See how to make an Excel pie chart, show pictures in a pie chart, show hidden data in a chart, and create an Excel line chart with a target range, and many more Excel chart videos.
A pie chart shows amounts as a percentage of the total amount. Other charts, such as a bar chart or a column chart, are better for showing the differences between amounts.
If you need a pie chart, create a simple one, without special effects such as 3-D. Then, format the data labels, so the data is easier to understand. Watch this short video to see the steps for making and formatting an Excel pie chart. Go to the written instructions.
It’s usually best to keep things simple, but in this example, pictures are added to the slices, to show types of pizza toppings.
Watch this video to see the steps for adding pictures in Excel pie chart slices, and there are written steps on this page:
Go to the written instructions.
If you use two different chart types in a single chart, it’s called a combination chart, like the line-column chart shown below. In this example, there are 2 axes, because the case numbers are much smaller than the amounts.
To get the instructions, go to this page: Line-Column Chart 2 Axes
In this video, we build an Excel line chart to show sales over six months, and show the target sales range in the chart's background. In the data, you will add the high and low values for the target range, and show that range in the background of the line chart.
Watch this short video to see the steps for making an Excel line chart with target range.
For the written steps, go to the Line Chart with Target Range page
Although Excel doesn’t have a built in Gantt chart type, you can follow the steps below to create a simple project plan in Excel, with a Gantt chart timeline.
In the video shown below, I created a simple Gantt chart, to show the steps in working on a company budget. You can see when each step starts, and when it ends.
There are instructions on this page: Gantt Charts
A cluster stack chart is a combination of a stacked column chart, and a clustered column chart. In the video below, the chart has:
You’ll find written steps and a sample file on this page: Excel Cluster Stack Chart
You can even make charts in worksheet cells, by using the Excel REPT function.
In the video below, I used the Wingdings font to create the squares, and the bar length is based on the number in column B. To create the column, for quantities less than 60, I added conditional formatting.
Get the instructions on this page: Excel REPT Function Examples
If you create an Excel chart, then hide rows or columns in your worksheet, the hidden data might also disappear from your chart. By default, Excel charts do not display the data in hidden rows and columns.
This video shows how to change an Excel chart's settings, so the hidden data will appear in the chart.
For written steps, go to the Show Data from Hidden Rows in Excel Chart page
If you need to apply this "Show data in hidden rows and columns" setting to lots of charts, click here to download my sample file with macros that quickly turn that setting on or off.
Last updated: May 1, 2022 12:47 PM
