How to Make a Double Bar Graph in Excel with ChatGPT

Creating a double bar graph in Excel is a fantastic way to compare two sets of data side-by-side. While it's relatively simple to do manually in Excel, you can use ChatGPT to make the process even faster and more efficient. This article will walk you through exactly how to do it, covering everything from generating sample data to building the final chart using a few simple prompts.

What is a Double Bar Graph?

A double bar graph, known in Excel as a "Clustered Bar Chart" or "Clustered Column Chart," is used to show a direct comparison between two distinct categories across a shared axis. Imagine you want to compare the monthly sales of two different products, the website traffic from two different ad campaigns, or the student test scores from two different teaching methods. A double bar graph places the bars for each category right next to each other, making the differences instantly obvious.

For example, you can track your company's monthly revenue against its monthly expenses. Each month on the chart would have two bars: one for revenue and one for expenses. This visual setup makes it incredibly easy to see if a great revenue month was also a high-expense month or to spot trends where expenses are growing faster than revenue.

Getting Started: Use ChatGPT to Generate Your Data

Before you can build a graph, you need data. If you don't have a dataset ready or just want to practice, ChatGPT is the perfect tool for creating realistic sample data in seconds. You don't have to waste time manually typing numbers into a spreadsheet.

First, open ChatGPT and give it a clear, simple prompt describing the data you need. For our example, we'll ask for sales data for two different products over a six-month period.

Try this prompt in ChatGPT:

Act as a data analyst. I need some sample data to create a double bar graph in Excel. Create a table with three columns: 'Month', 'Smartwatch Sales', and 'Headphone Sales'. Include realistic sales numbers in USD for the first six months of the year.

ChatGPT will generate a nicely formatted table for you. It should look something like this:

Now, simply highlight the table directly in the ChatGPT window, copy it (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C), and paste it into a blank Excel sheet (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V). Excel is usually smart enough to parse the table structure correctly, automatically placing the data into separate columns and rows.

How to Make a Double Bar Graph in Excel (The Quick Manual Way)

Once your data is in Excel, creating the chart is just a few clicks away. For this guide, we'll create a vertical double bar graph, which a lot of people are familiar with. In Excel, this is called a Clustered Column Chart.

Step 1: Select Your Data

Click on cell A1 (the top-left cell of your dataset) and drag your mouse to select the entire table, including the column headers and the month names. Your selection should cover the range A1 through C7 for our example.

Step 2: Insert the Chart

With your data selected, navigate to the Insert tab on the Excel ribbon at the top of the screen. Look for the Charts section. Click on the icon that looks like a small column chart (it's called "Insert Column or Bar Chart"). A dropdown menu will appear. Under the "2-D Column" heading, select the very first option: the Clustered Column Chart.

Excel will instantly generate the double bar graph and place it on your worksheet. It automatically uses your 'Month' column for the horizontal axis and your sales data for the vertical bars, complete with a legend identifying which color represents which product.

Step 3: Customize Your Graph for Clarity

The default chart is functional, but a little bit of customization will make it professional, polished, and easy to read. Click on the chart to select it. You’ll see a ‘+’ icon appear on the right side. This is the Chart Elements menu, which is the easiest way to add or remove elements.

• Chart Title: Double-click the default "Chart Title" at the top and give it a more descriptive name, like "Monthly Sales Performance: Smartwatches vs. Headphones."

• Axis Titles: A good chart always has labeled axes. Click the ‘+’ icon, check the box for Axis Titles. This will add text boxes to the horizontal (X-axis) and vertical (Y-axis). Click into them to add titles like "Month" and "Sales (USD)."

• Data Labels: To show the exact sales figures on each bar, click the ‘+’ icon and check Data Labels. This adds the exact value above each bar, so your audience doesn't have to guess or estimate by looking at the axis.

• Change Colors: If the default blue and orange aren't your favorite, you can change them. Right-click on one of the blue bars (this will select all of the blue bars in the series) and choose "Format Data Series." A panel will open on the right. Click the paint bucket icon and choose a new "Fill" color. Repeat the process for the orange bars.

The Faster Way: Use ChatGPT as Your Excel Guide

If you're less familiar with Excel or just want to save time hunting through menus, you can use ChatGPT as your personal assistant. This is where it gets interesting.

Method 1: Ask ChatGPT for Personalized Instructions

Instead of searching for a generic tutorial, you can give ChatGPT context about your specific spreadsheet and get a custom-made set of instructions. This avoids confusion and gets you the answer you need right away.

Try this prompt in ChatGPT:

I have data in an Excel sheet. Headers are in row 1: "Month" is in A1, "Smartwatch Sales" in B1, and "Headphone Sales" in C1. The data runs from row 2 to row 7.

Give me the exact step-by-step instructions to create a clustered column chart (a double bar graph) with a title and labeled axes.

ChatGPT will return a checklist tailored to your exact sheet, removing any guesswork from the process. It's like having a patient instructor walking you through the steps.

Method 2: Let ChatGPT Write a VBA Macro For You

Ready to level up? If you find yourself making the same type of chart regularly, you can entirely automate its creation with a VBA macro. VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) is Excel’s programming language, but you don't need to know how to write a single line of code. ChatGPT will do it all for you.

Give ChatGPT this prompt:

Write an Excel VBA macro that creates a clustered column chart using data from the range A1:C7 on "Sheet1".

The macro should:

1. Name the chart "Monthly Sales Performance".

2. Add a horizontal axis title named "Month".

3. Add a vertical axis title named "Sales (USD)".

4. Place the chart on the same sheet.

ChatGPT will generate a block of VBA code. Here’s what it might look like:

Now, how do you use this code? It’s easier than it looks:

1. In Excel, press ALT + F11 to open the VBA Editor.

2. In the editor window, go to Insert > Module. A blank white window will appear.

3. Copy the code from ChatGPT and paste it into this module window.

4. Close the VBA Editor (click the 'X').

5. Back in your Excel sheet, press ALT + F8. This will open the Macro dialog box.

6. Select "CreateSalesChart" from the list and click Run.

Boom! A perfectly formatted, titled, and labeled double bar graph appears on your screen instantly. This method is incredibly powerful for monthly or weekly reports where you need to create the same chart over and over.

Final Thoughts

Creating a double bar graph in Excel is a fundamental skill for anyone working with data. While the manual method is straightforward, using ChatGPT as your guide can significantly speed up the workflow, whether by generating data, providing custom instructions, or even automating the entire creation process with a VBA Macro.

Of course, even with ChatGPT's help, building reports still involves juggling different tools and manually setting things up. We built Graphed because we believe getting insights shouldn't require this much effort. Instead of pasting data into Excel, you can connect your data sources (like Google Analytics, Shopify, or your CRM) directly. Then, you can simply ask in plain English - "Create a dashboard showing smartwatch sales vs. headphone sales for the last six months" - and get a live, interactive dashboard that updates automatically in seconds. No more manual exports, no more VBA code, just instant answers.