Learn

Bar graph and chart guides

Short, practical guides with worked examples. Each one links to a free tool so you can try the idea on your own data.

Three panels showing how to draw a bar graph by hand - draw the axes and scale, draw the bars, then add a title and labels.

How to Make a Bar Graph, Step by Step

Learn how to make a bar graph by hand or online: choose your categories, set a scale that starts at zero, draw the bars, and label everything.

Read the guide →

Stacked bar chart of quarterly revenue split into three product lines, with totals above each stack.

Types of Bar Graphs and When to Use Each

Vertical, horizontal, grouped, stacked and 100% stacked bar graphs explained with examples, what each is best for, and the mistakes to avoid.

Read the guide →

A bar graph of pet types with gaps between the bars beside a histogram of test scores with touching bars.

Bar Graph vs Histogram: What's the Difference?

A bar graph compares categories; a histogram shows how one number is distributed across ranges. See the differences with examples and how to choose.

Read the guide →

A bar graph with the Banana bar highlighted and a dashed line running from its top across to the scale at 9.

How to Read a Bar Graph

Learn to read a bar graph in four steps, from the title and axes to the bars, and how to spot a misleading one. Includes a worked example with answers.

Read the guide →

An annotated bar graph with eight numbered parts: title and subtitle, value axis title, scale, bars, category labels, value labels, category axis title and gridlines.

Bar Graph Best Practices: 10 Rules for Clear Charts

Ten practical rules for bar graphs that people read correctly: start at zero, sort bars, limit categories, use color carefully, and make charts accessible.

Read the guide →

A small spreadsheet table of fruit and student counts with an arrow leading to the bar graph made from it.

How to Make a Bar Graph in Excel and Google Sheets

Step-by-step instructions for making a bar graph in Excel and Google Sheets, plus a faster way to turn spreadsheet data into a clean chart image.

Read the guide →

Four histograms of the same 44 test scores drawn with bin widths of 2, 5, 10 and 35, showing how the shape appears and then disappears.

How to Choose a Histogram Bin Width

How many bins should a histogram have? Compare Sturges, square-root, Scott and Freedman–Diaconis rules, with formulas and a worked example you can check.

Read the guide →

Pie chart of a monthly budget split into rent 40%, food 20%, savings 15%, transport 12%, fun 8% and other 5%.

Bar Chart vs Pie Chart: Which One Should You Use?

When to use a pie chart and when a bar chart is clearer: the same data drawn both ways, why bars are easier to read, and simple rules for choosing.

Read the guide →

Where to start

New to bar graphs? Start with how to make a bar graph and how to read one.
Choosing a chart? Compare types of bar graphs and bar vs pie.
Working with numbers? See bar graph vs histogram and choosing a bin width.
Using a spreadsheet? Follow bar graphs in Excel and Google Sheets.