How to Make a Graph in Google Sheets

Graphs are an effective way to display your data and trends, especially when you're working with complex or large data sets. Using graphs in your data visualization helps viewers quickly interpret the information you're presenting.

This tutorial guides you through creating and customizing a graph in your Google Sheet. You'll also learn some best practices for creating useful graphs to display data.

How to make a graph in Google Sheets

To make a graph in Google Sheets, follow these steps:

1. Open your Google Sheet.

2. Select your data.

3. Select Insert > Chart.

4. Choose your chart type.

5. Customize the chart.

Now, let’s break down these steps further.

1. Open your Google Sheet.

Before you can create your graph, you need to open the Google Sheet that has your data.

2. Highlight your data.

After opening your Google Sheet with the data you want to make into a graph, you need to highlight the data. In the image below, the selected range is from cell G1 to cell G11. 

3. Click on the ‘Insert’ menu.

Click on the Insert menu at the top left of your Google Sheets screen and choose the Insert > Chart option. 

4. Click on ‘Chart.’

From here, a chart editor will open on the right side of the screen. In the image below, you also can see the chart inside a box in the center of the sheet. This lets you preview the chart when you start making selections in the chart editor.

5. Choose a graph type.

Once the chart editor is open, you can choose a graph type in the Setup > Chart type box in the top of the Chart editor. In the example below, we show a line chart, or line graph, selected.

6. Customize your graph.

In the Chart editor, you can customize your graph in several ways. For example, in the Customize tab, you can change the graph style, axis labels, legend, ticks, and gridlines. If you have two sets of numbers, you can choose which set of numbers is represented on the X-axis and which is represented on the y-axis. 

Best practices when making a graph

When making a graph in Google Sheets, you should consider the following tips to best represent your data:

• Choose the right type of graph. When selecting a graph, consider factors like the size of the data set, number of variables, and the audience you're presenting to when selecting a graph. Google Sheets will often give you suggestions that fit your data.

• Includes labels. You should label your axes, add a specific title, and include markers to show the values of data points. This helps to ensure your data is represented accurately. 

• Update the graph with new data. As you get more data, you should update your graph to represent the new information. You can right-click or double-click on the chart and click Setup > Data range > Grid to select new data points. 

Alternative ways to represent your data

Depending on the type of data you have, you can choose several different ways to represent your information. Charts and tables are two ways in which you can represent your data alternatively to graphs. 

How to make a table in Google Sheets

You can create a table by highlighting your data before navigating to Insert > Chart and opening the Chart editor. From here, click Chart type and scroll down to the bottom to click Table chart. 

How to make a chart in Google Sheets

The Chart editor allows you to create different types of charts. Highlight your data before navigating to Insert > Chart and opening the Chart editor. From here, click on Chart type and choose your option. You can choose different styles and play with visual elements until you find the format that you enjoy best. Below is an example of a pie chart. 

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