Create an Excel Chart in Microsoft Excel

Create an Excel Chart in Microsoft Excel

We’re now going to create a chart from our BBC1 Viewing figures. If you haven't yet completed the sorting tutorial, go back one page and follow along with the lesson. You'll then have a some sorted viewing figures to create a chart from.

When our chart is finished, though, it will look like this:

A little later, you'll see how to improve on this basic chart.

To start making your chart, highlight the BBC1 programmes, and the viewing figures. If you have just finished the sorting section, this data should still be highlighted, and look like this:

With your programmes and the viewing figures highlighted, do this:

• From the tabs on the Excel Ribbon, click on Insert
• Locate the Charts panel. It looks like this in Excel 2007:

In later versions of Excel, the Charts panel looks like this:

For this first one, we'll create a Column Chart. So, in Excel 2007, click the down arrow on the Columnitem of the Chart Panel. You'll see a list of available charts to choose from. Select the first one, the chart highlighted below (2D Column):

The Column drop down list in later versions of Excel looks like this:

When you make your selection, a new chart appears on the same spreadsheet that you have open. The chart should look the same as the one at the top if this page.

But notice that the Excel Ribbon has changed. The design menu is selected, along with options for Chart Layouts:

In Excel 2013, you'll see these layouts on the left, in the Chart Layouts panel, under Quick Layouts:

Also on the Design Ribbon, you'll see options for Chart styles:

You'll see how to use these later. For now, your chart may be covering your viewing figures. In the next part, we'll see how to move and resize a chart.

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