Numbers might be monotonous. Your data becomes more engaging through visualization. Charts may give your data more impact by grabbing people’s attention, altering their perception, and motivating them to take action.
One of the main topics that many of our Google Sheets users want to learn how to do is how to create charts and graphs in Google Sheets. For many Google Sheets users, being able to produce informative visualizations based on your business data is a crucial ability.
This comprehensive guide for Google Sheets charts and graphs is designed to teach you, step-by-step, how to make, edit, and publish charts. You can follow the lessons in chronological order or jump to the lesson you want to emphasize.
How to Make a Chart in Google Sheets?
You can utilize your spreadsheet data to visually communicate business trends and information to your team and clients once you master the fundamentals of generating charts in Google Sheets. Charts can be a very powerful tool for assessing your business data when they are presented well.
This is where you should start if you have never created a chart or graph in Google Sheets.
1. Create a Spreadsheet Using Your Data
The first step in creating a graph in Google Sheets is to decide which data you want to display on the graph. Depending on the information you want to convey with your chart, charts can compare two or more sets of data from your Google Sheets spreadsheet. You can choose which data to include in your chart once you have determined your data points. You can choose your chart type in the following step once the data has been chosen.
Then, if necessary, summarize your data. If you want to see daily data on a monthly basis, for instance, you might need to organize it by month. Your data need not include a grand total; here is an illustration:
2. Selecting the Right Chart Type
You can choose from a wide range of Chart Types in Google Sheets to display your data. Depending on the style of chart you select, you can express your data presentation in a variety of ways.
1. Choose the data you wish to display first.
2. After that, select Chart from the menu by clicking Insert. As an alternative, you can also select the toolbar’s Insert chart icon.
3. Based on your data, Google will produce a default chart for you.
You can also customize your chart depending on your preferences.
3. Edit and Customize Your Chart
You may choose from a variety of choices in Google Sheets to alter how your chart looks. To make your chart aesthetically beautiful and successfully explain your facts, you have a lot of flexibility in how you change its design.
Once you have clicked on the insert chart icon, the Chart editor will open on the right side and allow you to edit your chart.
Setup and Customize are the two tabs of the editor. Your chart can be edited in a variety of ways, and practically anything can be changed.
In the Setup tab, you may switch your chart type from a line chart to a column or bar chart. Additionally, you can change your data range, add or remove series, and change the order of rows and columns.
Your concept might not be the same as Google’s. As a result, you might want to change a generated chart’s default appearance, such as changing a white background to a light gray one or a red bar to a green one. Use the various options found in the Customize tab to achieve this.
Three vertical dots may be seen in the top right corner of the chart area. The chart menu appears here. You can choose from the following alternatives when you click on it:
You can also download your chart as a PDF file or a PNG or SVG picture. Additionally, you may copy and paste it into different programs, such Google Slides or Google Docs. As an alternative, you can copy and paste it using the keyboard commands Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.
Do You Want to Analyze How Your Data Set Has Changed Over Time?
Charts’ most basic function is to demonstrate how a variable changes over time. You may observe, for instance, how your yearly sales increase over time. Since each time period is assigned a single value, these variables are referred to as discrete variables, and you can visualize them using a bar or column chart.
Other numbers, like the overall quantity of a product sold throughout time, vary over time continually. Line charts and area charts are the most effective in these situations since they show the pattern over time. Scatter charts, which are used in technical contexts, also function by setting the x-axis to denote the time period.
Waterfall charts are the greatest for illustrating changes to a value over time, particularly changes caused by numerous sources, as they focus on the changes rather than the entire values.
Do You Want to Compare One or More Metrics Across Various Datasets?
Comparing the same variable described by other things can also reveal new information. For instance, you can assess each branch’s performance by comparing its annual sales.
You may compare almost any sort of chart. Column and bar charts are obvious options for comparing values. If you wish to compare the same variable defining many objects as they change over time, line charts and area charts can also be employed. When comparing the values of related variables that describe the same item, radar charts can be useful. If you are comparing geospatial data, geo charts are useful. Finally, combo charts allow you to compare the values of two distinct but potentially connected variables to gain more understanding.
Do You Want to Look at How Your Data is Distributed?
In some circumstances, a variable may describe a huge number of things or people, yet the distribution of possible values is not random. The average age of your clients is a fair illustration of that. Depending on whether your primary clients are teenagers, young adults, or seniors, the values of their ages will likely cluster around particular values.
The histogram is the ideal sort of graphic to use when examining a value distribution. It is a particular kind of column chart made for showing value distribution. There are frequently equal-sized segments created from the possible values. One can choose to split the values by 5 in the case of the age distribution: from 1 to 7 years old, 8 to 13 years old, 18 to 25 years old, and so on.
Do You Wish to Identify a Possible Correlation Between two Variables?
Charts that will draw attention to any relationships between the two numerical variables are used to convey information about two numerical variables that are or may be related to one another. The existence of a relationship between two or more numerical variables is referred to as a correlation. Although correlation is a significant characteristic that can suggest that one numerical variable may have an impact on another, it is a widespread misconception that correlation between two variables indicates that one of the variables has an impact on the other.
The scatter plot is the style of chart that works well in this situation. Since scatter plots effectively illustrate potential correlations between two variables without adding extra information that could cause misunderstanding, that is the only one I advise, drawing on my experience in college studying technical fields. Line charts cannot be utilized because, at first glance, the line or curve of a line chart may be misconstrued as the y-axis variable changing over time.
Conclusion on Guide to Selecting the Correct Chart Type in Google Sheets
Analyses are made simpler and trends in metrics and variables are better illuminated by selecting the appropriate chart type. There are many different types of charts available in Google Sheets. Your purpose should be your first consideration when selecting a chart type.
You should be able to use this amazing tool efficiently after reading this lesson, and you’ll also be better at using Google Sheets to create charts.
To be more efficient in creating your chart, don’t forget to check FileDrop. FileDrop is a free Google Sheets and Docs file manager add-on that allows you to drag and drop files into a spreadsheet cell with automatic linking and save them to Google Drive.