Excel Charts and Graphs: the complete beginner’s guide

Chart or graph? In Excel they are the same thing and the menu says Charts. This page is the map; each link is a short lesson.

The parts of a chart

• Title — what it shows.
• Axes — horizontal (categories or time) and vertical (values).
• Series — one set of numbers: one line, one colour of bars.
• Legend — which colour is which series.
• Data labels — the numbers on the bars or points.
• Gridlines — the faint lines behind.

Click any part to select it; press Delete to remove it; Ctrl + 1 to format it.

Make one in 5 steps

Arrange the data › select it › Insert › pick the type › title and label › tidy. Full walkthrough: create a chart.

The 6 types you need

Choosing between them: chart types.

Common fixes

• Axis starts above zero → click axis › Ctrl + 1 › Minimum 0.
• Wrong things on the axis → Chart Design › Switch Row/Column.
• Title goes stale → link it to a cell.
• One series is flat → give it a second axis.
• Chart didn’t update → it points at a fixed range; make the data a Table (Ctrl + T).

Move a chart to its own sheet

Right-click the chart › Move Chart › New sheet. Good for printing full-page.

Copy a chart’s look to another chart

Copy the good chart › select the other › Home › Paste ▾ › Paste Special › Formats.