How to input data in Excel graph

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.

Result:

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.

Result:

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

You can use data labels to focus your readers' attention on a single data series or data point.

1. Select the chart.

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.

Result:

• How do I change the horizontal axis to a vertical axis in Excel?

  Click "Edit" and then press "Move." If this doesn't work, double click the axis and use the dots to move it.

• How do I print a graph only in Excel?

  Type control p on your laptop or go to print on the page font of your screen?

• Right-click the chart with the data series you want to rename, and click Select Data. In the Select Data Source dialog box, under Legend Entries (Series), select the data series, and click Edit. In the Series name box, type the name you want to use.

• How to rename data series?

  Right-click the chart with the data series you want to rename, and click Select Data. In the Select Data Source dialog box, under Legend Entries (Series), select the data series, and click Edit. In the Series name box, type the name you want to use.

• How can I change the range of numbers in the vertical axis?

  In a chart, click the value axis that you want to change, or do the following to select the axis from a list of chart elements: Click anywhere in the chart. On the Format tab, in the Current Selection group, click the arrow next to the Chart Elements box, and then click Vertical (Value) Axis.

• How can I add another vertical axis in a graph?

  Assuming you already know how to make a basic bar graph from a workbook? If not, check out Wikihow's article "Create a Graph in Excel." Keep in mind, Column A is used for your horizontal axis information. B1, C1, D1 etc. can be used as headings for each vertical axis. Input information from cell 2 onwards in each column. Just make sure any information you input into these columns correlate cell by cell with your column A horizontal axis information. The information inputted in these columns i.e. B, C, D, E, etc. will be converted into a bar in your bar graph when you select all your information, click "insert", then "chart" and choose bar graph.

• How do I change a data series?

  To change a data series, you would select a range of your spreadsheet appropriate for the data.

• How do I change the color on my bar graph?

  Click on the chart and go to chart design. You will get some options such as white to black. To change the color of bars, simply click on a bar. All bars will automaticly get selected. Go to format and change the color.

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Introduction

It can often be difficult to interpret Excel workbooks that contain a lot of data. Charts allow you to illustrate your workbook data graphically, which makes it easy to visualize comparisons and trends.

Optional: Download our practice workbook.

Understanding charts

Excel has several different types of charts, allowing you to choose the one that best fits your data. In order to use charts effectively, you'll need to understand how different charts are used.

Click the arrows in the slideshow below to learn more about the types of charts in Excel.

• 

  Excel has a variety of chart types, each with its own advantages. Click the arrows to see some of the different types of charts available in Excel.

• 

  Column charts use vertical bars to represent data. They can work with many different types of data, but they're most frequently used for comparing information.

• 

  Line charts are ideal for showing trends. The data points are connected with lines, making it easy to see whether values are increasing or decreasing over time.

• 

  Pie charts make it easy to compare proportions. Each value is shown as a slice of the pie, so it's easy to see which values make up the percentage of a whole.

• 

  Bar charts work just like column charts, but they use horizontal bars instead of vertical bars.

• 

  Area charts are similar to line charts, except the areas under the lines are filled in.

• 

  Surface charts allow you to display data across a 3D landscape. They work best with large data sets, allowing you to see a variety of information at the same time.

• 

In addition to chart types, you'll need to understand how to read a chart. Charts contain several different elements, or parts, that can help you interpret the data.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn about the different parts of a chart.

The legend identifies which data series each color on the chart represents.

In this example, the legend identifies the different salespeople in the chart.

The title should clearly describe what the chart is illustrating.

The vertical axis (also known as the y axis) is the vertical part of the chart.

Here, the vertical axis measures the value of the columns, so it is also called the value axis. In this example, the measured value is each salesperson's net sales.

The horizontal axis (also known as the x axis) is the horizontal part of the chart.

Here, the horizontal axis identifies the categories in the chart. In this example, each sales quarter is placed in its own group.

The data series consists of the related data points in a chart.

In this example, the blue columns represent net sales by Robert Johnson. We know his data is blue because of the legend on the right.

Reading the data series, we can see that Robert was the top salesperson in quarters 1 and 3, while he was the second highest in quarters 2 and 4.

To insert a chart:

1. Select the cells you want to chart, including the column titles and row labels. These cells will be the source data for the chart. In our example, we'll select cells A1:F6.
   
   Selecting cells A1:F6

2. From the Insert tab, click the desired Chart command. In our example, we'll select Column.
   
   Clicking the Column chart command

3. Choose the desired chart type from the drop-down menu.
   
   Choosing a chart type

4. The selected chart will be inserted in the worksheet.
   
   The inserted chart

If you're not sure which type of chart to use, the Recommended Charts command will suggest several different charts based on the source data.

Chart layout and style

After inserting a chart, there are several things you may want to change about the way your data is displayed. It's easy to edit a chart's layout and style from the Design tab.

• Excel allows you to add chart elements—such as chart titles, legends, and data labels—to make your chart easier to read. To add a chart element, click the Add Chart Element command on the Design tab, then choose the desired element from the drop-down menu.
  

  Adding a chart title

• To edit a chart element, like a chart title, simply double-click the placeholder and begin typing.
  
  Editing the chart title placeholder text

• If you don't want to add chart elements individually, you can use one of Excel's predefined layouts. Simply click the Quick Layout command, then choose the desired layout from the drop-down menu.
  
  Choosing a chart layout

• Excel also includes several different chart styles, which allow you to quickly modify the look and feel of your chart. To change the chart style, select the desired style from the Chart styles group.
  
  Choosing a new chart style

You can also use the chart formatting shortcut buttons to quickly add chart elements, change the chart style, and filter the chart data.

Other chart options

There are many other ways to customize and organize your charts. For example, Excel allows you to rearrange a chart's data, change the chart type, and even move the chart to a different location in the workbook.

To switch row and column data:

Sometimes you may want to change the way charts group your data. For example, in the chart below, the Book Sales data are grouped by year, with columns for each genre. However, we could switch the rows and columns so the chart will group the data by genre, with columns for each year. In both cases, the chart contains the same data—it's just organized differently.

1. Select the chart you want to modify.
2. From the Design tab, select the Switch Row/Column command.
   
   Clicking the Switch Rows/Columns command

3. The rows and columns will be switched. In our example, the data is now grouped by genre, with columns for each year.
   
   The switched row and column data
   

To change the chart type:

If you find that your data isn't well suited to a certain chart, it's easy to switch to a new chart type. In our example, we'll change our chart from a Column chart to a Line chart.

1. From the Design tab, click the Change Chart Type command.
   
   Clicking the Change Chart Type command

2. The Change Chart Type dialog box will appear. Select a new chart type and layout, then click OK. In our example, we'll choose a Line chart.
   
   Choosing a new chart type

3. The selected chart type will appear. In our example, the line chart makes it easier to see trends in the sales data over time.
   
   The new chart type

To move a chart:

Whenever you insert a new chart, it will appear as an object on the same worksheet that contains its source data. Alternatively, you can move the chart to a new worksheet to help keep your data organized.

1. Select the chart you want to move.
2. Click the Design tab, then select the Move Chart command.
   
   Clicking the Move Chart command

3. The Move Chart dialog box will appear. Select the desired location for the chart. In our example, we'll choose to move it to a New sheet, which will create a new worksheet.
4. Click OK.
   
   Moving the chart to a new worksheet

5. The chart will appear in the selected location. In our example, the chart now appears on a new worksheet.
   
   The chart on its own worksheet

Keeping charts up to date

By default, when you add more data to your spreadsheet, the chart may not include the new data. To fix this, you can adjust the data range. Simply click the chart, and it will highlight the data range in your spreadsheet. You can then click and drag the handle in the lower-right corner to change the data range.

If you frequently add more data to your spreadsheet, it may become tedious to update the data range. Luckily, there is an easier way. Simply format your source data as a table, then create a chart based on that table. When you add more data below the table, it will automatically be included in both the table and the chart, keeping everything consistent and up to date.

Watch the video below to learn how to use tables to keep charts up to date.

1. Open an existing Excel workbook. If you want, you can use our practice workbook.
2. Use worksheet data to create a chart. If you are using the example, use the cell range A1:F6 as the source data for the chart.
3. Change the chart layout. If you are using the example, select Layout 8.
4. Apply a chart style.
5. Move the chart. If you are using the example, move the chart to a new worksheet named Book Sales Data: 2008-2012.

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