How to Make a Chart in Excel

You have a block of data with headers and want a chart of it. Excel builds the chart from the selected range, and the chart updates whenever the data changes.

Select the data, including headers

Click the first header cell and drag to the last value. Include the column headers and the row labels, because Excel uses them for the legend and the axis. If the data is in a Table, click any cell inside it instead.

Insert the chart

Go to Insert, Recommended Charts. Pick a suggestion from the list on the left and click OK. To choose a type directly, use the buttons in the Charts group on the same tab, such as Insert Column or Bar Chart or Insert Line or Area Chart.

For a default column chart without the dialog, select the data and press Alt + F1. On a Mac, use the Charts group buttons instead.

Fix the layout

Click the chart and the Chart Design tab appears. Use Switch Row/Column when the series and categories are the wrong way round. Pick a layout from Quick Layout or a style from the Chart Styles gallery. Change Chart Type swaps a column chart for a line chart without starting over.

Add titles and labels

On Chart Design, click Add Chart Element. From here you can add Axis Titles, Data Labels, Gridlines, or change the Legend position. Click the chart title once and type to replace the text. Axis titles work the same way.

Move and resize the chart

Drag the chart by its border to reposition it. Drag a corner handle to resize it. Hold Alt (Command on a Mac) while dragging to snap the edges to the cell grid.

If the chart should live on its own sheet. Right-click the chart and choose Move Chart. Select New sheet, type a name, and click OK. The chart fills the whole sheet and stays linked to the source data.

If new rows are not showing up. Convert the source to a Table first with Ctrl + T (Command + T on a Mac). A chart built on a Table expands as rows are added, while a chart built on a plain range keeps its original bounds.