Free Stacked Bar Chart Maker

How to make a stacked bar chart

1. Enter one bar per row in the first column, for example regions or survey questions.
2. Add a value column for each segment, for example product lines or answer options, and rename the headers.
3. Choose Stacked to compare totals, or 100% stacked to compare proportions.
4. Turn on value labels to show each segment’s value and the total above each bar.
5. Switch to horizontal bars for long labels, then download.

Data format

Up to 500 rows. Each row becomes one bar. Each value column is a segment stacked inside that bar. Use 100% mode to compare proportions instead of totals.

Customization options

• Stacked or 100% stacked modes.
• Vertical or horizontal orientation.
• Segment labels and bar totals. Labels only appear where they fit, so they never overflow a segment.
• Segment separators (border width) and pattern fills.
• Per-series colors chosen in each column header.

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 stacked bar chart

• Comparing totals and their composition across categories, such as sales by region and product line.
• Survey scales (Likert) across several questions, using 100% stacking.
• Budget breakdowns across departments or years.

When to choose a different chart

• You need precise comparison of the middle segments. Only the first segment shares a baseline, so use grouped bars in the bar graph maker.
• You have one bar only. A pie chart or doughnut chart is simpler.
• You are comparing two groups across age bands. A population pyramid is the standard form.

Common mistakes to avoid

Too many segments

More than five or six segments per bar becomes hard to read. Group minor categories into “Other”.

Inconsistent segment order

Keep the same order in every bar and, for rating scales, a logical order such as Strongly disagree → Strongly agree with a diverging palette.

Using 100% stacking when totals matter

100% stacking hides the fact that one region sold twice as much as another. If the totals are part of the story, use regular stacking.

Practical examples

Regional sales mix

Hardware, software and services sales for four regions, stacked with totals shown above each bar.

Survey agreement

Five Likert answers for each statement, 100% stacked and horizontal, so readers compare the share of agreement across statements.

Time use

Hours spent on sleep, work, leisure and chores for each weekday.

Negative values in stacked bars

When some segments are negative, for example profit and loss components, positive segments stack upward from zero and negative segments stack downward. The bar therefore shows gross positives and gross negatives, not just the net. The total label shows the net sum. 100% stacking isn’t meaningful with negative values, so the tool switches back to absolute stacking and explains why.

Frequently asked questions

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.