How to Make a Bubble Chart in Excel

Trying to compare three different sets of data in a single chart can feel impossible, but that's exactly what an Excel bubble chart is designed to do. It takes the familiar X and Y coordinates of a scatter plot and adds a third dimension represented by the size of the bubble. This guide will walk you through exactly how to prepare your data, create the chart step-by-step, and customize it to tell a clear and persuasive story.

What is a Bubble Chart (And When Should You Use One)?

Think of a bubble chart as a smarter, more informative cousin of the scatter plot. A scatter plot is great for showing the relationship between two different variables, like ad spend vs. website traffic. A bubble chart lets you add a third variable into the mix by changing the size of each data point, or "bubble." This makes it incredibly useful for spotting relationships and patterns that would otherwise be hidden in rows of spreadsheet data.

It's the perfect tool when you need to answer questions that involve three related numerical values. Here are a few common business examples:

• Marketing Analysis: Compare marketing campaigns by Cost (X-axis), Conversion Rate (Y-axis), and Total Revenue Generated (Bubble Size). You can easily spot which low-cost, high-converting campaigns are also generating the most revenue.
• Sales Performance: Evaluate sales reps by Deals Closed (X-axis), Average Deal Size (Y-axis), and Total Sales Quota Attainment (Bubble Size). This helps identify top performers across multiple metrics.
• Project Management: Assess different projects by Hours Invested (X-axis), Potential ROI (Y-axis), and Project Budget (Bubble Size). This helps prioritize projects that offer high returns without demanding excessive resources.

In each case, you're not just looking at two data points, you're getting a more complete picture by including the third "size" dimension.

Step 1: Structure Your Data Correctly

Before you even think about clicking the "Insert Chart" button, getting your data organized correctly is the most important step. A bubble chart requires a specific structure to work properly in Excel. You'll need at least three columns of numerical data, ideally with a fourth column for a text description of each bubble.

Your data should be organized in the following order from left to right:

1. Labels (Column A): The name of each data point (e.g., campaign name, product name, sales rep). This isn't technically required to make the chart, but it's essential for making it understandable.
2. X-Axis Values (Column B): The first set of numerical data. This will determine the horizontal position of each bubble.
3. Y-Axis Values (Column C): The second set of numerical data. This determines the vertical position of each bubble.
4. Bubble Size Values (Column D): The third set of numerical data. This determines the size of each bubble. Note: These values must be positive.

Here's what your data layout should look like. In this example, we're analyzing the performance of different social media marketing campaigns:

Step 2: Create a Basic Bubble Chart

Once your data is properly arranged, creating the chart itself is quick. Excel handles the heavy lifting in just a few clicks.

1. Select Your Data: Click and drag your cursor to highlight the three columns containing your numerical data (e.g., B2 to D6, covering Ad Spend, CTR, and Conversions). Do not include the text labels in your initial selection.
2. Go to Insert Chart: Navigate to the Insert tab on the Excel ribbon. In the Charts section, find and click the icon that looks like a scatter plot. It's labeled Insert Scatter (X, Y) or Bubble Chart.
3. Choose the Bubble Chart Type: A dropdown menu will appear. You'll see options for standard Scatter plots at the top and Bubble charts at the bottom. Choose either the 2-D Bubble or the styled 3-D Bubble. We recommend starting with the standard 2-D bubble chart for clarity.

Excel will instantly generate a basic bubble chart on your worksheet. It won't be pretty yet - it will likely be untitled, have generic axes, and lack clear labels - but the core visual is now in place. Now it's time to shape it into something meaningful.

Step 3: Customize and Format Your Bubble Chart

A default Excel chart rarely tells the whole story. Customization is where you transform a generic plot into a valuable business insight. Here's how to format the most important elements.

Add a Chart Title and Axis Titles

Your chart needs context. What are people looking at? Use titles to spell it out.

1. Click on your chart to select it. A green "+" icon will appear in the top-right corner.
2. Click the "+" and check the boxes for Chart Title and Axis Titles.
3. Click into each new "Title" text box on the chart to rename them appropriately. For our example:

• Chart Title: Social Media Campaign Performance
• Horizontal (X) Axis Title: Ad Spend ($)
• Vertical (Y) Axis Title: Click-Through Rate (%)

Add Meaningful Data Labels to the Bubbles

Right now, your chart is just a collection of anonymous bubbles. You need to label them so you know what's what. This is arguably the most powerful customization you can make.

Here, we'll use a fantastic Excel trick to label each bubble with its campaign name from our first column.

1. Click the "+" icon next to your chart again, and this time, check the box for Data Labels. Generic numerical labels (usually the Y-axis value) will appear on your bubbles.
2. Right-click on any of those new data labels to open a context menu, and select Format Data Labels.
3. A formatting pane will open on the right side of your screen. Under Label Options, you'll see a series of checkboxes. Select the checkbox for Value From Cells.
4. A small "Data Label Range" dialog box will pop up, asking you to select the cells that contain the labels you want to use. Click and drag to highlight the campaign names in your first column (e.g., A2 to A6). Click OK.
5. Back in the Format Data Labels pane, uncheck the "Y Value" box and any other pre-selected boxes, so only your custom campaign names are visible.
6. You can also change the Label Position to "Center" to place the text neatly inside each bubble.

Format the Bubbles and Axes

A few final tweaks can greatly improve readability.

• Adjusting Axes: Right-click the horizontal or vertical axis and select Format Axis. In the Axis Options pane, you can set the "Minimum" and "Maximum" bounds to better fit your data range, which will make the differences between bubbles more apparent.
• Adding Transparency: Right-click on any bubble and choose Format Data Series. In the format pane, go to the Fill & Line tab (paint bucket icon). Under Fill, you'll find a Transparency slider. Setting it to 30-50% allows you to see all data points, even when they overlap.
• Bubble Scaling: Within the same Format Data Series pane, you can find options to adjust how Excel scales the bubble sizes. You can make the size represent the area or width of the bubbles and change the overall scale for more or less dramatic differences. Usually, default settings suffice.

Bonus Tips for an Effective Bubble Chart

• Don't Be a Vending Machine: The goal isn't to display a chaotic jumble of every product in a vending machine, where nothing really stands out because everything is crowded. Keep it simple and focused by using only the most critical, illustrative data points. Avoid overcrowding. Bubble charts work best with fewer than 15 data points.
• Use Color for a Fourth Dimension: While not a built-in feature, you can add a category dimension manually by coloring bubbles differently. For example, if you have "Platform Type" (e.g., "Video," "Image," "Text"), you can select individual bubbles and change their fill color accordingly.
• Let the Data Do the Talking: Focus on making the data center stage. If the legend doesn't add value for your audience, feel free to delete it to avoid distraction.

Final Thoughts

Creating a bubble chart in Excel is straightforward once you understand how to structure your data and apply the right formatting. It's a powerful tool for telling multi-dimensional stories, helping you move beyond simple comparisons and uncover deeper insights.

While Excel is great for quick analyses, manually updating data from tools like Google Analytics, Shopify, Facebook Ads, and your CRM can be time-consuming. We built Graphed because getting these insights should be effortless. It connects directly to your marketing and sales platforms, allowing you to ask in plain English — "Create a bubble chart comparing Facebook ad spend versus CTR by conversions last month" — and instantly see an interactive visualization. No more wrestling with CSV exports or manual formatting.