Charts in Excel

Charts in Excel

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create various chart types in MS Excel. A chart or a graph is a graphical or symbolic representation of data values.

The data presented in a symbolic manner like lines in a line chart, bars in a bar chart, or slices in a pie chart. A chart utilizes numeric data arranged in a tabular manner.

Developing data charts is an excellent and an attractive feature of MS Excel. The user can quite easily create effective graphical representation to its data values using a chart type from a large variety of styles.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create various chart types. For this, tutorial, you will create a table having details related to crops and their 5 years review.

5 years review

Create a Line Chart

To create a line chart, execute the following steps.

1. Select the range A1:F6.

2. On the Insert tab, under the Charts group, choose Line Chart

choose Line Chart

3. From the dropdown, select Line with Markers

select Line with Markers

4. MS Excel will automatically generate a line chart for the specified data range.

chart title

Changing Chart Type

Changing chart type is extremely easy in MS Excel. To change the chart type of existing chart, follow the steps below.

1. Select the chart

2. On the Insert tab, under the Charts group, choose Column chart type

3. From the dropdown, select Clustered Column.

Clustered Column

4. MS Excel will automatically replace the line chart with column chart for the specified data range.

specified data range

Switch Row/Column

MS Excel supports transpose (switching or flipping) between row and column value and vice versa. This feature is pretty much effective when it comes to changing the criteria. For example: In the given scenario, the crops are defines as baseline whereas chart is representing their production during various years.

But, if it is required that the years are defined as baseline and crops are to be presented according to their production then you will either require to change the values manually or you simply switch between the rows and columns (transpose).

To switch between rows and column, follow the steps below:

1. Select the chart.

2. The Chart Tools contextual tab activates, select Design.

select Design

3. On the Design tab, under the Data section, click Switch Row/Column.

Switch Row Column

4. This will switch between the rows and columns

rows and columns

Chart Title

You can add a title to your chart. To add a title, follow the steps below.

1. Select the chart.

2. The Chart Tools contextual tab activates. Select Design

3. On the Design tab, under the Chart Layouts section, click Add Chart Element, hover to Chart Title and select Above Chart from the sub menu.

sub menu

4. Enter a title. For example, Crop Production.

Crop Production

Legend Position

In MS Excel 2013, the default location for legends is below the chart. To move the legend to the right of the chart, follow the steps below.

1. Select the chart.

2. The Chart Tools contextual tab activates. Select the Design tab

3. On the Design tab, under the Chart Layouts section, click Add Chart Element, hover to Legends and select Right from the sub menu.

Add Chart Element

Result:

Result

Data Labels

Data Labels are a medium to highlight the importance or to attract audience attention on a single data series or data point. To apply to Data Labels, follow the steps below:

1. Select the chart.

2. The Chart Tools contextual tab activates. Select Design Tab

3. On the Design tab, under the Chart Layouts section, click Add Chart Element, hover to Data Labels and select Outside End from the sub menu.

outside end

The output would be as shown in the figure below.

output would be as shown in the figure below