How to Make Charts in Excel and Google Sheets
Basics4 minInnovialabs editorial team
In short
First decide what you need to show (a comparison, a trend, a share or two metrics at once), then prepare a clean table with headers and insert the chart: Insert tab in Excel, Insert → Chart in Google Sheets.
The short answer: three steps
- Decide what you are showing. The chart type depends on the question, not on which one looks nicer.
- Prepare the range. One header row, categories in the first column, numbers in the columns next to it.
- Insert and refine. Select the range, insert the chart, then fix the title, axes and labels.
Which chart type to choose
| Goal | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Compare categories | Column or bar chart | Sales by branch |
| Show change over time | Line chart | Revenue by month |
| Show parts of a whole | Pie, only with 2–5 slices | Share of orders by channel |
| Two metrics on different scales | Combo chart | Revenue and number of orders |
| Relationship between two measures | Scatter chart | Ad budget and leads |
If you have many categories or long names, use a bar chart: horizontal labels are easier to read.
How to prepare the data
- A single header row with no merged cells, otherwise the app can't tell where series names are.
- Categories in the first column, each metric in its own column.
- Numbers stored as numbers. Values saved as text won't appear on the chart or will show up as zeros.
- No total rows inside the range. A "Total" row becomes a giant column that flattens everything else.
- Dates formatted as dates, so the time axis is built correctly.
- For recurring reports, format the range as a table (Ctrl+T in Excel): new rows are added to the chart automatically.
Building a chart in Excel
- Select the range including headers.
- Go to the Insert tab → Charts group → the type you need. Recommended Charts suggests options for your data.
- Buttons appear next to the chart: "+" for elements (title, data labels, legend), the brush for styles, the filter for which series to show.
- Double-click an axis or a series to open the format pane, where you change axis bounds, colours and line width.
Building a chart in Google Sheets
- Select the range with headers.
- Open Insert → Chart. Sheets picks a type automatically, so check it.
- In the chart editor, the Setup tab controls the type, range and series, and the Customize tab controls titles, axes, colours and labels.
The four basic types: what to watch
Column chart. Start the value axis at zero: a column's height has to match its value. Sort categories in descending order if they have no natural order.
Line chart. Use it only for continuous time: days, weeks, months. Keep it to 4–5 lines per chart, otherwise you get spaghetti. Highlight the key line with colour and make the rest grey.
Pie chart. The slices must add up to 100%. Merge small slices into "Other". If you need to compare shares across periods, a stacked column chart works better.
Combo chart. For example, revenue as columns and order count as a line. In Excel choose the Combo type and tick Secondary Axis for the second series. In Google Sheets choose "Combo chart" and set the series to the right axis in the series settings. Always label both axes, or the reader won't know which line belongs to which scale.
How not to mislead
- A truncated axis on column charts. If the axis doesn't start at zero, a small difference looks huge.
- 3D effects. Depth distorts proportions, especially in pie charts. Use flat versions.
- Different scales on neighbouring charts. When comparing two charts, set the same axis bounds manually.
- Uneven time intervals. Missing months on a category axis visually glue together. Use a date axis.
- Too many colours. Colour should mean something: emphasis, a category, a deviation from plan.
- A title without a takeaway. Instead of "Sales 2025", say what the chart shows: "Sales have grown since March".