Excel Horizontal Waterfall Chart: How to Build One

Excel does not provide a horizontal orientation for its built-in Waterfall chart: the native chart displays changes as vertical columns. To make a horizontal waterfall in Microsoft Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, prepare helper columns and plot them as a 2-D Stacked Bar chart, hiding the offset series so each change appears to float between its before-and-after values.

What Excel’s waterfall chart can—and cannot—do

A waterfall chart explains how a starting amount changes through a sequence of additions and subtractions to reach an ending amount. It is useful for revenue bridges, budget changes, project costs, inventory movement, and other “how did we get from A to B?” questions. Each intermediate column represents a change; the opening and closing columns represent totals.

Excel includes a dedicated Waterfall chart type. In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the source data and choose Insert > Insert Waterfall, Funnel, Stock, Surface or Radar Chart > Waterfall. The result is a vertical chart. There is no horizontal-orientation switch for that chart type, so changing the chart’s row and column orientation will not turn it into a horizontal waterfall. A stacked bar chart is the practical workaround.

The workaround is not a special chart type. It uses ordinary stacked-bar series to position horizontal segments at the right cumulative values. That gives you control over colors and labels, but it also means Excel will not automatically recognize totals or draw the native waterfall connectors. You maintain those details yourself.

How the horizontal method works

A regular stacked bar starts each series where the preceding series ends. The trick is to add a first series whose value is the invisible offset from zero to the beginning of a change. Then a visible series supplies the width of that change. For a positive change, the bar begins at the old total and extends to the new total. For a negative change, it begins at the new, lower total and extends to the old total.

For example, if a cumulative value moves from 100 to 140, the visible segment should span 100 through 140. If it then falls from 140 to 128, the next segment should span 128 through 140. The helper data therefore uses the lower endpoint as the hidden base and the absolute size of the change as the visible width. The axis still represents the underlying values, not merely the change sizes.

This simple construction works especially well when the cumulative values remain at or above zero. If a sequence crosses zero, negative stacked-bar values can be positioned on the opposite side of the axis and behave differently from the positive stack. Such cases need a more carefully designed chart, often with separate positive and negative plotting logic.

Set up the source and helper columns

Use one row per displayed category, in the order you want readers to follow. The example below has an opening value of 100, sales of +40, returns of −12, costs of −55, and an ending value. The final calculation is 100 + 40 − 12 − 55 = 73. Put the category in column A and the amount in column B. Use columns C through H for calculation helpers:

A: Category, such as Opening, Sales, Returns, Costs, or Ending.
B: Amount. Enter the opening value, each change, and leave the ending amount for the helper calculation.
C and D: Starting and ending cumulative values for each row.
E: Hidden base, or offset, for a change segment.
F and G: Positive and negative change widths, respectively.
H: Total-bar width for the opening and ending rows.

Assume the opening row is row 2, the three change rows are rows 3 through 5, and the ending row is row 6. The formulas below show the setup explicitly. If your data uses other rows, adjust the references. Each formula description gives the cell arrangement it assumes.

With the opening amount in B2 and helper columns C:H, enter =0 in C2 to mark the opening row’s starting point.
With the opening amount in B2 and helper columns C:H, enter =B2 in D2 to set the opening cumulative value.
With the opening amount in B2 and helper columns C:H, enter =0 in E2, F2, and G2 so the opening row has no change segment.
With the opening amount in B2 and the total series in H, enter =B2 in H2 to draw the opening total from zero.
With the prior cumulative value in D2 and the first change in B3, enter =D2 in C3 to carry the prior balance forward.
With the starting value in C3 and the change in B3, enter =C3+B3 in D3 to calculate the new cumulative value.
With the before-and-after values in C3 and D3, enter =MIN(C3,D3) in E3 to locate the lower end of the change segment.
With the change amount in B3, enter =IF(B3>0,B3,0) in F3 to show only positive changes in the increase series.
With the change amount in B3, enter =IF(B3<0,-B3,0) in G3 to turn negative changes into positive bar widths.
With the change row in row 3 and the total series in H, enter =0 in H3 because intermediate changes are not total bars.

Copy the change-row formulas in C3:H3 down through row 5. Excel adjusts the references for each row. For the ending row, set C6 to zero, set D6 equal to D5, set E6, F6, and G6 to zero, and set H6 equal to D6. That draws the ending balance as a total bar from zero. The example’s ending bar is 73.

Build the stacked bar chart

Select the category labels in A2:A6 and the helper values in E2:H6. If the ranges are not adjacent, select the first range and then use Ctrl-click to select the other range on Windows. Alternatively, create the chart from E2:H6 and add the category labels through Select Data.
Choose Insert > Insert Column or Bar Chart > 2-D Bar > Stacked Bar. Do not choose 100% Stacked Bar: that chart converts each row into a percentage of its total and no longer shows the actual amounts.
If Excel does not use the categories from column A, right-click the chart and choose Select Data. Set the Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels to A2:A6, and confirm the plotted series are Base, Increase, Decrease, and Total from columns E:H.
Click the Base series, open Format Data Series, and set Fill to No fill. Also set its line to No line if a border remains. The base still positions the visible segments, but it becomes invisible.
Give Increase and Decrease contrasting fills, such as green and red, and format Total in a neutral or accent color. If the categories appear bottom-to-top, open Format Axis for the category axis and select Categories in reverse order.
Set the value axis bounds and number format to suit the data. Add a chart title and, if useful, data labels from Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels. Review label positions so they do not overlap on narrow segments.

Chart controls can move slightly as Microsoft updates the ribbon, but the chart type is called Stacked Bar. On Excel for Mac, the same underlying chart method applies; the Insert and formatting controls may be arranged differently from Windows. The built-in Waterfall chart remains vertical there too.

Make the example readable

With the sample values, the opening total is 100, the Sales segment runs from 100 to 140, Returns runs from 128 to 140, Costs runs from 73 to 128, and the ending total runs from zero to 73. The green increase segment therefore has width 40, while the negative segments have widths 12 and 55. The bars represent the cumulative bridge, not independent category amounts.

A few design choices help readers interpret that bridge quickly:

Use a consistent convention for increases and decreases, and include a legend if the colors alone are not self-explanatory.
Label intermediate segments with the change amount, not the cumulative endpoint, unless your audience specifically needs both.
Keep the value axis visible or provide clear data labels. Hiding the axis can make the relative sizes difficult to judge.
Use a sensible number format, such as currency or whole numbers, and avoid excessive decimal places.
Include units and a time period in the chart title or nearby text. “Quarterly operating cost bridge, $ thousands” is more informative than “Waterfall.”

Excel may place data labels based on the plotted series, so a label on an increase or decrease series usually reports that segment’s width. Check negative labels in particular: the helper width in column G is positive even though the business change in column B is negative. If labels show 12 instead of −12, label from the original amount cells in B3:B5 where your Excel version offers Value From Cells in Format Data Labels, or add clear text labels separately. Do not let the helper’s positive width change the meaning of the decrease.

Limitations and common problems

The largest limitation is that a stacked bar does not include the native waterfall chart’s automatic subtotal and total behavior. The helper series must distinguish opening, change, and closing rows, and you must update the ending row when the source data changes. For a frequently refreshed report, consider keeping a fixed row for the ending total and using formulas that refer to the preceding cumulative balance.

If the bars all begin at zero, check that the Base series is included in the chart and that only its fill has been hidden. If the bars have the right widths but start at the wrong places, inspect column E: for a change row it should be the lower of the before-and-after values. If every segment is positive, check that the decrease helper uses the absolute width while the cumulative calculation in column D still uses the signed amount in column B.

If the category order is upside down, reverse the category axis order rather than rearranging the calculations blindly. If the displayed amounts look like percentages, you likely selected 100% Stacked Bar rather than Stacked Bar. If a total seems to continue from the preceding change instead of starting at zero, confirm that the total row has zero in the Base, Increase, and Decrease series and its full value in Total.

Connectors are another difference. The native waterfall chart can show the relationship between successive columns, while a stacked bar chart does not automatically draw those horizontal connector lines. You can omit them when the categories and values are clearly labeled. For a fixed presentation graphic, manually added lines or shapes are possible, but they will not reliably follow data changes. That makes a native vertical waterfall preferable when automatic updating matters more than horizontal layout.

When to use another chart or layout

Use Excel’s built-in vertical Waterfall chart when its orientation is acceptable and you want native total and subtotal controls. Select the data, insert Waterfall, then mark any total or subtotal columns using the chart’s Set as Total option. This is generally simpler to maintain than helper columns.

Use a horizontal stacked-bar workaround when category names are long, a report layout strongly favors horizontal bars, or readers need to scan labels down the page. A table with conditional formatting can be clearer when exact values matter more than the visual bridge. For a large or frequently changing data set, also consider whether a vertical native chart or a reporting tool with a native horizontal waterfall will reduce maintenance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I rotate Excel’s built-in waterfall chart to horizontal?

No. Excel’s built-in Waterfall chart is vertical and does not have a horizontal orientation setting. To get a horizontal result, build a stacked bar chart with helper series, or use a different charting tool that supports horizontal waterfalls natively.

Can I make a horizontal waterfall chart without formulas?

You can create the chart manually, but helper values are what position each segment correctly. For a small one-off graphic, you could calculate and enter those values by hand; formulas are more reliable when the source amounts may change.

Why are my decrease bars moving in the wrong direction?

The cumulative calculation must retain the signed change, such as −12, while the plotted decrease width must be positive, such as 12. Set the hidden base to the lower endpoint. If you use the signed negative amount as a stacked-bar width, the series may plot on the other side of the zero axis.

Can I show subtotals in a horizontal waterfall?

Yes, but you must create a total-style row for each subtotal. Set its base and change series to zero and put the subtotal value in the Total series, just as you do for the opening and ending bars. Verify that later change rows continue from the intended subtotal.

Which chart should I use if I need automatic connectors?

Use Excel’s native vertical Waterfall chart if its layout works for the report. The stacked-bar workaround does not create automatic connectors between changes, and manually drawn lines may not stay aligned when values or categories change.

Try it: the Percentage Formula Generator: percent of, percent change, increase and decrease, with the formula.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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