Excel is one of the top spreadsheet applications for data visualization. One can easily create various types of charts and graphs within a few seconds. It allows you to summarize massive datasets with bar graphs, pie charts, and more.
In this quick guide, we will discuss the Double bar graph, which allows users to compare two sets of data side by side.
Creating a double bar graph is pretty straightforward in Excel; you need to go to the “Insert” tab of the main menu and click on the “Insert column or bar chart” icon.
A double bar graph is also known as a side-by-side bar graph. It includes two columns that represent two parameters against a single category. Users can display the bars vertically or horizontally.
Now, without any further ado, let us discuss how to make double bar graph in Excel, along with the steps to customize it.
Download the Example Excel Sheet
Please consider downloading the following spreadsheet that includes the dataset used to demonstrate creating a double bar graph in Excel.
Make sure you follow me along as I will take you through the article.
If you have your own Excel file ready with the required dataset, skip downloading the above file. But note that practice is the key to success, it will help increase your knowledge of the tools used to create graphs and charts in Excel.
When to use a Double Bar Graph?
A Double bar graph is useful when you want to compare two sets of data side by side.
For example, you can use it to show the sales of two different products or compare the exam scores of two classes over a given period. It is ideal for highlighting differences between two categories, making it easy to analyze trends.
The above chart represents the Oranges and Apples sales from January to June 2024.
For each month, the sales of the Oranges are represented by the Blue colored column. Similarly, the sales of the Apples are defined by the Red-colored column.
As mentioned earlier, the columns can either be vertically or horizontally aligned. It is one of the best chart types to visualize datasets with two varying parameters.
Users can quickly gain valuable insights with it.
How to Make a Double Bar Graph in Excel
Let us discuss the step-by-step process to create a Double Bar Graph in Excel.
Note that you don’t need any expert knowledge to create a double-bar graph. However, the customization may require efforts and skills obtained through practice. We will discuss the customization part later in this article.
For now, let us focus on inserting a double-bar graph.
STEP #1 – Select the Dataset
We will use the following table to create a double-bar graph.
Above is simple sales data for Orange and Apple products for the first six months of 2023.
The first column contains the Months, and sales for Orange and Apples are across the second and third columns.
Left-click and drag the cursor using your mouse to select the entire table. You can also choose any cell of the table and use the keyboard shortcut “CTRL + A”.
Sidenote: Do not forget to select the column header, which will be used to create the axis title for the double-bar graph.
STEP #2 – Create Double Graph
It is a crucial step to insert the double bar graph.
- Hover to the main menu
- Click on the “Insert” tab
- Choose “Recommended Charts” in the “Charts” group
- An Insert Chart dialog box will appear as shown
- Go to the “All Charts” tab
- Click on “Bar” on the left side
- Select your desired Bar graph from the available options
Excel will instantly create a double bar graph for you, as shown in the following image.
Note that the above bar graph uses the horizontal structure. For vertical structure, you can follow the steps below.
- Hover to the main menu and click on the “Insert” tab
- Select “Recommended Charts” from the popup
- In the “All Charts” tab, click on “Column”
- Choose your desired Column graph
You should see a vertical bar graph, as shown in the following image.
There is one more alternative to creating a double-bar graph. Go to the “Insert” tab, click on the “Bar graph” icon, and select from the available options.
STEP #3 – Customization
Now that we have inserted the graph, let us understand the available options to customize it.
You will see the customization options in the “Chart Design” section of the main menu. It automatically appears when you select the graph or chart that needs to be customized.
Refer to the following image.
Let’s discuss each option in detail:
#1. Add Chart Element
This is the first option in the Chart design list. It allows you to add or modify various elements to your chart.
You can find various elements to enhance your double-bar graph by clicking on the Add Chart Element dropdown.
Here is how to modify the graph:
- Axes: By clicking on this, you can display or hide the horizontal or vertical axes.
- Axis Titles: You can add titles to the horizontal and vertical axes to clarify the presented data.
- Chart Title: Click on this option to insert or edit the main title of the chart.
- Data Labels: Display the actual values of each data point directly on the bars.
- Data Table: Used to show the underlying data in the table format below the chart.
- Error Bars: To add error bars to indicate variability in your data.
- Gridlines: Add or remove vertical or horizontal gridlines to increase the readability.
- Legend: Add or adjust the legend to help you figure out the differences between the data series.
- Trendline: You can click on this to show patterns in your data.
#2. Quick Layout
This is the second customization option available in the Chart Design. You can click on it and choose from several predefined layouts that automatically adjust the layout of your chart such as the position of the legend, titles, and data labels.
#3. Change Colors
Using this option, you can select different color schemes for your chart to make it visually appealing. You can choose from a variety of color palettes as shown below
#4. Chart Styles
Pick from a set of predefined styles that change the overall look of your bar graph. These styles can alter the background, bar colors, borders, and effects like 3D effects or shadows.
#5. Switch Row/Column
This option is helpful if you want to change the way your data is represented, like toggling the data displayed on the X and Y axes.
#6. Select Data
Using this you can modify the data range included in your chart. You can add, remove, or edit the data series.
#7. Change Chart Type
If you wish to change your bar graph to another chart type, then you can use this. You can find any other chart that represents your data more effectively.
#8. Move Chart
If you want to move the chart to a different sheet or create a new sheet exclusively for the chart, then click on this.
FAQs
Q. How do I add Error Bars to the Double Bar Graph in Excel?
Creating bar graphs is pretty straightforward; we have discussed the steps in the above section of this article.
If you want to add error bars to the chart, here are the steps.
- Click anywhere on the graph
- Go to the “Chart Design” tab from the main menu
- Click on the “Add Chart Element” in the “Chart Layouts” group
- Click on “Error Bars”
- In the Error Bars dropdown, you will see options like Standard Error, Percentage, and Standard Deviation
- Choose the one that suits your requirements
For further customization, click on “More Error Bars Options.”
- A new panel will open where you can adjust the error bar settings, such as:
- Direction (both, plus, or minus)
- End Style (caps or no caps)
- Error Amount (fixed value, percentage, standard deviation, or custom values)
After following these steps, the error bars will be added to your double-bar graph, giving you a visual representation of the variability in your data.
Q. What are the steps to add more Bars or Columns to the Double Bar Graph?
You can add more columns to the double-bar graph easily. Let’s consider the following example: we have a range of products and their sales data for the first six months of 2023.
Here are the steps,
- Select the entire table
- Hover to the main menu and click on the “Insert” tab
- Choose “Recommended Charts” in the “Charts” group
As shown below, Excel will automatically create a bar graph with multiple columns.
Now, to remove or add the column, you need to follow the steps below.
- Click anywhere on the graph
- Right-click on the graph and choose “Select Data”
- A new “Select Data Source” dialog box will appear as shown
- If your data is already in the worksheet but not reflected in the graph, then you can add new data series by clicking on “Add” under the Legend Entries (Series) section
- A new window will appear to define the new data series:
- Series Name: Enter the name for the new data series
- Series Values: Click on the icon next to the range box and select the data range for the new set of bars in your graph
- Click on “OK” to save the new series
- And, if you wish to add new categories (or labels for the X-axis), click on the “Edit” button under Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels
- Select the cell range for the new categories and click on “OK”
These steps allow you to easily add more bars or columns to your existing double-bar graph.
Final Words
A double bar graph is an excellent visualization technique that helps business owners compare two datasets quickly.
You can create both vertical and horizontal bar graphs for better data visualization.
I hope this article taught you all the bells and whistles of adding and customizing a double-bar graph. Feel free to comment below if you are stuck somewhere or having any particular issue following the steps mentioned in this article.
Also, make sure to explore our blog to organize and analyze datasets like a pro in Excel.