Free Bar Graph Maker
Make a bar graph in seconds. Type your labels and numbers or paste them from Excel, compare up to four series, then download a sharp PNG or print it. Free, no sign-up, and it all runs in your browser.
Tip: click any bar on the graph to jump to it here. Leave a value empty to skip that bar.
A series is one set of numbers. Add a second one to compare, for example this year and last year side by side (a double bar graph), or stack them to show a total and its parts. Up to 4.
Leave any field blank to hide it. Add the date range in the subtitle so readers know how current the numbers are.
Loading an example replaces your data. Undo brings it back.
Horizontal bars suit long labels and rankings. Slide 16:9 fits presentations; square and portrait fit social posts.
Keep your order for months and other sequences. Sort largest first for rankings and survey answers.
The PNG is 0 x 0 px, sharp enough for slides, reports and print. Transparent drops straight onto a colored slide. Print fits the graph on one landscape page.
Save a CSV of your labels and numbers. Open it in any spreadsheet, and paste it back in with Paste from Excel to update this graph later. Your latest graph is also kept in this browser.
100% in your browser. Your numbers are never uploaded.
Put a live chart on your website
A PNG is a snapshot. The Charts & Graphs widget puts an interactive bar, line or pie chart on your website, with the value on hover, and you update the numbers without making a new image. Save the CSV here and upload it there, no retyping. Works on any website builder, no code.
Show Your Numbers on Your Website
A graph in a slide reaches one meeting. These free Common Ninja widgets put your numbers in front of every visitor, and they update without a new image.
Charts & Graphs
Interactive bar, line, pie and area charts for your website. Visitors hover for details, and you update the numbers any time.
Progress Bars
Show goals, skills or project progress as clean animated bars on any page.
Animated Number Counter
Count up your key numbers, like customers served or years in business, as visitors scroll.
Comparison Tables
Compare plans, products or options side by side in a clear table your visitors can scan.
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Work out your monthly burn rate and how many months of runway you have.
Use Tool →Free Churn Rate Calculator
Calculate your churn rate and what it costs you over time.
Use Tool →How It Works
How to make a bar graph
No account, no sign-up, completely free. The graph is drawn in your browser, so your numbers are never uploaded.
Add your data
Type a label and a number for each bar, or paste columns from Excel or Google Sheets. Add a second series for a double bar graph.
Style the graph
Add a title and axis labels, pick vertical or horizontal bars, side by side or stacked, a color palette and a size.
Download or print
Download a sharp PNG for slides, reports and homework, or print it. Save the CSV so you can update the graph later.
Types
Types of bar graphs
All four can be made with this tool. Pick the one that matches the question your graph answers.
| Type | What it looks like | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical bar graph | Bars rise from the bottom. Also called a column chart. | Months, quarters and other time steps, or a few categories with short names. |
| Horizontal bar graph | Bars run from left to right, with labels down the side. | Rankings, survey answers and long labels that would not fit under a column. |
| Double (grouped) bar graph | Two or more bars side by side for each label, with a legend. | Comparisons: this year vs last year, plan vs actual, store A vs store B. |
| Stacked bar graph | Each bar is split into colored parts that add up to a total. | Showing a total and what it is made of, such as orders by channel each month. |
Paste Formats
Make a bar graph from Excel or Google Sheets
Click Paste from Excel in the tool. It reads tables and simple lists and works out which one you pasted.
Label, Value (one row per bar)
Copy two columns straight from Excel or Google Sheets, or paste CSV. Add more number columns (up to four) for a double or stacked bar graph. If the first row holds headings, such as Month, 2025, 2026, they become the series names in the legend.
A simple list (one bar per line)
Write a label and a number on each line, like “Apples 12” or “Apples: 12”. Thousands separators, $ and % signs are understood, and lines without a number are skipped.
When you are done, click Save CSV. Open it in any spreadsheet to keep a record, and paste it back in next time to update the graph with the same design.
Choosing a Chart
When to use a bar graph
Bar graphs are the clearest way to compare amounts. For other questions, another chart may fit better.
| If you want to | Use |
|---|---|
| Compare a few categories | Bar graph |
| Show a trend over many time points | Line graph |
| Show parts of one whole (2 to 5 parts) | Pie chart, or a single stacked bar |
| Show how values are spread across ranges | Histogram |
| Compare parts across several groups | Stacked bar graph |
Avoid These
Six bar graph mistakes
Most confusing bar graphs make one of these, and all of them are easy to fix.
An axis that does not start at zero
A bar is read by its length. Cut the axis and a 5% gap looks like a 50% gap. This tool always starts the value axis at zero.
Start at zeroToo many colors
Rainbow bars make readers hunt for a meaning that is not there. Use one color for one series, and save extra colors for real groups.
One color per meaningRandom order
Unsorted rankings make readers do the sorting. Sort largest first, unless the labels have a natural order like months.
Sort rankingsNo title or units
A graph without a title and units forces people to guess. Say what is measured, and add $, % or the unit to the numbers.
Title plus unitsToo many bars
Past 15 or 20 bars, labels shrink and nothing stands out. Show the top 10 and group the rest as Other.
Top 10 + Other3D bars
3D effects distort the length of each bar, which is the only thing a reader is comparing. Keep bars flat.
Keep it flatBest Practices
8 tips for a clear bar graph
All Common Ninja widgets mentioned below are free to start.
01
Paste, do not retype
Select your cells in Excel or Google Sheets, copy, and paste them into Paste from Excel. A header row becomes the legend.
02
Go horizontal for long labels
If your labels are sentences, such as survey answers, horizontal bars keep every label on one readable line.
03
Put the takeaway in the title
A title like "Online sales doubled in Q4" tells the reader what to see. The subtitle can carry the date range and source.
04
Use the slide size for decks
Pick Slide 16:9 so the graph fills a presentation slide with no awkward borders. Transparent works on colored slides.
05
Make it live on your website
A PNG goes out of date. The Charts & Graphs widget shows an interactive chart that you update from one place.
Add a Charts & Graphs widget free →06
Show progress, not just totals
For a single goal, like a fundraiser or a project, an animated progress bar says more than a bar graph.
Add Progress Bars free →07
Label the bars
Values on the bars save readers from tracing grid lines. Turn them off only when bars are too thin to hold a number.
08
Save the CSV
Next month, paste the CSV back in, change a few numbers and download again. The design stays exactly the same.
Glossary
Bar graph terms, briefly
Six terms that come up when you make a bar graph.
From the Blog
Further reading
More from the Common Ninja blog on charts and showing data on your website.
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