How to make a bar graph
- Type your category names, such as quarters, products or countries, in the first column.
- Enter a value for each category in the next column. To compare groups, for example 2024 vs 2025, click Add data series and rename the column header.
- In Customize → Chart options, choose vertical or horizontal bars and grouped, stacked or 100% stacked series.
- Add axis titles, turn on value labels, and set a number prefix or suffix such as $ or %.
- Download as PNG for slides and documents, or SVG and PDF for print-quality vector output.
Data format
| Column | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Text | Required |
| Data series (one column each) | Number | 1–12 columns; blank cells allowed |
Up to 500 rows. Each row is a category. Each value column is a data series — add more series to compare groups side by side. Negative values are drawn below the zero line.
Customization options
- Orientation: vertical columns, or horizontal bars, which are better for long category names.
- Grouped, stacked or 100% stacked display for multiple series.
- Bar width and rounded corners to match your presentation style.
- Value labels above or beside each bar, with thousands separators, decimals, prefixes and suffixes.
- Axis titles, gridlines and a fixed axis maximum, for example to keep several graphs on the same scale.
- Per-series colors picked directly in each column header, plus ten palettes and pattern fills.
Downloading and exporting
- PNG: best for slides, documents and the web. It supports transparent backgrounds, and you can choose standard, 2×, 4× or slide-sized (1920 × 1080) output.
- JPEG: a smaller file with a solid background.
- SVG: a true vector file. It stays sharp at any size and can be edited in Illustrator, Inkscape or Figma.
- PDF: vector PDF sized to the chart, A4 or US Letter. If your labels use characters outside the standard PDF fonts (for example Chinese, Arabic or emoji), the PDF uses a high-resolution image instead and tells you.
- CSV and .json: your data, or the whole chart with its settings, to re-open later.
When to use a bar graph
- Comparing quantities across categories such as sales by region or votes by candidate.
- Ranking items: sort your rows from largest to smallest before charting.
- Comparing a few groups across the same categories (grouped bars).
When to choose a different chart
- Your x-axis is continuous time with many points. A line graph shows the trend more clearly.
- You have raw measurements and want to show how they are distributed. Use the histogram maker, which groups values into bins.
- You want to highlight the few causes that account for most of a problem. A Pareto chart adds the cumulative percentage.
Common mistakes to avoid
Not starting at zero
A bar’s length represents its value, so cutting the axis off at, say, 40 makes a 50 look twice as large as a 45. This tool always starts bars at zero; you can only raise the maximum.
Unordered categories
For categories with no natural order, such as products, sort rows from largest to smallest so readers can rank them instantly. Keep natural orders (months, age groups) as they are.
Too many series
More than three or four grouped series becomes a picket fence. Split the chart, or use a stacked bar chart if the series add up to a meaningful total.
Practical examples
Quarterly revenue, two years
Four quarters as categories and two series (2024, 2025) as grouped bars, with value labels and a “$” prefix.
Survey satisfaction by department
Horizontal bars work well when department names are long. Sort descending so the best-performing team appears at the top.
Profit and loss by product
Negative values are drawn below a highlighted zero line, so loss-making products stand out immediately.
Bar graph vs. column chart vs. histogram
“Bar graph” usually covers both vertical columns and horizontal bars; some spreadsheet programs reserve “bar” for horizontal and “column” for vertical. Both encode values as lengths from a common zero baseline, which makes them one of the most accurately read chart types.
A histogram looks similar but answers a different question. Its x-axis is a continuous numeric scale split into ranges (bins), the bars touch, and the height is a count of observations. If your categories are names rather than numeric ranges, you want a bar graph.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a double (grouped) bar graph?
Click Add data series to add a second value column, rename its header (for example “2025”), and keep “Multiple series” set to Grouped. Each category then shows one bar per series.
Can I make a horizontal bar chart?
Yes. In Customize → Chart options, set Orientation to Horizontal. This is recommended when category names are long.
Can bars show negative values?
Yes. Negative values extend below the zero line (or to its left in horizontal mode), and the zero line is emphasised.
Why can’t I set the y-axis minimum?
Bar length must be proportional to value, which requires a zero baseline. Truncating the axis exaggerates differences, so we only let you raise the maximum. For trends where zero is not meaningful, use a line graph.
Can I import data from Excel?
Yes. Click Import file and choose an .xlsx or .csv file, or copy cells in Excel and paste them into the table. The first row is detected as headings automatically.
Your data stays private
Charts are drawn by your browser. Your data isn’t uploaded to our servers; it is kept only in this browser’s storage, for autosave and saved charts, until you clear it. See our privacy policy.