Create sparklines in Excel 2016 for Mac

Sparklines are small charts that fit inside individual cells in a sheet. Because of their condensed size, sparklines can reveal patterns in large data sets in a concise and highly visual way. Use sparklines to show trends in a series of values, such as seasonal increases or decreases, economic cycles, or to highlight maximum and minimum values. A sparkline has the greatest effect when it's positioned near the data that it represents. To create sparklines, you must select the data range that you want to analyze, and then select where you want to put the sparklines.

For example, first select the data range:

Then choose the location for the sparklines:

When you click the Sparklines button on the Insert tab, the sparklines display patterns in year-to-date sales for Portland, San Francisco, and New York:

Create sparklines

1. Select the data range for the sparklines.

2. On the Insert tab, select Sparklines, and select the kind of sparkline that you want.

   

   In the Insert Sparklines dialog box, notice that the first box is already filled based on your selection in step 1.

3. On the sheet, select the cell or the range of cells where you want to put the sparklines.

   Important: When you select this area, make sure that you select dimensions that are suitable for the data range. Otherwise, Excel displays errors to indicate that the ranges are not consistent. For example, if the data range has three columns and one row, you should select an adjacent column and the same row.

4. Click OK.

   Tip: When you change the data on the sheet, sparklines update automatically.

Mark data points on sparklines

You can distinguish specific data points, such as high or low values, by using markers. For example, you can mark the high or low point in a sparkline.

1. Click one or more sparklines.

2. On the Sparkline Design tab, select the markers that you want. You can also select the marker color.

Change the style of sparklines

1. Click a sparkline.

2. On the Sparkline Design tab, select the style that you want.

   

   To see more styles, point to a style, and then click .

   Tip: To immediately undo a style that you applied, press + Z .

Handle empty or zero value cells

1. Click a sparkline.

2. On the Sparkline Design tab, select Edit Data, point to Hidden and Empty Cells, and then select the option that you want.

   

Delete sparklines

1. Click the sparkline that you want to delete.

2. On the Sparkline Design tab, click the drop down arrow on the Clear button, and then select the option that you want.