What Is Bar Chart In Google Sheets?
The Bar chart in Google Sheets is used to compare data categories in a dataset that helps us visualize data variation over a period. In a Google Sheets Bar chart, the data are in the form of bars that are horizontally stacked one above the other, each bar representing the compared data. In case of multiple data variables, each horizontal bar will have attached segment bars.
For example, the below table consists of the fruits and their amount per kilo. We will display the data as a Bar chart for the single category.
Select cell range A1:B9 and enter the Bar chart from the charts group.
The generated Bar chart is shown in the above image. We see horizontal bars stacked one above the other for each item.
Key Takeaways
- The Bar chart in Google Sheets graphically represents the data as horizontal bars stacked with single or multiple data segments.
- Ensure to use the chart for smaller datasets. In a large dataset, comparing data is challenging.
- We can format or customize the chart according to our requirements or highlight the columns in a presentable way, while generating reports.
- A variety of Bar Charts are available such as, stacked and 100% stacked which can be plotted normally or as a 3D chart, according to the data we want to represent. Regardless of the chart type the data is unaltered.
- In a generated Bar Chart, we can Add Error Bars as well.
How To Create Bar Chart Inn Google Sheets?
The steps to create Bar Chart in Google Sheets as follows:
Step 1: Organize the dataset in a way so that we know the X and the Y axes variables.
Step 2: Next, choose the entire dataset. Select the “Insert” tab – choose the “Chart” option.
Step 3: A default chart, i.e., the “Column chart”, gets generated. The “Chart editor” window opens on the right-side.
Step 4: To select a different “Chart type”, select the “Setup” menu, click the “Chart type” drop-down. Select the “Bar chart” from the “Bar” section, as shown below.
Finally, we will have the Bar Chart. We can then customize it as per our requirements.
Types Of Bar Chart In Google Sheets
We have 3 types of Bar Chart in Google Sheets, namely,
- Bar Chart.
- Stacked Bar Chart.
- 100% Stacked Bar Chart.
Examples
We will consider the Bar chart in Google sheets examples for the “Stacked Bar chart” and “100% Stacked Bar chart”.
Example #1 – Stacked Bar Chart
We will plot a Stacked Bar chart for the below table that consists of the purchase, sales and turn over data of a few companies.
The steps to create a Stacked Bar chart for the given data are,
Step 1: Choose the cell range A1:D5 à select the “Insert” tab à choose the “Chart” option, the “Chart editor” window opens on the right-side and select the “Stacked Bar chart”, as shown below.
The chart generates as shown below.
Step 2: Next, let us add titles to the chart and format them accordingly. Therefore, in the “Chart editor” under the “Customize” menu, select the “Chart & axis titles”, as shown below.
Step 3: Click the “Title type selector” drop-down and select each option to update the title as follows:
- First, select the “Chart title” option, type “Companies Profit Details” in the “Title text” field, select “Bold” and “Center alignment” in the “Title format” field and color Black in the “Title text color” field, as shown below.
- Next, select the “Horizontal axis title” option, type “Sales” in the “Title text” field, select “Bold” and “Center alignment” in the “Title format” field and color Black in the “Title text color” field, as shown below.
- Finally, select the “Vertical axis title” option, type “Company Names” in the “Title text” field, select “Bold” in the “Title format” field and color Black in the “Title text color” field, as shown below.
The final Stacked Bar Chart is shown below. We can either stop here, or customize further by exploring the options available in the “Customize” menu in the “Chart editor”.
We see that the sales are represented by bars, where, the blue part represents the Purchase data, the red part is Sales data and the yellow part is the Turn Over data. It is clearly visible that the companies made huge profits.
Example #2 – 100% Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets
The below table shows the Customer Satisfaction Ratings Across 10 Retail Stores. We will create a 100% Stacked Bar Chart in Google Sheets.
The steps to create a Stacked 100% Bar chart for the given data are,
Step 1: Choose the cell range A2:D11 – select the “Insert” tab – choose the “Chart” option and the “Chart editor” window opens on the right-side and select the “100% Stacked Bar chart”, as shown below.
The generated Bar Chart type is shown below.
Step 2: Follow the steps learnt in Example 1 to update the titles, chart styles, range values within the chart, etc. Then, the final Bar Chart type, i.e., the 100% Stacked Bar Chart, is shown below.
How To Format Bar Chart In Google Sheets?
The steps to Format Bar Chart in Google Sheets are as follows:
Step 1: Choose the dataset -> select the “Insert” tab -> choose the “Chart” option.
Step 2: A default chart, i.e., the “Column chart” appears. The “Chart editor” window opens on the right-side.
Step 3: To create the “Bar chart”, select the “Setup” menu, click the “Chart type” drop-down. Select the “Bar chart” from the “Bar” section, as shown below.
Step 4: Once we get the Bar Chart, we will format it accordingly, as shown in the subsequent steps. First, let us add titles to the chart and format them. Therefore, in the “Chart editor” under the “Customize” menu, select the “Chart & axis titles”, as shown below.
Step 5: Click the “Title type selector” drop-down and select each option to update the title as follows:
- First, select the “Chart title” option, type the required title in the “Title text” field, select “Bold” and “Center alignment” in the “Title format” field and any color in the “Title text color” field to highlight the data, as shown below.
- Next, select the “Horizontal axis title” option, type required axis title in the “Title text” field, select “Bold” and “Center alignment” in the “Title format” field and any color in the “Title text color” field, as shown below.
- Finally, select the “Vertical axis title” option, type the required axis title in the “Title text” field, select “Bold” in the “Title format” field and any color in the “Title text color” field, as shown below.
Step 6: Once the titles are added,then, click the “Legend” option from the “Customize” tab. Select the positioning of the legends from the “Position” option drop-down, as shown in the images below.
Step 7: Next, select the “Horizontal axis” option and we can check/tick the “Show axis line” option or enter the Min and Max values, in the respective fields, shown below.
We can stop here or further explore the formatting options, to format the Bar Chart.
How To Add Error Bars IN Google Sheets?
The below table shows the Insurance Claims by Type. We will create a Bar Chart in Google Sheets and then learn to Add Error Bars In Google Sheets.
The steps to create a Bar chart and add Error Bars for the given data are,
Step 1: Choose the cell range A2:D7 – select the “Insert” tab – choose the “Chart” option and the “Chart editor” window opens on the right-side and select the “Bar chart”, as shown below.
Step 2: Follow the steps learnt in Example 1 to update the titles, chart styles, range values within the chart, etc. Then, we can see the final Bar Chart below.
Step 3: Now to convert the chart to a 3D Bar chart, click the “Customize” option in the “Chart editor” window, then, click the “Chart style” option right arrow and check/tick the “3D” option, Now, the chart is a 3D Chart, as shown below.
The advantage of having a 3D Bar chart is that the gaps between the set of bars is invisible. And it looks grouped.
Step 4: Now comes the main part of this section, i.e. to add the Error Bars to the generated Bar Chart. Therefore, select the “Customize” tab, click the “Series” option and check/tick the “Error bars” option, as shown below.
Then, we see the final chart with the added Error Bars, below. The error bars are clearly visible at the end of each bar. The bars color and the error bars color are similar for clear differentiation.
Important Things To Note
- Ensure the source data contains smaller datasets to avoid clutter in the plotted Bar chart.
- As much as possible, avoid 3-D effects, as they might distort and misrepresent the data.
- We can generate a chart in multiple ways, namely,
- First, select the cell range and then insert the chart. Then, we will get a default chart, after which we can select the required chart type. Or,
- We can first insert the required chart type, a blank chart appears with only a border, and then, enter the data range in the “Chart editor” window to get the required chart.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
An alternate way to insert a Bar Chart in Google Sheets is,
First, select the dataset – click the “More” option on the toolbar, as shown below.
Next, click the “Insert chart” icon, as shown below, to open the “Chart editor” and we know the rest.
A few reasons the Google Sheets Bar Chart may not work are,
a. The dataset used to generate the chart is modified or deleted.
b. The dataset is not organized in a right way to understand which variable will be X or Y axis.
c. The cell range to generate the chart is not rightly selected, so that different headers appear in different axis.
d. The amounts entered must be in valid format or precise currency.
The benefits of the Google Sheets Bar Chart are as follows:
a. The Bars makes it easier to visualize the cost patterns such as increase and decrease in rates, start and end prices within specific periods.
b. We can also predict the profits and loss with the trends or patterns, that helps us to decide future investments based on the previous history.
c. The greater the bar, higher the profit and lesser the bar, lower profit. Easy to comprehend.
Download Template
This article must help understand the Bar chart In Google Sheets, with its formula and examples. You can download the template here to use it instantly.
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