How to make a graph in Excel

21Apr

by Best Excel Tutorial Charts

Creating a graph in Excel is easy and useful for visualizing data. Follow these steps:

Table of Contents

Prepare Your Data

Before you can create a graph in Excel, you need to prepare your data. Here are the steps involved:

Organize your data in Excel. Place the data you want to graph in columns or rows.
Check the data types of your columns. Make sure that all of the data in a column is of the same data type.
Remove any blank cells from your data.

Select Your Data

To select data for a graph in Excel, you need to follow these steps:

Highlight the cells containing the data you want to use for your graph. You can do this by clicking and dragging your mouse over the cells.
If you want to work with a specific subset of your data, you can use the “Filter” feature. To do this, click on the “Data” tab and then click on the “Filter” button. This will display a drop-down menu with a list of filters that you can apply to your data.
Once you have selected the data you want to use for your graph, you can proceed to the next step, which is choosing a graph type.

Choose a Graph Type

The type of graph you choose for your Excel graph will depend on the type of data you are graphing and the message you want to convey. Here are some common graph types and their uses:

Bar chart: for comparing data values.
Line chart: for showing trends over time.
Pie chart: for showing the parts of a whole.
Scatter plot: for showing the relationship between two sets of data.
Area chart: An area chart is similar to a line chart, but the areas under the lines are filled in.
Bubble chart: for showing the relationship between three sets of data.

To choose a graph type for your Excel graph, you need to consider the following factors:

The type of data you are graphing.
The message you want to convey.
The audience for your graph.
The space available for your graph.

Customize Your Graph

Once you have created a graph in Excel, you can customize it to make it more informative and visually appealing. Here are some things you can customize:

Add labels and titles. Labels and titles help to make your graph clear and easy to understand.
Adjust the appearance of your graph. You can change the colors, fonts, and styles of your graph to match your preferences or your presentation’s theme.
Customize the axes and gridlines. You can adjust the range of the axes and the appearance of the gridlines to make your graph more readable.
Add data series. If you have multiple data sets, you can add them to your graph for comparison.
Create trendlines. Trendlines can be used to show the direction of a trend in your data.

Save and Share Your Graph

Once you have customized your graph, you can save it and share it with others. Here are the steps involved:

Save your Excel file. You can do this by clicking on the “File” tab and then clicking on the “Save” button.
Share your graph. You can share your graph by sending it as an attachment to an email, posting it on a website, or embedding it in a presentation or report.
Export your graph to a different file format. You can export your graph to a different file format, such as PNG or JPEG, so that you can use it in other applications.

Make Graphs Look More Professional

Use clear and concise labels and titles.

To do this, click on the “Chart Elements” button and then select “Chart Title” or “Axis Title”.

You can then type in the text that you want to use for the label or title.

Use colors and fonts that are easy to read.

To do this, click on the “Chart Styles” button and then select a style that you like.

You can also customize the colors and fonts by clicking on the “Format Chart Area” or “Format Axis” buttons.

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