how to plot a graph in excel with error bars

It can be done very quickly when you know what you need to do, but you still might want to create a macro for it.Download Sample File Box Plot Chart Overview You should now have range bars added to your graph! It does seem intense, but it's worth the effort. Click 'OK,' and 'OK' again to accept the changes made to the graph. For the 'Negative Error Value,' again click the little box to the right of the field, then click and drag to select all the cells under the column labeled 'Relative Minimum.'ġ3.

For the 'Positive Error Value,' click the little box to the right of the field and click and drag to select all the cells under the column you labeled 'Relative Maximum.'ġ1. Click 'Both' in the 'Display' section, 'Cap' in the 'End Style' section, and 'Custom:' in the 'Error amount' section.ĩ. Right-click on the line of the data series in your graph and click on 'Format Data Series.'ħ. This will give you a number representing the relative distance of the maximum from the data point.ĥ. Make a fifth column and label it 'Relative Maximum.' Again, use the formula bar, but this time subtract the average from the Real Maximum. Copy this formula for your other data points.Ĥ. This will give you a number representing the 'relative distance' of the minimum from the data point. Make a fourth column and label it 'Relative Minimum.' Use the formula bar to subtract the value of the Real Minimum from the average. Make a column of the numbers you want to graph (this is usually an average).ģ. Label them 'Real Minimum' and 'Real Maximum.'Ģ. Make a column for the minimum and maximum values for each set of numbers. The buttons just might be in a slightly different place.)ġ.

(Note that these directions were made using Excel for Mac 2008, but you should be able to make it work for Windows too. It has a few steps, but it's worth the effort. Had the same issue with creating real range bars, but I learned a way to do it.

How to plot a graph in excel with error bars