How to use the Chart Wizard in Excel

This step-by-step article explains how to use the Chart Wizard in Microsoft Excel to create a chart.

Create a Chart

To create a chart, you must first enter the data for the chart on an Excel worksheet. Select that data, and then use the Chart Wizard to step through the process of selecting a chart type and the various chart options for your chart. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Start Excel, and then open your workbook.
2. Select the cells that contain the data that you want to display in your chart.
3. On the Insert menu, click Chart to start the Chart Wizard.
4. In the Chart Wizard - Step 1 of 4 - Chart Type dialog box, specify the chart type that you want to use for your chart. To do this, do one of the following:
   • Click the Standard Types tab. To view a sample of how your data will look when you select one of the standard chart types that Excel provides, click the chart type, click the chart subtype that you want to view, and then click Press and Hold to View Sample.
     
     To select a chart type, click the chart type, click the chart subtype that you want, and then click Next.
     
   • Click the Custom Types tab. To select a built-in custom chart type, or to create your own chart type, click User-defined or Built-in. Select the chart type that you want, and then click Next.
5. In the Chart Wizard - Step 2 of 4 - Chart Source Data dialog box, you can specify the data range and how the series is displayed in your chart.
   
   If the preview chart appears the way that you want, click Next.
   
   If you want to change the data range or series for your chart, do any of the following, and then click Next.
   • On the Data Range tab, click the Data Range box, and then select the cells that you want on your worksheet.
   • Specify whether you want the series displayed in columns or rows.
   • On the Series tab, add and delete a series, or change the worksheet ranges used for the names and values for each series in your chart.
6. In the Chart Wizard - Step 3 of 4 - Chart Options dialog box, you can modify the appearance of your chart more when you select any of the chart option settings on the six tabs. As you change these settings, view the preview chart to make sure that your chart looks the way that you want.
   
   When you finish selecting the chart options that you want, click Next.
   • On the Titles tab, you can add or change the chart and axis titles.
   • On the Axes tab, you can set the display options for the primary axes of your chart.
   • On the Gridlines tab, you can display or hide gridlines.
   • On the Legend tab, you can add a legend to your chart.
   • On the Data Labels tab, you can add data labels to your chart.
   • On the Data Table tab, you can display or hide data tables.
7. In the Chart Wizard - Step 4 of 4 - Chart Location dialog box, select the location in which to place your chart by doing one of the following:
   • Click As new sheet to display your chart as a new sheet.
   • Click As object in to display your chart as an object in a sheet.
8. Click Finish.

Modify the Appearance of Your Chart

After you have created your chart, you can change any of the chart settings so that it looks the way that you want. To do this, right-click your chart, and then click any of the following:

• Chart Type: with this, you can change the chart type.
• Source Data: with this, you can change the data range or worksheet ranges for each series in your chart.
• Chart Options: with this, you can set different chart options.
• Location: with this, you can change the location in which your chart is displayed.

Additionally, Excel offers many formatting options that you can use to customize your chart more. You can double-click various elements of your chart to modify that specific item. A dialog box then appears and you can select the settings specific to the chart item to modify its appearance. For example, you can apply colors, borders, and fill effects to various chart items, add pictures to chart items, change number and axis formatting, and modify the font, size, and alignment of text in a chart.

For more information about chart types, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type examples of chart types in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.
For more information about custom chart types, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type make your own chart types in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.
For more information about the different chart types available in Microsoft Excel, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about creating charts in Excel, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type about charts in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.
For more information about creating charts in Microsoft Excel, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about formatting charts in Excel, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type about formatting charts in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.
For more information about customizing charts in Excel, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type ways to customize a chart in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.