for Beginners To create a pie chart in Excel: Select the data you want to visualize. From the " Insert " tab, choose " Pie " from the chart options. You can customize your chart by changing the colors, adding labels, and adjusting other settings in the " Format Chart Area " pane. Here's a video guide on how to create a donut chart: How to Insert an Excel Chart into PowerPoint (4 Easy Ways) Method 1: Using Keyboard Shortcuts to Paste a Chart from the Clipboard. Steps: Go to the Excel spreadsheet and select the chart by clicking on it. Copy the chart using Ctrl+C. Go to the PowerPoint slide where you want to paste the chart and press Ctrl+V. Use charts and graphs in your presentation To create a simple chart from scratch in PowerPoint, click Insert > Chart and pick the chart you want. Click Insert > Chart. Click the chart type and then double-click the chart you want. Tip: For help deciding which chart is best for your data, see Available chart types. In the worksheet that appears, replace the placeholder data with your own ... 11 Best Excel Presentation Tips in 2024 6. Add an image. Whether it's a photograph, an artistic sketch or your logo, images go a long way in making your spreadsheet better. Images make your presentation look official and possess the professional feel in many of the beautiful presentations you have seen. Pictures speak a thousand words. How to Add a Chart from Microsoft Excel to a PowerPoint Presentation It's easy! Open both Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. Select the chart from Excel that you want to use. Then, press "Copy" under the "Home" tab or Ctrl+C. Switch to your PowerPoint presentation. Put the chart where you want it. Then, press "Paste" under the "Home" tab or Ctrl+V. You'll see the chart appear in the slide. Create a chart from start to finish However, the chart data is entered and saved in an Excel worksheet. If you insert a chart in Word or PowerPoint, a new sheet is opened in Excel. When you save a Word document or PowerPoint presentation that contains a chart, the chart's underlying Excel data is automatically saved within the Word document or PowerPoint presentation. How to Insert a Linked Excel Chart or Graph into PowerPoint To insert a linked Excel chart or graph onto a PowerPoint slide by copying and pasting: Open the Excel workbook containing the chart you want to use. Save the workbook. Click in a blank area in the chart or on the edge of the chart. Press Ctrl + C. Alternatively, right-click and select Copy. You can also press Shift + F10 or press the Context ... Excel Charts In Powerpoint Follow these 4 simple steps to Update Chart Data in PowerPoint from Excel using Semantic NLP variation: On the slide with the chart, click on it to select it. In the ribbon menu, choose " Chart Tools " and then select " Design ". Click " Edit Data " to open up the Excel spreadsheet containing the chart's data. The Ultimate Guide to Excel Charts Change chart type or location. If, after creating your chart, you find that you'd prefer to use a different type of chart you don't need to restart from Step 1. Simply select the chart image. Then click the Change Chart Type icon from the Design tab. Then you can select your new chart type. How to Add an Excel Chart to a PowerPoint Presentation Select Home and select the Paste down arrow. Or, right-click the slide. The different options for pasting a chart display. Choose Use Destination Theme & Embed Workbook to paste your chart into PowerPoint with the ability to edit it in PowerPoint and match your presentation's color scheme. Choose Keep Source Formatting & Embed Workbook to be ... Excel Charts: A Complete Overview Creating a Basic Chart in Excel. Suppose we have a dataset in the range B4:D10 that contains the yearly sales history of a company. Select Your Data: Highlight the data you want to use ( B4:D10 ). Insert the Chart: Go to the Insert tab. Go to the Charts group. Click on the Insert Column icon. Best Types of Charts in Excel for Data Analysis, Presentation and Reporting To add a chart to an Excel spreadsheet, follow the steps below: Step-1: Open MS Excel and navigate to the spreadsheet, which contains the data table you want to use for creating a chart. Step-2: Select data for the chart: Step-3: Click on the 'Insert' tab: Step-4: Click on the 'Recommended Charts' button: 10 Advanced Excel Charts Here is a list of the ten charts mentioned in the video. Each section includes a brief description of the chart and what type of data to use it with. There is also a link to the tutorials where you can learn how to create and implement the charts in your own projects. 1. Column Chart with Percentage Change. Excel Chart Tutorial: a Beginner's Step-By-Step Guide Sure, the numbers themselves show impressive growth, and she could simply spit out those digits during her presentation. But, she really wants to make an impact—so, she's going to use an Excel chart to display the subscriber growth she's worked so hard for. How to build an Excel chart: A step-by-step Excel chart tutorial 1. Get your data ... How to Make Charts and Graphs in Excel To generate a chart or graph in Excel, you must first provide the program with the data you want to display. Follow the steps below to learn how to chart data in Excel 2016. Step 1: Enter Data into a Worksheet. Open Excel and select New Workbook. Enter the data you want to use to create a graph or chart. How to Create Charts in Excel (In Easy Steps) 1. Select the chart. 2. On the Chart Design tab, in the Data group, click Switch Row/Column. Result: 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. Result: Data Labels Use charts and graphs in your presentation To create a simple chart from scratch in PowerPoint, click Insert > Chart and pick the chart you want. Click Insert > Chart. Click the chart type and then double-click the chart you want. Tip: For help deciding which chart is best for your data, see Available chart types. In the worksheet that appears, replace the placeholder data with your own ... How to Choose a Chart to Fit Your Data in Microsoft Excel Then, head to the Insert tab and click "Recommended Charts" in the Charts section of the ribbon. Excel will analyze your data and provide recommendations in the Insert Chart window. On the Recommended Charts tab, you can review the suggestions on the left and then check out a preview and brief description on the right. Available chart types in Office When you create a chart in an Excel worksheet, a Word document, or a PowerPoint presentation, you have a lot of options. Whether you'll use a chart that's recommended for your data, one that you'll pick from the list of all charts, or one from our selection of chart templates, it might help to know a little more about each type of chart.. Click here to start creating a chart. How to Make a Graph in Microsoft Excel Choose Your Own Chart. If you would prefer to select a graph on your own, click the All Charts tab at the top of the window. You'll see the types listed on the left. Select one to view the styles for that type of chart on the right. To use one, select it and click "OK." How to Make a Flow Chart in Excel (Step-by-Step) The most important step for me in creating a flow chart in Excel is to remove the gridlines from the Excel sheet. This gives you a clean canvas to create just as you like. Step 1) Go to the View tab > Show group > Uncheck the option for Gridlines. Step 2) Go to the Insert tab > Shapes. Creating Advanced Charts in Excel: The Ultimate Guide for You Why Leverage Advanced Charts in Excel? Here are 5 compelling reasons to take your Excel visualizations to the next level: 1. Compare Metrics Like a Pro. Charts with 2+ data series stacked or overlaid on shared/dual axes enable easy correlation spotting. For example, this sales vs. profit combo chart determines how revenue performance impacts ... How to Make a Chart in PowerPoint: Simple Guide Open PowerPoint and select the presentation you want to add a chart to or create a new presentation. Insert a new slide by clicking on the "New Slide" button in the "Home" tab. Choose a slide layout that includes a content placeholder (e.g., Title and Content). Step 2: Insert a Chart How to Merge Cells in Excel How to Merge Cells in Excel. Let's start with the basics. Here's how you can merge cells in Excel: 1. Merge & Center. This is the easiest and most common way to merge cells. Present data in a chart In Excel, select the chart by clicking its border, and then on the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Cut. The chart is removed, but the data remains in Excel. In Word, click where you want to insert the chart in the document. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Paste. A Detailed Steps to Create Powerful Funnel Chart Excel How to insert a funnel chart in Excel? Here are the detailed steps for creating a funnel chart in Excel. Funnel charts help show how data moves through different steps or phases, like sales pipelines or stages of a process. Organize your info into a table, sorting it by steps and their values. Make the data spread out more, including the title. GETPIVOTDATA for working with pivot tables in Excel Example of using the GETPIVOTDATA function in Excel. Next to the source data table in the cell range I1:J13, create a table to build a vertical bar chart. The row headers should be abbreviated month names, just like in the source table, and the column headers should match the source data. Then, fill the chart table with values from the PivotTable. Insert New Line in Excel Cell Whether you're working in Microsoft Excel on Office 365 or any other version, the ability to insert line breaks will enhance the readability of your data. Common Scenarios for Inserting Line Breaks in Excel Cells. Line breaks in Excel are often used when dealing with lengthy text strings that would otherwise overflow beyond the cell's ... Use charts and graphs in your presentation To create a simple chart from scratch in PowerPoint, click Insert > Chart and pick the chart you want. Click Insert > Chart. Click the chart type and then double-click the chart you want. Tip: For help deciding which chart is best for your data, see Available chart types. In the worksheet that appears, replace the placeholder data with your own ... 5 Data Entry Skills To Put On Your Resume In 2024 With advanced Excel skills, you can take tables of data from a CRM and analyze them, create tables or other visual representations for report-writing and presentation purposes, and undertake ... assignment homework phd report resume review speech thesis