Where to find chart tools in excel

Charts and graphs elevate your data by providing an easy-to-understand visualization of numeric values. While the terms are often used interchangeably, they are slightly different. Graphs are the most basic way to represent data visually, and typically display data point values over a duration of time. Charts are a bit more complex, as they allow you to compare pieces of a data set relative to the other data in that set.

Charts are also considered more visual than graphs, since they often take a different shape than a generic x- and y-axis. People often use charts and graphs in presentations to give management, client, or team members a quick snapshot into progress or results. You can create a chart or graph to represent nearly any kind of quantitative data — doing so will save you the time and frustration of poring through spreadsheets to find relationships and trends. Excel also has a variety of preset chart and graph types so you can select one that best represents the data relationship s you want to highlight.

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Excel offers a large library of chart and graph types to help visually present your data. Of course, you can also add graphical elements to enhance and customize a chart or graph. In Excel , there are five main categories of charts or graphs:. Another popular chart is a waterfall chart, which is essentially a series of column graphs that show positive and negative changes over time. There is no Excel preset for a waterfall chart, but you can download a template to help make the process easier.

Below are the top five best practices to make your chart or graph as clear and useful as possible:. Choose Appropriate Themes: Consider your audience, the topic, and the main point of your chart when selecting a theme.

While it can be fun to experiment with different styles, choose the theme that best fits your purpose. Use Text Wisely: While charts and graphs are primarily visual tools, you will likely include some text such as titles or axis labels. Tip: Chart styles use the colors of the current document theme that is applied to the workbook. You can change the colors by switching to a different document theme.

You can also customize a document theme to display a chart in the exact colors that you want. In the Labels group, click a layout option for the chart label that you want to change. In the Axes group, click a layout option for the axis or gridlines that you want to change. In the Background group, click a layout option for the background that you want to change. In the Analysis group, click a layout option for any lines or bars that you want to add or change.

Note: The layout options that you select are applied to the element that you have selected. For example, if you have the whole chart selected, data labels will be applied to all data series. If you have a single data point selected, data labels will only be applied to the selected data series or data point. On the Layout tab, you can also find options to add pictures, shapes, or text boxes Insert group , and you can change the name of your chart Properties group.

Click the chart element that you want to change or do the following to select it from a list of chart elements:. On the Format tab, in the Current Selection group, click the arrow in the Chart Elements box, and then click the chart element for which you want to change the formatting style.

In the Shape Styles group, click the More button , and then select a style. If you want to create another chart such as the one that you just created, you can save the chart as a template that you can use as the basis for other similar charts. On the Design tab, in the Type group, click Save as Template. Click the Menus tab to experience the classic style interface and find the Tools menu easily.

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