Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 6, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Excel is great at creating all sorts of charts from your data. You can even customize the charts to your heart's content. One of the customizations you can make is to replace the regular bars (in a bar chart) with your own graphics. For instance, you might have a small graphic of a house that you want to use for the bars. This could be great if you wanted to use "stacked" houses to represent, for instance, housing starts in an area.
To use your own graphics in place of Excel's built-in bars, follow these steps if you're using Excel 2007 or Excel 2010:
Figure 1. The Fill options of the Format Data Series dialog box.
If you are using Excel 2013 or a later version, the steps are a bit different because Microsoft did away with the Format Data Series dialog box and replaced it with a task pane. Here are the steps:
Figure 2. The Fill options of the Format Data Series dialog box.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6156) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Using Graphics to Represent Data Series.
Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!
If you need to create a chart that uses logarithmic values on both axes, it can be confusing how to get what you want. ...
Discover MoreWhen creating a line cart, the line can show values both positive and negative values. This tip explains how you can use ...
Discover MoreExcel allows you to create custom chart formats that go beyond the standard formats provided in the program. These custom ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments