Google Sheets Charts: How to Create, Tips, and Examples

Are you tired of staring at boring spreadsheets all day? Do you dream of colorful charts and eye-catching visuals?

You’ve come to the right place.

Today, I will show you how to create a chart in Google Sheets.

Don’t worry if you’re not the tech-savvy type. The days of struggling with complex formulas and clunky software have come to an end. Creating a chart in Google Sheets is as easy as stealing candy from a baby.

Well, maybe not that easy, but close enough. With only a few snaps and some fundamental knowledge, you’ll be charting like a pro in no time.

Google Sheets offers many chart types, from simple line graphs to intricate pie charts. You can customize colors and labels and add titles to make your chart unique.

Grab your favorite beverage, sit back, and let’s dive into the world of chart-making in Google Sheets.

In this blog, you’ll learn the following:

Table of Content:

1. Introduction to Google Sheets Charts
2. Video Tutorial: How to Make a Graph in Google Sheets
3. Top 10 Google Sheets Charts for Your Data
4. What Charts Can You Create in Google Sheets?
5. How to Create a Chart in Google Sheets? 5 Easy Steps  
   • Step 1: Open Your Google Sheet
   • Step 2: Search And Add New Chart
   • Step 3: Insert the Chart in Google Sheets
   • Step 4: Select and Arrange the Data
   • Step 5: Final Google Sheet Chart
6. How to Edit Google Sheets Graph?
7. How to Copy and Paste Google Spreadsheet Graph?
8. How to Remove Chart From Google Sheets?
9. Tips For Google Sheets Graphing
10. FAQs About Google Sheet Charting
11. Wrap Up

Introduction to Google Sheets Charts

A chart in Google Sheets is a data visualization representation that enhances understanding. It simplifies complex data sets, making them more accessible and actionable. These charts help present data in a compelling and digestible format, facilitating better decision-making processes and communication.

Charts for Google Sheets come in various types, such as bar graphs, pie charts, and line graphs. Whether it’s sales, projects, surveys, or even tracking Project Management KPIs, Google Sheets charts are versatile enough to make data easy to understand.

This adaptability allows you to pick the most appropriate chart based on the nature of your data and insights, ensuring clarity and effectiveness in presenting key metrics.

Video Tutorial: How to Make a Graph in Google Sheets

Top 10 Google Sheets Charts for Your Data

Google Sheets has many built-in charts you can use for your data stories.

Some of the charts in the Google Sheets include:

1. Line charts
2. Bar charts
3. Scatter charts
4. Pie charts
5. Flow chart
6. Radar chart
7. Sunburst chart
8. Grouped bar chart
9. Area chart
10. Box & Whisker chart

In the coming section, we’ll address the following question: what is the purpose of using charts? Also, you will learn later how to bring more charts in Google Sheets using Add-on.

What Charts Can You Create in Google Sheets?

• Line Chart

A Line Chart is a dynamic way to showcase trends over time. This chart connects data points with straight lines, clearly visualizing how values change. For example, it’s ideal for tracking monthly sales performance, making it easy to identify growth or decline patterns.

• Bar Chart

A Bar Chart is the go-to choice when comparing individual data points or categories. The varying lengths of bars make it easy to visualize the differences between values, making it perfect for scenarios like comparing sales figures for different products.

• Scatter Plot

For examining relationships between two variables, a Scatter Plot shines. It represents individual data points on a two-dimensional graph, making it excellent for analyzing correlations. For instance, you can use it to understand how advertising spending impacts sales.

• Pie Chart

To highlight parts of a whole and their percentage contributions, a Pie Chart is invaluable. It divides a circle into sectors, each representing a specific portion. An excellent use case is illustrating the distribution of sales by product category.

• Flow Chart

A Flow Chart is ideal when visualizing processes, workflows, or system architectures. It uses various shapes and arrows to represent steps in a logical sequence. Thus, it is an excellent tool for mapping project development cycles or decision-making processes.

• Radar Chart

The Radar Chart displays data on a two-dimensional graph in a circular pattern. It uses various shapes and arrows to represent steps in a logical sequence.

Thus, it is an excellent tool for mapping project development cycles or decision-making processes. Additionally, when looking to visualize profit and loss, a flow chart can also be an effective tool to illustrate the flow of revenues and expenses, making it one of the best chart options for profit and loss analysis.

• Sunburst Charts

A Sunburst Chart is almost identical to a Pie Chart. But, the center of the diagram is cut out and outward growth shows some hierarchy. Use this chart to visualize the proportions of categories that make up the whole of your data.

Benefits of a Sunburst (one of the Google Sheets Charts)

• Sunburst Charts are incredibly easy to read and understand, even for non-technical audiences (or readers).
• The data values in this chart can be altered to align with your needs.
• You can quickly draw Sunburst in different types and colors.
• With the help of text boxes, labels, and legends, you can easily add additional information to help the audience understand the story better.
• Unlike Pie Charts, you can use this chart to visualize multiple variables in your data for in-depth insights.
• Additional information, such as the aggregate values, can be placed in the hole of a Donut Diagram.

• Grouped Bar Chart

Grouped Bar charts represent categorical data using rectangular bars. You can use the visualization design to compare individual data points relative to aggregate values.

A typical Bar Chart compares individual data points. Conversely, in a Grouped Bar Chart, each bar is aligned with another one with a contrasting color for comparison. More so, each subsection in the bars has the same color to make formatting makes it easier.

The chart lets you see even minor changes in key variables in your data points.

Benefits of a Grouped Bar Graph (one of the best Google Sheets Charts)

• Easy to analyze data for insights

Use this chart if your goal is to display the relative composition of key data points. You can also use the Stacked Bar chart in Google Sheets to display comparison insights into key data points.

• Spot Outliers

The Stacked Bar Chart is arguably among the best creative visualization designs you can use to screen your data for outliers.

• Save time

The chart can save you time because it’s incredibly easy to read and interpret, even for non-technical audiences.

• Area Charts

The Stacked Area Chart is a visualization design that uses a combination of color and lines to display trends and patterns insights over time.

The chart shares similarities with the Line Graph. In both visualization designs, key data points are connected via lines. However, the chart uses color, unlike the Line Graphs. The visualization design is best suited for displaying key data points’ patterns and trends.

The Stacked Area Chart is ideal if your goal is to display patterns and trends. Check out the practical application of the visualization design below.

• Analyzing Yearly Sales

The Area Chart in Google Sheets is ideal for displaying insights into the yearly sales data of a business.

• Track Performance

One of the best charts for tracking performance in a specified time is the Stacked Area Chart.

Why?

The chart is ideal for tracking trends and patterns in a specified period.

• Simple Comparison

These Charts are effective, especially when comparing two or more metrics in your data.

• Box and Whisker Chart

The Box and Whisker Graph (one of the Google Sheets Charts) simplifies bulky and complex data sets into quartiles and averages. Also, you can use the chart to pinpoint outliers in your data.

The five-number summary Box Plot segments key variables in quarters or (quartiles).

For instance, you can draw boxes to connect the first quartile to the third quartile. In this case, the boxes will represent the average values of key data points.

Whiskers are lines that identify values outside of the average data points. Your data’s highest and lowest variables can be outliers, depending on their magnitude and frequency of occurrence.

Box and Whisker Plots use robust summary statistics that are quickly computable (originally by hand) and have no tuning parameters. The chart is best suited for comparing distributions across key categories in your data.

Check out the benefits of Box and Whisker Graphs (one of the Google Sheets Charts).

• A Box and Whisker Graph can help you to visualize large datasets.
• You can easily detect the symmetry of the data at a glance by using the chart.
• Unlike other data visualization techniques, the Box Plot displays outliers.

How to Create a Chart in Google Sheets? 5 Easy Steps

Google Sheets is one of the most-used visualization tools among businesses and professionals worldwide.

However, this cloud-hosted spreadsheet tool comes with very basic charts, which require extra work in editing.

We’re not recommending you do away with the spreadsheet app.

You can turn Google Sheets into a data visualization tool loaded with ready-made and visually stunning charts by installing third-party apps.

With different and modern visualizations, Chart Expo turns your complex, raw data into compelling, easy-to-digest, visual renderings that tell the story of your data.

The easy-to-use data visualization tool produces simple and clear visualization designs with just a few clicks. Google Sheets charts that are amazingly easy to interpret, even for non-technical audiences.

In this section, we’ll use a Sunburst to display insights into the table below.

Pet Shelter	Pet Category	Pet Type	No. of Adoption
Pet Shelter	Fish	Catfish	50
Pet Shelter	Fish	Molly	33
Pet Shelter	Fish	Betta	25
Pet Shelter	Mammal	Dogs	90
Pet Shelter	Mammal	Cats	60
Pet Shelter	Mammal	Mice	30
Pet Shelter	Birds	Lovebirds	33

Install the ChartExpo add-on for Google Sheets and then follow the simple and easy steps below.

Step 1: Open Your Google Sheet

Step 2: Search And Add New Chart

Step 3: Insert the Chart in Google Sheets

Step 4: Select and Arrange the Data

Step 5: Final Google Sheet Chart

How to Edit Google Sheets Graph?

Open Google Sheets:

• Go to your Google Sheets document that contains the chart you want to edit.

Select the Chart:

• Click on the chart to select it. A border and a small options menu will appear around the chart.

Access Chart Editor:

• Click on the three vertical dots (more options) in the upper-right corner of the chart, then select Edit chart.
• Alternatively, double-click on the chart to open the Chart editor on the right side of your screen.

Customize Chart Type and Data Range:

• In the Setup tab of the Chart editor, you can:
• Change the Chart type (e.g., switch from a bar chart to a line chart).
• Adjust the Data range or add/remove Series if you want to include different data.

Customize Chart Style:

• Go to the Customize tab in the Chart editor to personalize your chart’s appearance:
• Chart style: Change colors, background, font, and borders.
• Chart & axis titles: Edit the chart title and axis titles, and customize font style and size.
• Series: Adjust data point colors, and line width (for line charts), and add data labels.
• Legend: Change legend position, text color, and font.
• Axes: Modify axis values, scales, and gridlines to improve readability.

Apply Filters (Optional):

• In the Customize tab, you can add filters or range limits to focus on specific data points.

Save and Close:

• Your changes are automatically saved as you make adjustments.
• Once satisfied with the edits, simply close the Chart editor by clicking anywhere outside the editor area.

How to Copy and Paste Google Spreadsheet Graph?

To copy and paste the chart into Google Sheets follow these steps:

Select the Chart:

• In your Google Sheets document, click on the chart you want to copy. This will highlight the chart and show a border with three vertical dots in the top-right corner.

Copy the Chart:

• Right-click on the chart and choose Copy, or press Ctrl + C (Windows) or Cmd + C (Mac) on your keyboard.

Paste the Chart:

• Navigate to the spot where you’d like to insert the chart. This can be in the same Google Sheet, a different Google Sheet, or even in a Google Docs or Google Slides document.
• Right-click and select Paste, or press Ctrl + V (Windows) or Cmd + V (Mac).

Choose Paste Options (if pasting to Google Docs or Slides):

• If you’re pasting the chart into Google Docs or Slides, a prompt will appear asking if you want to link the chart to the original spreadsheet.
  • Link to the spreadsheet: The chart will update automatically if the data changes in the original spreadsheet.
  • Paste unlinked: The chart will not update if the data changes.

Adjust as Needed:

• After pasting, you can resize or move the chart within Google Sheets, Docs, or Slides as needed.

How to Remove Chart From Google Sheets?

To Remove a Chart in Google Sheets:

Select the Chart:

• Click on the chart to select it.

Delete the Chart:

• Right-click on the chart and select Delete chart. Or, you can simply press the Delete or Backspace key on your keyboard.

Tips For Google Sheets Graphing

1. Choose the Right Chart Type

• Understand Your Data: Choose a chart type that best represents your data. For example:
  • Line charts for trends over time.
  • Bar or column charts for comparing quantities.
  • Pie charts for showing parts of a whole.
  • Scatter plots for relationships between variables.
• Experiment: Google Sheets lets you try different chart types, so feel free to experiment and see which visual best conveys your data.

2. Use Clear and Descriptive Titles

• Add a descriptive title to your chart that explains what the data represents. This helps viewers understand the context immediately.
• Customize axis titles to clarify the metrics being displayed.

3. Limit Data Series for Simplicity

• Avoid overcrowding charts with too many data series. Stick to a few key metrics to keep the chart easy to interpret.
• If you need to show more data, consider using a secondary axis or multiple charts instead.

4. Use Consistent Colors

• Choose visually distinct colors, especially if you have multiple data series.
• Stick to a consistent color scheme that aligns with your data or theme. Limit the use of color to emphasize key information.

5. Add Data Labels

• Data labels (numbers on data points or bars) can make charts easier to read, especially if precise values are important.
• Avoid clutter by adding labels only where necessary, such as in bar charts, line peaks, or significant points in the data.

6. Adjust Axis Scaling and Formatting

• Adjust the axis scaling for clarity. For example, set minimum and maximum values that fit the data range.
• Use appropriate units (e.g., percentages, currency) and decimal places to make the chart more readable.

7. Incorporate Trendlines

• Adding a trendline (for line or scatter charts) can make patterns or trends in your data more apparent, especially in time series data.
• Customize the trendline type, such as linear or exponential, based on the data.

8. Make Use of Legends

• Include a legend if your chart has multiple data series. Place it in a location that doesn’t overlap with the chart data.
• Ensure the legend labels are clear and concise.

9. Minimize Gridlines

• Too many gridlines can clutter the chart. Keep only the necessary ones to improve readability, or use light colors for gridlines so they don’t dominate the visual.

10. Use Filters and Interactivity (if needed)

• If your chart is for an interactive dashboard, consider using data filters or slicers to let users view specific data segments.
• Filters help users focus on relevant parts of the data without overwhelming them.

FAQs About Google Sheet Charting

Are Google charts free?

Yes, Google Sheets Charts are free to use there is an add-on Chart Expo which is also free for trial purposes. All you need is a free email account address. You will find wonderful visualizations by using this library in Google Sheets.

Can you embed a chart in Google Sheets?

Yes, Google Sheets allows you to embed charts directly within the spreadsheet. You can create a chart, then select the “Insert” menu and choose “Chart.” Once the chart is created, it can be embedded back into the sheet for convenient viewing.

How do I visualize data in Google Sheets?

To visualize data Google Sheets offers diverse visualization options beyond the native charts in Google Sheets. This allows you to create engaging and informative charts effortlessly, enhancing data presentation and analysis.

What are the examples of charts I can create in Google Sheets?

You can create bar charts, pie charts, and line charts in Google Sheets. However, unlocking a broader range of visualizations and enhancing capabilities Google Sheets provides more options and flexibility for effective data presentation.

Wrap Up

Google Sheets is one of the free tools available for businesses and workplaces to gather, clean, and visualize data. For you to access the application, you need an email account.

The data visualization tool comes with a sizable number of basic charts and needs more work in editing. Besides, it lacks a substantial number of graphs you can use to craft compelling data narratives.

For instance, you’ll never find a few charts.

So, what’s the solution?

ChartExpo is an easy-to-use application you can easily download and install in your Google Sheets app. Besides, this tool comes loaded with insightful and ready-made Google Sheets charts. You don’t need programming or coding skills to visualize your data.

Sign up for a 7-day free trial today to access easy-to-interpret and visually appealing Google Sheets charts.