Quick Charts and Free Upgrades

Quick Charts and Free Upgrades

After you put data onto a worksheet, you might need to add a chart, for a visual summary of the data. In the screen shot below, there is sales data for 4 regions, and a column chart from that data.

You can quickly see that things are going better in the East region, than in the North. Probably all the snow up there kept people away from the stores!

quickchart01

Create Chart With Keyboard Shortcuts

To quickly create a chart, select the cells with the headings and data.

Then, use one of these keyboard shortcuts:

  • F11 — create a chart on a new chart sheet
  • Alt + F1 — create a chart on the active worksheet

Change the Default Chart Type

When you use the shortcuts to create a chart, it inserts one in your default chart type. On my computer, the default is a Clustered Column chart.

If you’d prefer a different default, you can change it:

In Excel 2013:

  • Select a cell that contains text or a number
  • On the Ribbon, click the Insert tab
  • Click Recommended Charts, then click the All Charts tab
  • Click on a Chart category, then right-click on the chart type that you want as the default
  • Click on Set as Default Chart, then click Cancel, to close the Window.

quickchart02

In Excel 2010:

  • Select a cell that contains text or a number
  • On the Ribbon, click the Insert tab
  • Click the Dialog Launcher, at the bottom right corner of the Charts group

quickchart04

  • Click on a Chart category, then click on the chart type that you want as the default
  • Click on Set as Default Chart, then click Cancel, to close the Window.

quickchart03

Charting Utility Free Upgrade

If you have bought a copy of the awesome Excel Charting Utility from PeltierTech, here is some important news — an Advanced Excel Charting Utility will be released next Thursday, June 12th. To get a free upgrade to the new version, send an email to Jon, by Friday, June 13th (there is a contact link on the utility page).

If you haven’t bought this time-saving tool yet, the new Advanced Excel Charting Utility will be on sale next Thursday and Friday — June 12-13 — for the same price as the Standard utility. After that, the price goes up by $20.

Put those dates in your calendar, so you don’t forget!

Video: Create Charts With Keyboard Shortcuts

To see the steps for creating a quick chart, and changing the default chart type in Excel 2010, please watch this short video.

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