What happened to the Chart Wizard in Excel?

Chart Wizard was removed from Excel 2007 and never returned in later versions. In fact, the whole system of working with diagrams was changed, and the developers did not consider it necessary to modernize the diagram wizard and related tools.

I must say that the new system for working with charts is deeply integrated into the new interface of the Menu Ribbon and is much easier to work with than the wizard that preceded it. The setup is intuitive and at every step you can see a preview of your diagram before making any changes.

Comparison of “Chart Wizard” and modern tools

For those who are used to the chart wizard, we want to say that when working with the Ribbon, all the same tools are available, usually in no more than a couple of mouse clicks.

In older versions of Excel, after clicking on the menu Insert (Insert) > Diagram (Chart) wizard showed four dialog boxes in sequence:

  1. Chart type. Before you select data for a chart, you need to select its type.
  2. Chart data source. Select the cells that contain the data to plot the chart and specify the rows or columns that should be shown as data series on the chart.
  3. Chart options. Customize formatting and other chart options such as data labels and axes.
  4. Placement diagrams. Select either an existing sheet or create a new sheet to host the chart you are creating.

If you need to make some changes to an already created diagram (how could it be without it ?!), then you can again use the diagram wizard or, in some cases, the context menu or menu Framework (Format). Starting with Excel 2007, the process of creating charts has been simplified so much that the Chart Wizard is no longer needed.

  1. Highlight the data. Due to the fact that at the very beginning it is determined what data will be used to build the graph, it is possible to preview the diagram in the process of creating it.
  2. Select a chart type. On the Advanced tab Insert (Insert) select the chart type. A list of subtypes will open. By hovering the mouse over each of them, you can preview how the graph will look based on the selected data. Click on the selected subtype and Excel will create a chart on the worksheet.
  3. Customize the design and layout. Click on the created chart – in this case (depending on the version of Excel) two or three additional tabs will appear on the Ribbon. Tabs Constructor (Design), Framework (Format) and in some versions Layout (Layout) allow you to apply various styles created by professionals to the created diagram, simply by clicking on the corresponding icon on the Ribbon.
  4. Customize di elementsagrams. To access the parameters of a chart element (for example, axis parameters), just right-click on the element and select the desired command from the context menu.

Example: Creating a histogram

We create a table on the sheet with data, for example, on sales in various cities:

In Excel 1997-2003

Click on the menu Insert (Insert) > Diagram (Chart). In the wizard window that appears, do the following:

  1. Chart type (Chart Type). Click bar chart (Column) and select the first of the proposed subtypes.
  2. Source yesdata charts (Chart Source Data). Enter the following:
    • Range (Data range): enter B4: C9 (highlighted in pale blue in the figure);
    • Rows in (Series): select columns (columns);
    • On the Advanced tab Row (Series) in the field X axis signatures (Category labels) specify a range A4: A9.
  3. Chart Options (Chart Options). Add a heading “Sales by Metropolitan Area» and the legend.
  4. Chart placement (Chart Location). Check option Place chart on sheet > available (As object in) and select Sheet1 (Sheet1).

In Excel 2007-2013

  1. Select a range of cells with the mouse B4: C9 (highlighted in light blue in the figure).
  2. On the Advanced tab Insert (Insert) click Insert histogram (Insert Column Chart).
  3. Выберите Histogram with grouping (2-D Clustered Column).
  4. In the tab group that appears on the ribbon Working with charts (Chart Tools) open tab Constructor (Design) and press Select data (Select Data). In the dialog box that appears:
    • In the Horizontal axis labels (categories) (Horizontal (category) labels) click Change (Edit) on A4: A9then press OK;
    • Change Row1 (Series1): in the field Row name (Series name) select cell B3;
    • Change Row2 (Series2): in the field Row name (Series name) select cell C3.
  5. In the created chart, depending on the version of Excel, either double-click on the chart title, or open the tab Working with charts (Chart Tools) > Layout (Layout) and enter “Sales by Metropolitan Area«.

What to do?

Take some time to explore the available chart options. See what tools are on the group tabs Working with charts (ChartTools). Most of them are self-explanatory or will show a preview before a selection is made.

After all, is there a better way to learn than practice?

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