Google Docs

How to Make a Bar Graph On Google Docs

November 20, 2020

Google Docs is an incredibly useful software for storing various kinds of data. It can perform different tasks to make the organization of relevant information manageable.

Visually-presented data is more easily assimilated, helping people to remember it better. But knowing how to make a graph on Google Doc isn’t something everybody knows how to do.

Are you struggling to make a bar graph on Google Docs? Do you want to display the data in a neat, organized way, but just can’t find that function? We understand completely.

Many other people don’t know how to make a bar graph on google docs, either. Luckily, this article will provide you with a detailed walkthrough of how you can make a bar graph on Google Docs.

Once you get the hang of it, you’ll see it’s a piece of cake. Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Google Docs is one of the most popular platforms for content creation. Everyone knows that it’s a great writing tool, but many users don’t capitalize on the platform’s graph and chart options to visualize data. 

Visualizing data via a bar graph, excel timeline graph, line chart, and other types of charts makes it easier to understand and memorize. Moreover, adding these visual elements to your content is a pretty straightforward process on Google Docs.

In this article, we’ve listed the different types of charts you can use, provided a detailed walkthrough on how to make a bar graph and other types of charts in Google Docs.

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Why use a bar graph on Google Docs?

Companies gather vast amounts of data over a certain period of time.

To make the most use of it, organization is essential. And one of the best ways to do so is by creating a graph or to insert a chart. Google Docs is free for average users, making it a more cost effective option than Microsoft Excel.

Using a bar graph, a pie chart, a line chart, or any graph type allows employees and business partners to follow changes and trends easily. Presenting information in this way is much more efficient and memorable. And brain-friendly.

It’s also easy to share a Google Doc with the team and link a graph to it. Any changes you make to the linked chart or graph are updated in the Google Doc. Team members can still view the file even if they don’t have access to the Google Sheet.

Using a bar graph, a pie chart, a line chart, or any graph type allows professionals to present information efficiently. Moreover, it enables readers to grasp information and form conclusions based on the data quickly.

For example, let’s say company X has gathered vast amounts of data over a certain period. To properly capitalize on this data, it must be effectively disseminated to managers, employees, stakeholders, and business partners.

Using visual elements like bar graphs and charts can help everyone across the organization understand data and make the most of it.

Unlike Microsoft Excel, Google Docs’ easy sharing options also make the tool ideal for teams to view data without accessing the original spreadsheet.

Graphs you can create on Google Docs

A bar graph, a pie chart, and a waterfall chart are some of the chart types used to visually represent data on Google Docs or a Google Sheets document.

A bar graph displays relevant information with rectangular bars of different heights.

Something like this:

A pie chart, on the other hand, is a circular chart that shows information using the pie pieces. The size of the piece is numerically proportionate to the collected figures.

A pie chart is a circular chart that depicts statistics or data in using the slices. The size of the slice is numerically proportionate to the data it represents.

A line chart or line graph is typically used to show change over time.

A scatter plot, also known as an XY graph, uses dots that represent different variables to observe their relationship.

A column chart uses vertical bars to represent data of related categories.

An area chart or area graph is used to show trends or changes over time. The area above the horizontal axis and under the line is filled in with different colors.

A waterfall chart is a column chart that shows how an initial value is affected by positive and negative values.

An organization chart or org chart shows the structure of an organization.

How to make a bar graph on Google Docs: A step-by-step walkthrough

If you’re looking for an efficient way to organize information on Google Docs, there’s no better method than using a chart type. It’s quite easily done.

In this section, we’ll show you how to make a bar graph on Google Docs successfully. Plus, you’ll learn to make a pie chart, a line chart, and a waterfall chart.

In this section, we’ll show you how to make a bar graph on Google Docs successfully, and, as an added bonus, you’ll learn how to create a pie chart, line chart, and waterfall chart as well.

Before we delve into the steps, make sure you’re signed in to your Google account.

Making a Bar Graph On Google Docs

Efficient organization of your data on Google Docs is done by making a bar graph. Before we show you the steps, make sure to log in to your Google Drive account. Then, do the following:

You can create a bar graph in 4 simple steps:

  1. Open the document where you want to make a graph.
  2. Navigate to the menu bar, and tap on ‘Insert.’
  3. Now, hover over ‘Chart,’ and you’ll see various options appear.
  4. Select ‘Bar’.

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll get a customized bar graph. But don’t worry. You can make all the changes you need and add the necessary data.

Here’s how to do so:

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll get a customizable bar graph. You can make changes and add the necessary data, by following these steps:

  1. Once you insert a graph, tap on the arrow pointing down in the upper right corner.
  2. Next, click on ‘Open source.’
  3. This will take you to a Google Sheets document and automatically display the chart with the data in individual columns.
  4. You can change the data in each column.
  5. You can also use the ‘Edit Chart’ option to create a stacked bar chart, change colors, fonts, chart title, gridlines, etc.
  6. Once you’re done with the changes, go back to your Google Docs file.
  7. You’ll see ‘Update’ on the graph. Tap on it.

And you’re done!

Making a Pie Chart and a Waterfall Chart on Google Docs

If you prefer to have a pie chart or a waterfall chart to represent data visually, there’s a way to do that.

First of all, make sure you’re logged in to your Google Drive account. Then, open Google Docs. The steps are the same as when making a bar graph, except you’ll have to select ‘Pie’ to make a pie chart or ‘Column’ for a waterfall chart from the ‘Chart’ menu.

To create other types of charts, click your chart and click on ‘Open source.’ Then from the Google Spreadsheet, click the three dots in the top right corner and click ‘Edit chart.’

Then you’ll see the ‘Chart editor’ on the right side.

From here, you can choose which chart type you want. You can also change the chart style, edit the chart title, and more.

If you prefer to have a pie chart or a waterfall chart to represent data visually, you can do so by following these steps:

  1. Repeat steps 1-3 from the previous section.
  2. In the ‘Chart’ menu, select ‘Pie’ to make a pie chart or ‘Column’ for a waterfall chart.

To create other types of charts, click on your chart and click on ‘Open source.’ When it opens the Google Sheets spreadsheet, click on the three dots in the top right corner and click ‘Edit chart.’

Then you’ll see the ‘Chart editor’ on the right side. You can use the Editor to choose the chart type you want and customize it.

Conclusion

As you see, learning how to make a bar graph on Google Docs isn’t that difficult, but it’s a beneficial solution for organizing and displaying data.

Make sure you follow all steps carefully to avoid any issues in the future. And if you’re a bigger fan of pie and waterfall charts, with this guide, you won’t have any problems making them.

As you can see, making a bar graph on Google Docs is pretty straightforward and is an excellent solution for organizing and displaying data.

Make sure you follow all the steps carefully to avoid any issues. You can also use the above guide to create stunning pie and waterfall charts.

Kevin Kessler
Kevin J. Kessler is a published author of five fantasy novels, a professional wrestler, and a puppeteer (not all at the same time). Kevin is a content writer at Codeless.
Kevin Kessler
Kevin J. Kessler is a published author of five fantasy novels, a professional wrestler, and a puppeteer (not all at the same time). Kevin is a content writer at Codeless.