This article explains how to visually represent data in a Microsoft Excel document using a bar chart.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Enter the Data
Step 1. Launch Microsoft Excel
Double-click the program icon, which has a white "X" on a green background.
If you want to use an Excel file that already has data, double-click the corresponding icon and go to the next section of the article
Step 2. Click on the Empty Workbook (on Windows) or Excel Workbook (on Mac) item
It is located in the upper left of the pane where the Excel templates are displayed.
Step 3. Enter the X and Y axis labels of the chart
Click the cell A1 (corresponding to the X axis) and enter the label you want to assign, then click the cell B1 (corresponding to the Y axis) and type the label you prefer.
For example, in the case of a graph that shows the trend of temperatures over the days of the week, you could enter the label "Days" in the cell A1 and "Temperatures" in the cell B1.
Step 4. Enter the data corresponding to the X axis and Y axis
Type their values into the cells of the column TO or B. to be linked respectively to the X and Y axis of the graph.
For example, enter the word "Monday" in the cell A2 and the value "20" in the cell B2 to indicate that on Monday the temperature was 20 ° C.
Step 5. Complete the data entry
Once you have completed creating the data table you will be ready to use it to create the bar chart.
Part 2 of 2: Creating the Chart
Step 1. Select all the data to display in the chart
Click the cell A1, hold down the ⇧ Shift key, then click the last cell that contains the set of values to be graphed, i.e. the last data you entered in the column B.. This will select the entire data area.
If you have entered the values in another area of the Excel sheet, simply remember to click the first cell in the upper left of the data group to be displayed in the chart, then click the last cell in the lower right while holding the key. ⇧ Shift
Step 2. Click on the Insert tab
It is located at the top of the Excel window, to the right of the tab Home.
Step 3. Click on the "Histogram" icon
It is placed within the group Graphs of the card insert and is characterized by three vertical bars.
Step 4. Choose the type of chart to create
The templates available vary based on your computer's operating system and whether or not you have purchased your copy of Excel. However, usually the options available include the following graphs:
- 2-D columns: the selected data will be represented simply with vertical bars.
- 3-D columns: in this case three-dimensional vertical bars will be used.
- 2-D bars: a chart will be created in which there are simple horizontal bars instead of vertical ones.
- 3-D bars: in this case the horizontal bars will be three-dimensional.
Step 5. Customize the look of the chart
After choosing the type of chart to use, you can access the "Design" tab of the Excel ribbon to choose one of the available styles. You also have the option to change the color scheme or change the chart type.
- The "Design" tab is displayed only when the chart pane is selected. To perform this operation, click with the mouse on the graph box.
- You can also change the chart title by selecting the existing one and typing what you want to assign to your histogram. The title is usually placed at the top of the box.
Advice
- Excel charts can be copied and pasted into other Microsoft Office programs, such as Word or PowerPoint.
- If the data associated with the X axis and the Y axis appear reversed in the chart, go to the "Design" tab and select the "Invert rows / columns" option.
