Create a bar chart in Google Sheets to visualize categorical data with horizontal bars, whose lengths are proportional to the values they represent. Before creating a chart in Google Sheets or any other application, it is important to understand the data you want to visualize and choose the appropriate chart type.
Bar charts, line charts, and pie charts: Understanding the differences
Bar charts, line charts, and pie charts are the three most popular chart types. They are easy to create and understand, and they serve different purposes.
- Bar charts are used to compare different categories of data.
- Line charts are used to show trends over time.
- Pie charts are used to show the parts of a whole.
You can create a bar chart and line chart from the same set of data in most cases, but a line chart is better suited for showing continuous progress, while a bar chart is better suited for comparing categories.
People often confuse bar charts and column charts. In a bar chart, the bars are aligned horizontally, whereas in a column chart, the bars are aligned vertically.
How to Create a Bar Chart in Google Sheets: Tips and Tricks
Let’s dive into the steps required to create a bar chart in Google Sheets. We’ll be using a sample dataset that showcases mango production in 5 countries over 3 years.
- Format your data: Ensure that your data is in the following format, where the first column contains the categories (Y-axis) and the subsequent columns contain the values to compare (series):
| Country | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 10 | 12 | 15 |
| China | 8 | 10 | 13 |
| Thailand | 7 | 9 | 11 |
| Mexico | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Brazil | 5 | 7 | 9 |
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Select the data range: Select the data range, including the header row.
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Insert the chart: Click on “Insert” and then select “Chart”.
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Choose the chart type: In the Chart editor on the right, select “Bar chart” from the Chart type drop-down menu.
Your chart will be ready, and you can compare the three years of mango production in India, China, Thailand, Mexico, and Brazil. Feel free to click on “Customize” to explore different chart customization options.
Essential Bar Chart Customizations
To make your bar chart more visually appealing and informative, you can customize it further using the following steps:
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Access the Chart editor: Click on the “Customize” tab in the Chart editor.
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Add a chart title: Click on “Chart and axis titles” and then select “Chart title”. Enter the desired title, such as “Mango Production in the Top 5 Countries over the Past 3 Years”.
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Choose a chart style: Under “Chart style”, click on “3D” to give your chart a three-dimensional effect.
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Customize the background: If you want a transparent background, set the background color to “None” under “Chart style”.
These customizations will create a simple but effective 3D bar chart. You can further modify the chart by changing the bar colors, axis labels, and other settings to suit your preferences.
How to Filter a Bar Chart in Google Sheets
Sometimes, you may want to focus on specific categories in a bar chart and exclude others for easier comparison. Fortunately, Google Sheets provides a handy feature called slicers that allows you to filter chart categories effortlessly.
Here’s how to add a slicer to control the bar chart categories:
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Select the chart range: Choose the range used to create the bar chart, in this case, A1:D6.
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Add a slicer: Click on “Data” and then select “Add a slicer”.
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Choose the column: In the Slicer dialog box, click on the “Choose a column” drop-down menu and select “Country”.
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Filter the categories: On the slicer, click the filter button and uncheck the unwanted categories, such as Thailand, Mexico, and Brazil.
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Apply the changes: Click “OK”.
This will filter the bar chart to only show the data for India and China, allowing for a more focused and comparative analysis.
Conclusion
In conclusion, creating a bar chart in Google Sheets is a straightforward process. Remember to format your data correctly, select the desired range, and choose the appropriate chart type. Customizing your chart with titles, styles, and background colors can enhance its visual appeal. Additionally, you can utilize slicers to filter specific categories and streamline your analysis.
For more tips and tricks on data visualization and Google Sheets, check out Crawlan.com.
Related: Basic GANTT Chart in Google Sheets Using Stacked Bar Chart.
