Are you struggling to create a vertical line graph in Google Sheets? Well, you’re not alone! Although Google Sheets doesn’t have a built-in option for vertical line charts, I’m here to share a clever workaround method with you. It may not be the most conventional approach, but it gets the job done!
Why Vertical Line Graphs?
Vertical line graphs are not commonly used to represent data graphically. However, they can be a powerful tool for visualizing how the quantity or value of something changes over time. Whether you want to track your work progress, monitor sales growth, or observe any other data trend, a vertical line graph can provide valuable insights.
Sample Data
Before we dive into the workaround method, let’s take a look at an example. Suppose we want to visualize the cumulative progress of a project over 15 months. The following sample data demonstrates this:
A | B
-------------------------
Month | Progress
-------------------------
January | 10
February | 20
March | 30
...Now, let’s see how we can create a vertical line graph to represent this data using Google Sheets.
Making a Single Line Vertical Line Graph in Google Sheets
The line in a vertical line graph will look like a 90° clockwise-rotated line compared to a standard chart. The vertical axis will serve as the horizontal axis, but it will be positioned at the bottom instead of the top. The category axis will be missing, with labels replacing them in the vertical line chart in Google Sheets.
Data Formatting – Category Axis, Data Points, and Labels
To plot the vertical line graph, we need to format our data correctly. Here’s how we can do it:
Category Axis: C2:C16
In our sample data, the source data is in the cell range A2:B16. However, for the vertical line graph, we’ll use an additional helper range in column C (C2:C16). Using the following array formula in cell C1 will populate backward sequential numbers:
={"Helper";sequence(15,1,15,-1)}The SEQUENCE function returns 15 numbers in descending order, such as C1 = “Helper,” C2 = 15, C3 = 14, C4 = 13, and so on.
Data Points: B2:B16
The data points represent the cumulative progress over time, and we can use these values as they are.
Labels: A2:A16
In a standard line chart, the category axis is represented by column A. However, in the vertical line graph, we will use the values from column A as labels instead. Make sure to format these labels as “Plain Text” by highlighting cells A2:A16 and applying Format > Number > Plain Text.
Steps to Make a Vertical Line Chart in Google Sheets
Now that we have our data formatted correctly, let’s create the vertical line graph:
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Select the range B2:C16 in your Google Sheets.
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Go to the Insert menu and click on “Chart.” This will insert a chart onto your sheet and open the chart editor panel.
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Within the chart editor panel, navigate to the “Setup” tab. Ensure that you have the following essential settings for the vertical line chart:
- Click on the three vertical dots next to the series C2:C16 and select “Add labels.”
- Google Sheets will add labels that may or may not be correct. If they are incorrect, you can edit them and replace them with the values from A2:A16.
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The vertical line graph is almost ready! The only step left is to customize the chart. Move to the “Customize” tab within the chart editor and make any necessary changes to the appearance of the chart, such as titles and axis labels.
That’s it! You have successfully created a vertical line graph in Google Sheets using a workaround method. Now you can analyze your data and gain valuable insights into the progress of your projects or any other trends you’re monitoring.
To learn more about creating different types of charts in Google Sheets, visit Crawlan.com for related resources and tutorials.
Happy charting!
Example Sheet 13522
