How-To

How to Combine Two Graphs in Excel

By Adam Davidson

Published February 2, 2024

If you have multiple charts in Excel, you can merge them into a single chart. Here’s how to combine two graphs in Excel.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The corollary to that for data is that a graph is worth a thousand spreadsheet cells. Using charts is a great way to visualize your data, which allows you to spot patterns much more easily than you could just scanning a list of numbers. Just imagine how useful it might be to combine two or more graphs in Excel.

Graphs are also a great way to make comparisons between data sets. If you have a graph of the sales of one rep and a graph of the sales of another, you can view them side-by-side to compare their performance.

Even more useful, however, is to combine both graphs into one. This allows you to compare both sets of data on the same graph. You can even create charts that are comprised of two different types of charts such as a line graph and a bar chart. If you want to create more complex charts, then here’s how to combine two graphs in Excel.

Using Paste to Combine Graphs of the Same Type

If you have two graphs of the same type in Excel (i.e. they are both bar charts or both line charts) you can quickly combine them into a single chart using copy and paste. By copying one chart and pasting it into another, you’ll see both sets of data within the same graph. If the two charts are of different types, however, pasting one into the other will change the chart type of one of the graphs, so you won’t get the result that you want.

How to Combine Two Graphs of the Same Type in Excel

1. Create your two charts in Excel or open a document including charts you want to combine.
2. Right-click one of the charts and select Copy, or press Ctrl+A on Windows (Cmd+A on Mac.)
   
3. Right-click the second graph, and select Paste, or press Ctrl+V on Windows (Cmd+V on Mac.)
   
4. The data from the first graph will be pasted into the second, which will now display both sets of data. This overwrites the previous second chart, and gives it the name of the first chart. The first chart will remain untouched.
   
5. To change the chart’s name, double-click the chart title and give it a new name.
   
6. To add additional elements to your chart, click the + (plus) symbol at the side of the chart.
   
7. You can now select which elements you want to appear on your chart.
   
8. For example, you might want to add a legend to show which data is which.
   

How to Combine Two Graphs by Selecting Both Data Sets

You can also make a graph that is a combination of two other graphs by selecting both data sets and creating a new graph using them both. For example, if you have two scatter plots or two line graphs, you can select the data from both graphs and create a new graph showing both sets of data in the same chart. You’ll need to be sure that you don’t select the x-axis data from both sets, as then you’ll end up with an additional line on your graph.

1. Highlight all of the data from the first graph.
   
2. Hold down Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on Mac and select the data from your second graph.
   
3. Click the Insert menu.
   
4. In the ribbon, click Recommended Charts.
   
5. Select the chart type that you want to use from the options in the left-hand pane.
   
6. You’ll see a preview of what the chart will look like in the main window.
   
7. When you’re happy with your selection click OK to insert the chart.
8. You can edit the title of the chart by doubling clicking it and entering a new name.
   
9. To add additional elements to the chart, select the chart and click the + (plus) icon to the right of the chart.
   
10. Choose the elements that you want to add.
    
11. To rename the data series, right-click on the chart and click Select Data.
    
12. To change the name of a series, select it under Legend Entries and click the Edit button.
    
13. Enter the new name in the Series Name field and click OK.
    
14. Repeat with any other series you want to rename.
15. The new names of the series will now be reflected in your chart.
    

How to Combine Two Graphs of Different Types Using Combo Charts

Both of the methods above are useful if you want to create a chart that displays two sets of data in the same type of chart. However, there may be circumstances where you want to create a chart that is a mix of two different chart types. For example, you might want to combine a bar chart with a line chart. If that’s the case, you’ll need to use a Combo chart, which allows you to create a chart that shows different chart types on the same graph.

1. Highlight the data for the first graph you want to include in your chart.
   
2. Hold down Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on Mac and highlight the data from the second chart you want to include.
   
3. Click the Insert menu.
   
4. In the ribbon, click the Recommended Charts button.
   
5. At the top of the left-hand pane, click the All Charts tab.
   
6. At the very bottom of the left-hand menu, click Combo.
   
7. Choose the combo chart type you want to use.
   
8. You can change the chart type used for each data set by clicking the Chart Type drop-down.
   
9. Select one of the chart types from the options.
   
10. Repeat for any other data series you want to change.
11. When you’re happy with your chart, click OK to create it.
12. To change the title of the chart, double-click the Chart Title and give it a new name.
    
13. If you want to add additional elements to the chart, or remove any current ones, select the chart and click the + (plus) icon.
    
14. Check any additional elements you want to include or uncheck those you want to remove.
    
15. To change the names of the data series, right-click the graph and click Select Data.
    
16. Select the series you want to and click the Edit button.
    
17. Type a new name in the Series Name field and click OK.
    
18. Repeat for any other series you want to rename.
19. Your data labels will now reflect the new series names.
    

Combining Graphs in Excel

Knowing how to combine two graphs in Excel allows you to display two sets of data on the same graph. This can be useful for several reasons. Firstly, it can save space, letting you create a single graph to show your data, rather than having two separate graphs. Secondly, it’s a useful way to make comparisons between data. By showing both sets of data on the same graph, it makes it easy to compare them. Thirdly, you can combine chart types to provide additional data on your chart. For example, you might have a bar chart showing year-on-year sales, with a line chart above showing the rolling average. This lets you provide additional useful information on the same chart.