Let’s look at how to make a line chart in Excel, when it’s most useful, and how it may help you make sense of complicated data sets.

What is Excel line chart (graph)

An Excel line chart (sometimes called a line graph) shows a series of data points that are connected by a straight line. It is often used to show numbers over a given amount of time in a visual way.

Independent data, like time intervals, are usually represented on the x-axis, whereas dependent values, like prices and sales, are plotted on the y-axis. If there are any negative values, they are shown below the x-axis.

The line’s ups and downs on the graph represent patterns in your data collection. An upward slope means values are going up, while a downward slope means values are going down.

ALSO READ: How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel

How To Create a Line Chart in Excel

To create an Excel line chart, do the following:

Step 1: Select Your Data

Step 2: Click the Line symbol in the Charts group on the Insert tab.

Step 3: Now Click on the line with Markers.

Finally your Excel line Chart will be ready

Important Note: If you simply have numbers as labels, clear cell A1 before making the line chart. Excel doesn’t see the values in column A as a data series when you do this, so it puts them on the horizontal (category) axis by default. You can type the word “Year” into cell A1 after making the chart if you want to.

RELATED: How to Make a Bar Chart in Excel​

How to customize and improve an Excel line chart

The default line chart that Excel makes looks OK, but it can always be better. It makes sense to start with the usual changes to give your graph a unique and professional style, such as:

• Adding, altering, or formatting the title of the chart.
• Moving or concealing the legend for the chart.
• Changing the scale of the axis or the format of the numbers on the axis.
• Showing or hiding the gridlines on the chart.
• Changing the colors and design of the chart.

The post How to Create a Line Chart in Excel appeared first on XcelNote.

This guide will show you how to make a pie chart in Excel, change it to make it clearer, and look at more advanced types like doughnut charts and exploded pie charts to highlight important data points.

What Is a Pie Chart in Excel?

A pie chart is a round graph that shows data as slices of a whole. Each slice shows how much a category adds to the whole. You only need one set of data and a set of labels to make a pie chart in Excel. Pie charts are used every day for things like:

• Market share analysis: Looking at how competitors in the same industry measure against each other
• Results of the survey: Showing how responses were spread out
• Budgeting: Seeing how expenses are broken down in financial reports

Pie charts are great for showing how things are related, but they work best with a small number of categories (five or fewer is best) to keep things from getting too busy and confusing. In other words, pie charts don’t work well with data that has a lot of different values.

ALSO READ: How to Make a Bar Chart in Excel​

How to Create a Pie Chart in Excel

Step 1: Adding Data in Excel

Open Excel and put in the information you wish to see as a pie chart.

Step 2: Select your Data

Highlight the information you put in the first step. After that, click the “Insert” option in the toolbar and choose “Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart.” Excel has a lot of ways to make a pie chart, like a 2D pie chart, a 3D chart, and more.

After that, pick the pie chart you want, and it will show up on your spreadsheet.

Step 3: Adding Data Labels

Adding data labels is an important part of learning how to construct a pie chart in Excel. It’s easier to understand and read pie charts and other visualizations when you add data labels to them. When you make pie charts in Excel, a legend is automatically added. The names of the categories will also show up on the pie chart if you typed them in and chose them while building the chart. To show numbers, right-click on the pie chart and choose “Add Data Labels.”

To change the look of data labels, right-click on the pie chart and choose “Format Data Labels.” In the Format Data Labels pane, you may choose the options you want, like the category name, percentage value, and so on. You can also change the format of data series. You may also modify the color and size of the typeface.

RELATED: How to Create a Gantt Chart in Excel

How To Create Different Pie Chart Types In Excel?

You can choose any one of the following subtypes when you are creating a pie chart in Excel:

Pie Of Pie or Bar Of Pie

It’s really simple and quick to make a Bar Of Pie or Pie Of Pie chart in Excel. Go to the Insert tab and choose either Pie Of Pie or Bar Of Pie after you’ve added and highlighted the data.

Doughnut Chart

Doughnut charts are similar to pie charts, but they have a blank space in the middle where you can put important information about the data. You can make a doughnut chart in Excel the same way you make a pie chart: just pick the “Doughnut Chart” option.

Exploded pie charts

An exploding pie chart splits one or more slices from the remainder to draw attention to certain data points. This is helpful if you want to draw attention to an important group, such as the biggest or smallest contributor.

To explode a pie chart, click on a slice and drag it away from the rest of the chart.

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The post How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel appeared first on XcelNote.