Create a Basic Excel Column Chart
Entering the needed data into your spreadsheet is the first step in creating a chart. Begin by setting up a spreadsheet with your data, making sure to create a column for each category. In the above example, the columns contain categories for Chocolate, Lemon, and Oatmeal cookies. The steps below create a basic column chart. This is a plain, unformatted chart that displays your data, a basic legend, and a default chart title.
Replace the Basic Chart Title
The chart may not have all the information you need to make it meaningful. Start by changing the chart title to something more descriptive. Here’s how to replace the chart title:
Select Different Parts of the Chart
There are many different parts to a chart in Excel. The plot area of a chart contains the selected data series, the legend, and the chart title. All of these parts are considered separate objects and each is formatted separately. You tell Excel which part of the chart you want to format by selecting it. A common mistake is selecting the plot area in the center of the chart instead of selecting the entire chart. The easiest way to select the entire chart is to select a blank area at the top left or right corner of the chart.
Change the Chart Style
When a chart is created in Excel, or whenever an existing chart is selected, two additional tabs are added to the ribbon as shown in the image below. These Chart Tools tabs, Design and Format, contain formatting and layout options specifically for charts. These Chart Tools will be used in the following steps to format the column chart.
Change the Chart Design
Chart styles are preset combinations of formatting options that can quickly format a chart with a variety of colors, line styles, and artistic effects.
Change Column Colors
If you want to use different column colors for your chart, change the colors.
Change the Chart’s Background Color
To make your chart stand out on the page, change the color of the background.
Change the Chart Text Color
Now that the background is gray, the default black text isn’t very visible. To improve the contrast between the two, change the color of the text in the chart.
Change the Font Type, Size, and Emphasis
Changing the text size and font can make it easier to read the legend, axes names, and values in the chart. Bold formatting can also be added to the text to make it stand out even more against the background.
Change the Look of the Title Text in a Chart
You may want to use a different font or font size for the title of your column chart.
Change the Legend and Axes Text
Other text areas in the chart can be formatted to fit your style. Change the labels and the legend by changing the font style and size.
Add Gridlines to Your Column Chart
In the absence of data labels that show the actual value of each column, gridlines make it easier to read the column values from the values listed on the Y (vertical) axis. When you want to make your chart easier to read, add gridlines to the plot area of the chart.
Change the Color of the Gridlines
You may want to change the color of the gridlines to make the lines more visible against the gray background of the plot area of the chart.
Format the X-Axis Line
There’s an X-axis line above the X-axis labels but, like the gridlines, it’s difficult to see because of the gray background of the chart. Change the axis color and line thickness to match that of the formatted gridlines.
Move the Chart to a Separate Sheet
Moving a chart to a separate sheet makes it easier to print the chart and it can also relieve congestion in a large worksheet full of data.
