Add Sparklines

Sparklines are charts that appear in a single cell. With Sparklines, you can see trends at a glance. Excel offers three types of Sparklines: Line, Column, and Win/Loss. Choosing Line Sparklines creates line charts, choosing Column Sparklines creates bar charts, and choosing Win/Loss Sparklines creates win/loss charts. You can choose the color of your Sparklines.

When you create Line Sparklines, Excel creates line charts that represent the trend in your data. You can mark every point on the chart: the high point, the low point, the negative points, the first point, and/or the last point. You can also choose the color of each point.

When you create Column Sparklines, Excel creates a separate bar for each data point reflecting the relative size of the value. You can the show the high point, the low point, the negative points, the first point, and/or the last point by choosing a different color for each point type.

Win/Loss Sparklines with High Points in Green, Negative Points in Red and all other Points in Maroon

When you create a Win/Loss Sparkline, Excel creates a separate bar for each data point. Each bar is the same size, with all of the positive values displaying above the line and all of the negative values displaying below the line. As with other Sparklines, you can choose to show the high point, low point, negative points, first point, and/or last point and you can show each of these points in a different color.

Sparkline styles can set the color of a Sparkline and its points in a single click. Excel has several Sparkline styles from which you can choose.

Create Sparklines

1. Select the data range you want to use for your Sparklines.

2. Activate the Insert tab.
3. Choose the type of Sparkline you want by clicking Line, Column, or Win/Loss in the Sparklines group (the example uses Line). The Create Sparklines dialog box appears. The data range you selected appears in the Data Range field.

4. In the Location Range field, enter the range where you want to place the Sparklines.
5. Click OK. Excel creates the Sparklines, and the Sparkline tools become available.

Note: When you create a range of Sparklines, Excel puts them in a group. If you modify one Sparkline in a group, Excel modifies all of the Sparklines in the group. If you want to ungroup Sparklines, first select the cells you want to ungroup. Then on the Design tab, click Ungroup in the Group group. Conversely, if you want to group Sparklines, select the cells you want to group and then, on the Design tab, click Group in the Group group.

Change the Color of Sparklines

1. Select the cells or a cell in a group for which you want to change the color of the Sparklines.
2. Activate the Design tab.
3. Click the down-arrow next to the Sparkline Color button.
4. Click the color you want. Excel changes the color of the Sparklines.

Show Points

1. Select the cells or a cell in a group for which you want to show points. The Sparkline tools become available.
2. Activate the Design tab.
3. Click the down-arrow next to the Sparklines Accent Colors box . A menu appears.
4. Place your mouse pointer over the type of point you would like to show a data point for and then choose a color from the gallery of colors that appears. Excel changes every instance of the point type you choose to the color you selected and checks the point in the Show/Hide group.

Select or Deselect Points

To select a point:

1. Select the cells or a cell in a Sparkline group. The Sparkline tools become available.
2. Activate the Design tab.
3. Check the point’s box in the Show/Hide group.

To deselect a point:

1. Select the cells or a cell in a Sparkline group. The Sparkline tools become available.
2. Activate the Design tab.
3. Uncheck the point’s box in the Show/Hide group.

Change the Sparkline Type

1. Select the cell or a cell in a group for which you want to change the Sparkline type. Sparkline tools become available.
2. Activate the Design tab.
3. Click the type of Sparkline you want to change to (Line, Column, or Win/Loss) in the Type group. Excel changes the Sparkline type.

Choose a Sparkline Style

1. Select the cells or a cell in a Sparkline group. The Sparkline tools become available.
2. Activate the Design tab.

3. Click the More button in the Style group. A gallery of styles appears.

4. Click the style you want. Excel changes the style of your Sparkline.

How do I remove Sparklines?

1. Select the cells for which you want to remove Sparklines or a cell in a group for which you want to remove Sparklines. The Sparkline tools become available.
2. Activate the Design tab.
3. Click the down-arrow next to Clear in the Group group. A menu appears.
4. Click Clear Selected Sparklines to clear the Sparklines in the cells you have selected or click Clear Selected Sparkline Groups to clear all of the Sparklines in a group.

How do I edit Sparklines?

1. Select the cell or a cell in a group for which you want to change the Sparkline type. The Sparkline tools become available.
2. Activate the Design tab.
3. Click the down-arrow next to Edit Data. A menu appears.
4. Click Edit Group and Location Data. The Edit Sparkline dialog box appears.
5. Enter the new data range and/or location range.
6. Click OK. Excel changes the data and/or location range.

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