What is a bar chart?

A bar chart compares quantities across distinct categories. The length of each bar represents its value, making large differences, rankings, and outliers easy to see. Bar charts are a dependable choice for survey answers, product sales, department budgets, website traffic sources, and any other categorical dataset.

How to make a bar chart online

1. Upload a CSV or Excel file, or open Manual Entry and paste your labels and values.
2. Check that the first row contains column names and the first column contains category labels.
3. Choose a color palette, enter a descriptive chart title, and decide whether to show the legend and grid.
4. Download the finished chart as a high-resolution PNG or scalable SVG.

Bar chart best practices

• Start the numerical axis at zero when bar length is the encoding. A truncated axis can exaggerate small differences.
• Sort bars when ranking is important. Preserve chronological or natural order when the categories already have one.
• Use short, specific labels and avoid unnecessary 3D effects.
• Prefer one strong color, using a contrasting color only when you need to highlight a particular category.
• Switch to a horizontal bar chart when labels are long or there are many categories.

Bar chart or line chart?

Use bars for separate categories such as regions or products. Use a line when the points form a continuous sequence, most often dates, and the change between adjacent points matters. If you need to show how several components contribute to each category total, use a stacked bar chart.