How To Make A Graph In Google Sheets
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After entering data in Google Sheets, you’ll often want to present that data in a visual format to make it easier to understand.
Fortunately, Google Sheets has a built in graph feature that makes it easy to generate graphs and charts from spreadsheet data.
There are a number of graph types available for different types of data, and the graphs can be customized with colors and styles to get the look you want.
Most importantly, when you update the data in your spreadsheet, any graphs using that data will automatically update in the spreadsheet, so you don’t have to worry about manually updating anything.
How to Insert a Graph
To insert a graph into your spreadsheet, follow these steps:
Step 1
Select the data range you want to graph. Be sure to include headers in the selection as these will be used for graph labels.
Step 2
Open the Insert menu, and select the Chart menu option
Step 3
A new chart will be inserted as a floating element above the cells. You can click and drag to position the chart, or resize using the drag handles on its corners
Step 4
The Chart Editor sidebar will also open when you insert the new chart.
This is where you can make edits to the look and feel of your chart by changing chart type, colors, axes, etc. To select a different graph type, click on the dropdown under Chart Type and select from the options.
Google will suggest a small number of graphs it thinks might be right for your data at the top, or scroll down to look through all the available options
Step 5
Make any other adjustments you need to the graph and then close the Chart Editor sidebar
Editing Charts & Graphs
To edit a graph you’ve already created, first open the Chart Editor for that graph by selecting the chart and clicking on the 3 dot menu icon in the corner of the chart.
From the menu that appears, select Edit Chart. The Chart Editor for that graph will open.
You can then make edits to the chart type, data range, or any of the other chart settings available in the Chart Editor and your chart will update to reflect the changes
Summary
Example Spreadsheet: Make a copy of the example spreadsheet
In this tutorial, I covered the basic data visualisation: how to make a graph in Google Sheets. Want more? Check out all the Google Sheets Tutorials.