How to create a bar

chart in Excel
Matthew Johnson
Noah Curfman
Arron Ellefson

Introduction
The goal of these instructions is to teach users to create a bar graph in Microsoft Excel
2013. Bar graphs are a useful way to organize data so it can be viewed quickly and
accurately. Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular programs used to create these
graphs, and it can be used by anyone with a basic knowledge of computers. For this
case, the user must also have a basic knowledge of graphs. Also it is recommended
that the user has some understanding on how to use excel. The example used in these
instructions compares the number of bears, whales, and dolphins present in different
years, but keep in mind there are many different types of data sets that can be graphed.
Materials and equipment needed
-A computer
-Microsoft Excel 2013
-Data that can be organized into a chart
Description of equipment
Any computer that can run Microsoft Office 2013 can be used to complete this task. The
user needs to make sure that the Excel 2013 program is installed on the computer he or
she is using. In order to successfully operate Excel 2013, the user must have a general
idea on how to use computers.
Directions
Step 1
Open Microsoft Office Excel. The version used in this example is 2013, but these
instructions should work for most versions of Excel.
Step 2
First, the user needs to input the data into Excel. This task is completed by selecting a
cell and entering the correct data. Below is an example of what the data should look
like. The years in column A will represent the x variable and the animals in row 1 will
represent the y variable.

Step 3
Once the data is placed in Excel, click and hold the left button on the mouse in cell A-1
and drag the pointer to cell D-7.

Step 4
Select the insert tab towards the top of the screen. After the insert tab has been
selected, click on the button labeled Insert Column Chart. This will show a drop down
box similar to the one shown in the figure below. Next, click on the Cluster Column
button as it is highlighted in the figure below. This step will result in a bar graph of the
data.

Step 5
Since most graphs require axis labels, click on the green plus sign to the right of the
chart you just created. Check the Axis titles box. This will allow you to edit the x and y
axis titles.

Step 6
Give the graph a title. This will ensure people understand what the graph is trying to
explain. The final graph should look similar to the figure below.

Troubleshooting section
Some bars are not showing up
Ensure that the cell that would correspond the bar that is not appearing is only a
numeric value and does not contain any letters or words.
An entire column of entries is missing
Ensure that when the graph is created, all the columns to be included in the graph were
selected.
Multiple cells are being put together into a single entry
Right click on the graph and let click on Select Data.Select the incorrect entry from
the displayed lists then press the edit button above whichever list it belongs to. Select
the correct cell or cells the table should be reading and click ok.
Some columns that should not be included are included
Right click on the graph and let click on Select Data.Select the incorrect entry from
the displayed list then press the delete button above the list.

The graph is in the wrong place

Click and hold the graph to drag it to the correct location in the spreadsheet
The graph is incorrectly sized
Mouse over the edges of the graph until the cursor changes, click, and resize as
needed.