Welcome to Getting Started with Google Docs. In this section we will cover the following topics:
Insert a Chart
Customize a Chart
Insert Images
Insert Links
Insert a Chart
Charts are a great way to share data and information in a graphical way. The foundation of charts is the data they illustrate. Choosing the right data is the first and most important step in creating a chart.
Create a Chart
Select a cell range containing data for a chart.
Make sure to select column names too, if you want those to be included.
Click Insert on the menu bar.
Select Chart.
Insert a Chart
A chart is inserted with some default settings, and the Chart editor pane appears on the right.
Click the Chart type list arrow in the Chart editor pane.
The chart types are split into several categories. The first category is Suggested, which will show several chart types that work best for the selected data.
Below the Suggested category, you can see other chart categories, starting with basic ones like line, area, and column. Further down the list you’ll see more specialized types of charts.
Select a chart type.
Once you’ve determined the results you want your chart to display, choose the chart that best suits this purpose. The most popular charts are column, line, pie, and bar charts.
Insert a Chart
The chart appears in the spreadsheet.
| Chart Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Column | Column charts are used when you want to compare different values vertically side-by-side. Each value is represented in the chart by a vertical bar. If there are several series, each series is represented by a different color. |
| Line | Line charts are used to illustrate trends over time. Each value is plotted as a point on the chart and is connected to other values by a line. Multiple items are plotted using different lines. |
| Pie | Pie charts are useful for showing values as a percentage of a whole. The values for each item are represented by different colors. Limit pie charts to eight sections. |
| Bar | Bar charts are just like column charts, except they display information in horizontal bars rather than in vertical columns. |
| Area | Area charts are the same as line charts, except the areas beneath the lines are filled with color. |
| Scatter | Scatter charts are used to plot clusters of values using single points. Multiple items can be plotted by using different colored points or different point symbols. |
| Map | Map charts allows to create geographical maps from the selected data |
| Other | You can also create Waterfall, Histogram, Radar, Gauge, Scorecard, Candlestick, Organizational, Tree map, Timeline, and Table charts in Sheets. |
Move a Chart
Click the chart to select it.
Click and drag the chart to a new location.
Insert a Chart
Resize a Chart
Click the chart to select it.
Click and drag the chart’s sizing handles to resize the chart.
Insert a Chart
There! The chart is resized.
Customize a Chart
Once you’ve inserted a chart into a sheet, you can make various changes to it. You can change the chart type, switch rows and columns, change a chart’s title, and change a chart’s legend.
Modify a Chart
Once you’ve inserted a chart into a sheet, you can make changes to it.
Click the chart to select it.
Click the More icon.
Select Edit chart.
Customize a Chart
The Chart editor pane appears. This is where you can make changes to your chart.
Change Chart Type
Different types of charts are better for presenting different types of information. For example, a column chart is great for comparing values of different items, but not for illustrating trends or relationships. If you find that a chart you’ve created isn’t the best fit for your data, you can switch to a different chart type.
Click the Chart type list arrow from the Chart editor pane.
Select the type of chart you want.
Customize a Chart
The chart type is changed.
Switch Rows and Columns
You can switch the rows and columns of data in a chart so they appear in opposite positions.
Click the Switch rows / columns box in the Chart editor pane.
Customize a Chart
The data in the spreadsheet’s rows and columns is flipped.
Change a Chart Title
The chart title often appears above the chart and is used to describe the data that’s being presented. You can add a completely new chart title or simply change the text of an existing one.
Click the Customize tab in the Chart editor pane.
Click the Chart & axis titles section to expand it.
Click in the Title text field.
Enter a chart title.
Customize a Chart
Change a Chart Legend
You can also change your chart’s legend.
Click the Customize tab in the Chart editor pane.
Click the Legend section to expand it.
Specify the legend options.
Customize a Chart
The legend is updated and we’ve finished making changes to the chart.
Insert Images
Just like in other Google Suite applications, you can add images to your spreadsheets to jazz them up.
Insert an Image
Click the cell where you want to insert a picture.
Click Insert on the menu bar.
Select Image and either Image in cell or Image over cells. Insert Images
Specify how you want to add the image:
Upload
Take a snapshot
By URL
Your albums
Google Drive
Search
Specify the image you want to add.
Insert Images
The image is inserted into the spreadsheet.
Insert Links
A link in a spreadsheet is just like one you see on the internet. When you link text or graphics, they become clickable and will connect you to outside information.
Insert a Link
Select the cell or object you want to use to create the link.
Click Insert on the menu bar.
Select Link.
Insert Links
Press Ctrl + K
Specify what you want to Link to:
A URL or Webpage
A sheet
A cell range
Another document
Click Apply.
Insert Links
A link is added to the selected cell.
To edit a hyperlink, right-click the link or linked object and select Edit link.
Use a Link
Next, let’s see how to open the link.
Click the cell or object that contains the link.
A small label appears with the link destination.
Click the link that appears.
Insert Links
A new tab appears in your browser and displays the website that the link points to.
Remove a Link
You can remove a link if you no longer need it.
Right-click the cell or object that contains the link.
Select Unlink from the menu.
Insert Links
The link is removed from the selected cell or object.