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Google Docs is a great platform when it comes to creating content. It offers an alternative to Microsoft Word, which can be expensive, and allows you to access your documents from any device, as long as you can log in to your Google Account.

You may not know that in addition to creating text documents, you can organize and present data through charts and graphs. If you’ve been wondering how to make a bar graph in Google Docs, you’ve come to the right place.

It doesn’t matter if you need to create a Google Docs chart for business ventures, for a school assignment, or for personal use (such as looking at spending over time), a graph can be a great visual representation that makes it easier to digest information.

Keep reading to figure out how easy it is to use Google Docs bar graph maker for whatever you need it for.

How to Make a Bar Graph on Google Docs in a Few Steps

When asking how to make a bar graph in Google Docs, the process is simple and easy. In fact, to create the bar graph or any other kind of Google Docs chart, there are only a few steps involved. These include the following:

Step 1: Log in to Your Google Account

The first thing you’ll need to do when wondering how to make a bar graph in Google Docs is to log in to your Google Account.

Step 2: Open the Google Doc

After you have logged in to your Google Account, you’ll then want to open the document that you want to add the graph or chart to.

If this is a project you’ve been working on, you’ll need to find it among your saved documents.

Should you be creating a new document and wondering how to make a bar graph in Google Docs, you’ll click on the “New” button in the upper left-hand side of your screen. When the menu opens, you’ll click on the Google Docs option.

Step 3: Click on “Insert”

Once you have the document open, you will place your cursor where you want the graph to appear.

Then, you will navigate to the toolbar at the top of the document and look for the word “Insert” and click on it.

Step 3 - Click on “Insert” - how to make a bar graph in google docs

Step 4: Click on “Chart”

After clicking on the “Insert” option, this will bring up a list of options to choose from. You should see “Chart” on the list, along with an arrow on the right side of the menu. Click on that.

You will be able to choose from various options. Since you are hoping to use the bar graph maker, you will choose “Bar” from the list.

Step 4 - Click on “Chart” - how to make a bar graph in google docs

Step 5: Select “Bar”

After going through these steps, a bar graph will appear in your Google Doc. It will be generic at first, but you will have the ability to go in and make changes so that the data reflects exactly what you want it to say.

Step 5 - Select “Bar”

How to Make a Bar Graph In Google Docs: Editing the Bar Graph

Once the bar graph has been inserted into your document, editing it is easy. These are the steps you’ll need to take to customize your bar graph to display the correct information.

Step 1: Click on the Graph

When asking how to make a bar graph in Google Docs and making edits to the data, the first thing you need to do is click on the graph. This will place a blue border around the information, as well as display different menu options.

Step 1 - Click on the Graph - how to make a bar graph in google docs

Step 2: Click on the Down Arrow

In the right-hand corner of your graph, you will see a small box that has a link icon and a down arrow.

Click on the down arrow.

Step 2 - Click on the Down Arrow - how to make a bar graph in google docs

Step 3: Click on “Open Source”

After you have clicked on the down arrow, this will bring up a list of options, and you’ll want to look for the one that says, “Open source.”

Click on that.

This will open a Google Sheet in another window that shows the data that was used to create the bar graph in your Google Docs.

Step 3 - Click on “Open Source” - how to make a bar graph in google docs

Step 4: Make Your Edits

Once you have the source of the data for your chart, you can then make edits. You will also see another copy of the bar chart within the Google Sheet.

Feel free to change the labels and numbers to whatever information you need to display in your document. As you make your changes, you will see the edits reflected in the bar chart.

Step 4 - Make Your Edits - how to make a bar graph in google docs

Step 5: Go Back to Your Google Doc and Update

After making the edits for your bar chart in Google Sheets, you’ll then need to go back to your Google Doc.

In the upper right-hand corner of the graph, next to the link and down arrow, you should see a new box that says, “Update.” Click on that.

Your graph should now contain the new data that you input into the Google Sheets.

If you need to make more changes, you will go back to the Google Sheet and make more edits.

Step 5 - Go Back to Your Google Doc and Update - how to make a bar graph in google docs

How to Make a Bar Graph in Google Sheets

Google Sheets is equivalent to Microsoft Excel, and it’s a great tool to use to organize data. Since it can be challenging to read data in raw form, creating a bar graph can make it easier. When asking how to make a bar graph in Google Docs, you might also be wondering how to create one in Google Sheets, and the process is just as easy.

Here are the steps you’ll need to create a bar graph in Google Sheets:

Step 1: Log in to Your Google Account

The first thing you’ll need to do when attempting to make a bar graph in Google Sheets is to log in to your account.

Step 2: Open Google Sheets

If you already have a document that you’ve created with the data you want to use, then you’ll need to find it in your list of saved items.

Should you need to create a new document, you’ll click on the “New” button in the upper left-hand corner and then choose “Google Sheets” from the list of options.

Step 3: Highlight the Dataset You Want to Use

Once you have your document open and the data input into the cells, the next thing you’ll need to do is highlight the data you want to include in the graph. Make sure you highlight the headers as well.

Step 3 - Highlight the Dataset You Want to Use - how to make a bar graph in google docs

Step 4: Insert the Chart

After highlighting the data you want to be included in your bar graph, you’ll then need to insert the graph into your document. There are a couple of ways to do this, and both are found in the toolbar at the top of the sheet.

  • You can click on “Insert” and then choose “Chart” from the dropdown menu
  • You can click on the Chart icon, which is a box with three lines inside it
Step 4 - Insert the Chart - how to make a bar graph in google docs

Step 5: Choose Your Chart Type

No matter which option you click on, once the chart has been inserted into your document, it will bring up a “Chart editor” menu on the right-hand side of the screen.

Within that box is a variety of different options, and it is here that you will choose what type of chart you want to create. When you click the down arrow in the dialogue box, you will see the different types of charts you can create, including bar, line, pie and combo, among others.

Step 5 - Choose Your Chart Type - how to make a bar graph in google docs

Step 6: Edit Your Graph

The “Chart editor” allows you to make edits to your graph so that the information is displayed clearly and accurately.

You can also make changes to the data that is in your cells, and it will automatically show up on your chart.

Step 6 - Edit Your Graph - how to make a bar graph in google docs

How to Make a Bar Graph In Google Docs: Transferring the Graph from Google Sheets to Google Docs

After creating the graph in Google Sheets, you may decide that you want it in a Google Doc to make it easier to read or to perhaps enhance a report. Here is the easiest way to move it from Google Sheets into Google Docs:

Step 1: Copy the Chart

If you are in Google Sheets and you want to move the chart to Google Docs, click on the chart and make sure the blue line highlights the edges. You will see three dots in the upper right-hand corner of the chart.

Click on them.

This will bring up a dropdown menu with various options, and you’ll want to click on “Copy chart.”

If you prefer, when the chart is highlighted, you can also type “Ctrl+C,” and this will copy the graph as well.

Step 1 - Copy the Chart - how to make a bar graph in google docs

Step 2: Paste the Chart

After you have copied the chart, when wondering how to make a bar graph in Google Docs, you will then go to the Google Doc you want to place the chart in.

If it is a document that already exists, open it from the list of saved items you have. For a new project, open a new document using the “New” button.

Once the document is open, place your cursor where you want the chart to go and hit “Ctrl+V.” This will paste the chart into your Google Doc.

Step 2 - Paste the Chart - how to make a bar graph in google docs

Make Your Google Docs Visually Appealing

When it comes to presenting complex data, you want to make it as easy to read as possible. It doesn’t matter if you are creating a report for work, school or personal use, adding bar graphs or other charts can make your report visually appealing. The bar graph maker in Google Docs makes the process simple.

If you’re wondering how to make a bar graph in Google Docs, these are the steps you’ll need to follow:

  • Step 1: Log in to Your Google Account
  • Step 2: Open the Google Doc
  • Step 3: Click on “Insert”
  • Step 4: Click on “Chart”
  • Step 5: Select “Bar”

If you’ve already created a bar graph in Google Sheets, it’s easy to move it into a Google Doc, and these are the steps you’ll take for that:

  • Step 1: Copy the Chart
  • Step 2: Paste the Chart

Adding graphs and charts to your documents can be incredibly beneficial, and the process is quick and easy.

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