Insert a chart

Visio uses Microsoft Excel to provide advanced charting capabilities. If Excel is not installed, Visio uses Microsoft Graph instead.

You can add a data chart or graph to your diagram in one of two ways:

• Create a new chart or graph in your diagram.    When you create a new chart in Visio, you edit the data for that chart in Excel, but the data is saved with the Visio file.

  • On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Chart.

    An embedded Excel workbook is added to the diagram, and the Visio Ribbon changes to contain Excel tabs so you can work with the chart. Click outside the chart to edit the Visio drawing. Double-click the chart to word with the chart again.

    The embedded Excel workbook has two tabs: a chart tab and a data tab. To add your data, click the tab labeled Sheet1. To format the chart, click the tab labeled Chart1. Two Chart Tools tabs appear on the Ribbon. Use the commands and galleries on these tabs to format the chart.

• Paste an Excel chart or graph into your diagram and link to the data in an Excel file.    When you copy a chart from a saved Excel file and paste it into your diagram, the data in the chart is linked to that Excel file. If you want to change the data in the chart, you must make your changes to the linked worksheet in Excel, and then refresh the data in your Visio diagram. The Excel worksheet is a separate file and is not saved with the Visio file.

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