Use a bar chart when you want to compare individual items. For example, compare ticket sales by location, or show a breakdown of employees by job title.
Learn how to add & edit a chart.
How to format your data
- First column: Enter a label for each row. Labels from the first column show up on the vertical axis.
- Other columns: For each column, enter numeric data. You can also add a category name (optional). Values show up on the horizontal axis.
- Rows: Each row represents a different bar in the chart.
Tip: If the chart doesn’t show the data on the axis you want, learn how to switch rows and columns.
Examples
Other types of bar charts
Stacked bar chart
Use a stacked bar chart to show part-to-whole relationships and find trends in data over time. For example, show how 4 office locations contributed to total sales.
Learn how to add & edit a chart.
How to format your data
- Format row and column data like a bar chart.
- You need at least 2 data series.
Example
Class size
| School | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior |
| University A | 5,425 | 6,251 | 3,650 | 4575 |
| University B | 3,550 | 4,580 | 4,400 | 4100 |
| University C | 4,800 | 5,250 | 3,850 | 3600 |
100% stacked bar chart
Use a 100% stacked bar chart when you want to show the relationship between individual items and the whole in a single bar, and the cumulative total isn’t important.
Learn how to add & edit a chart.
How to format your data
- Format row and column data like a bar chart.
- You need at least 2 data series.
Example
Sales per month
| Month | North Region | South Region |
| Jan | 44% | 56% |
| Feb | 42% | 58% |
| Mar | 47% | 53% |
| Apr | 54% | 46% |
| May | 52% | 48% |
| June | 57% | 43% |
| July | 60% | 40% |
Customize a bar chart
- On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
- Double-click the chart you want to change.
- At the right, click Customize.
- Choose an option:
- Chart style: Change how the chart looks.
- Chart & axis titles: Edit or format title text.
- Series: Change bar colors, axis location, or add error bars, data labels, or trendline.
- Legend: Change legend position and text.
- Horizontal axis: Edit or format axis text, or reverse axis order.
- Vertical axis: Edit or format axis text, set min or max value, or log scale.
- Gridlines: Add and edit gridlines.