Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Make that Chart Quickly!.

Make that Chart Quickly!

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 3, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365


Sometimes going through the Chart Wizards seems to take forever. If you want to put a chart into your workbook very quickly, you can follow these two simple steps:

  1. Select the table on which the chart is to be based.
  2. Press F11.

That's it! Excel inserts a new Chart worksheet before the current worksheet, and bases the chart on the data in your table and the default chart type you have set up. At this point you can perform whatever customization you desire on the chart and work with it as normal.

Interesting variation: If you want to quickly create an embedded chart, press Alt+F1 in step 2 instead of F11.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7848) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Make that Chart Quickly!.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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