Excel Waterfall Chart Totals: How to Add and Format

To show a total in an Excel waterfall chart, right-click the bar that represents the total and choose Set as Total. To show its number too, select the chart and add data labels; the total bar will then display the value from its source cell.

What a total means in a waterfall chart

A waterfall chart shows how a starting amount changes as you add increases and subtract decreases. Excel normally treats each row after the first as a change from the previous running balance. A row containing a final balance is different: it is the result of all the changes, not another change to add. Marking that bar as a total tells Excel to draw it from the chart’s baseline rather than continue the running bridge.

This distinction is why a chart can look wrong even when its source figures are right. If the final value is 135 and Excel interprets it as a positive change, the bar may appear to lift the running balance by another 135. Setting it as a total makes it represent the ending amount itself. The command changes how the bar is plotted; it does not edit the number in the worksheet.

Set a bar as a total in Excel

These steps apply to the desktop version of Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows. Start with a category column and a value column, with one row for each step in the bridge.

Select the category names and values, including the starting amount and the ending total.
Choose Insert > Insert Waterfall, Funnel, Stock, Surface or Radar Chart > Waterfall.
In the chart, click the bar you want to change. If one click selects every bar in the series, click that same bar once more to select just the individual data point.
Right-click the selected bar and choose Set as Total.
Repeat for any other subtotal or total bars, such as the starting balance and ending balance.

The bar should now begin at the horizontal axis and extend to its total value. On Excel for Mac, the chart feature is available in supported desktop versions; use a right-click or Control-click on the individual bar to open its contextual menu. Menu wording and placement can vary slightly by version. If you cannot find Set as Total, check that the chart is a native Waterfall chart and that you selected one bar rather than the whole series.

Build a simple example

Suppose a business starts with revenue of 100, gains 40 from new customers, loses 15 through churn, and gains 10 from a price increase. The ending revenue is 135. Put the category names in A2:A6 and the corresponding values in B2:B6:

Starting revenue: 100
New customers: 40
Churn: -15
Price increase: 10
Ending revenue: a calculated total

With the starting amount in B2 and the three changes in B3:B5, enter the following in B6 to calculate the ending value:

=SUM(B2:B5)

The result is 135: 100 + 40 – 15 + 10. Create the chart from A2:B6, then right-click the starting revenue bar and the ending revenue bar and choose Set as Total for each. The three middle bars remain changes. The last bar now shows the final balance rather than adding 135 to the preceding running balance.

It is fine to type a total directly into the source table, but a formula makes it easier to keep the result in step with changes to the inputs. The chart reflects the cell’s current value; it does not calculate a separate total just because a bar has been marked as one.

Show the total value as a data label

Setting a bar as a total controls its position, not whether its number appears beside it. To display values, select the chart and choose Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels, then select a label position such as Outside End. You can also use the chart’s Chart Elements button, shown as a plus sign beside the chart, and turn on Data Labels.

Excel normally uses the plotted values as labels, so the total bar should show the number from its source cell. If you want only selected bars labeled, click a label once to select all labels, then click the particular label again and delete it, or select the desired individual data point before adding a label. Be careful when deleting: selecting a whole set of labels and pressing Delete removes all of them.

For cleaner presentation, format the number in the worksheet or use the chart’s number-format options so labels use consistent units, separators, or currency. Keep negative changes easy to distinguish, and avoid placing labels where they overlap connector lines or nearby bars. Data labels are useful for exact figures, while the bar heights show the overall pattern.

Add intermediate subtotals

A waterfall can include more than a beginning and ending balance. For example, a sales bridge might show a total after the first group of changes, then continue with another group. Add a row for that checkpoint and mark its bar as a total using the same Set as Total command. The next change then continues from the checkpoint rather than treating the subtotal as another increase.

Using the example above, a subtotal after new customers would be 140 (100 + 40). If the subtotal is in B4, put the churn and price change in later rows and calculate the checkpoint from the starting value and changes that precede it. With the starting value in B2 and new-customer change in B3, the subtotal formula is:

=SUM(B2:B3)

It returns 140. Include that subtotal row in the chart, mark it as a total, and then include the later changes and final total. The subtotal is a visual checkpoint, not a new amount to add to the bridge. Check the row order and the formula range carefully so the checkpoint does not accidentally include later changes.

Choose sensible source data and chart structure

Before formatting, decide which rows are changes and which are balances. A reliable source table typically has one starting total, signed changes, any clearly identified subtotals, and one ending total. Use positive numbers for increases and negative numbers for decreases. Do not put a running balance in every row and expect Excel to understand which figures are changes; by default, the chart treats unmarked rows as sequential contributions.

For example, if the balances after each step are 140, 125, and 135, those are not equivalent to the changes 40, -15, and 10. Mixing the two styles can produce implausible bars. Use changes for the middle rows and mark only actual balance checkpoints as totals. Descriptive category names such as “New customers” and “Churn” also make the chart easier to read than generic labels such as “Step 1.”

A Waterfall chart is most useful when the reader needs to see how separate contributions explain the difference between two balances. If the goal is simply to compare unrelated totals across categories, a column chart may be clearer. Excel’s built-in total setting is specific to the waterfall behavior; a regular column chart will not automatically bridge changes between balances.

Fix common total and labeling problems

The ending bar is too tall or seems to be added twice: The final value is probably being treated as a change. Right-click that individual bar and choose Set as Total.
The command is missing: Confirm that the chart type is Waterfall and select one bar, not the entire data series. The contextual menu changes depending on what is selected.
The total bar has no number: Turn on data labels. A bar can be correctly set as a total without showing a label.
Increases and decreases look reversed: Check the signs in the worksheet. Increases should generally be positive and decreases negative; the chart follows the source values.
The bridge does not reconcile: Add the starting balance and all signed changes independently. In the example, 100 + 40 – 15 + 10 must equal 135. Also check that a subtotal formula includes only the rows up to that checkpoint.
A label or bar appears in an unexpected place: Check the source order and the selected data point. Reordering categories changes the story the chart tells, and a total marker does not repair an incorrect source sequence.

Connectors help show how each change leads to the next balance, but they are separate from the total setting. If the bridge is hard to follow, check the chart’s formatting options and keep connector lines visible where they clarify the progression. Avoid relying on color alone to communicate increases and decreases; category labels and data labels can make the meaning clearer.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I show the grand total on an Excel waterfall chart?
Include the grand-total value as a row in the chart’s source data, right-click its bar, and choose Set as Total. Add data labels if you also want the number printed on the chart.

Why does my final total appear to be added to the last bar?
Excel is treating the final value as another change. Select that bar alone and choose Set as Total from its contextual menu so it starts from the baseline.

Can I set more than one bar as a total?
Yes. Mark the starting balance, intermediate subtotals, and ending balance as totals whenever those rows represent complete balances rather than changes. Each bar is set individually.

Does Set as Total change the value in the worksheet?
No. It changes the way the selected data point is drawn in the chart. The source cell and any formula in it remain unchanged.

Can I show a total without showing labels on every bar?
Yes. Add data labels, then select and remove labels for the bars you do not want labeled, leaving the total’s label in place. Take care to select an individual label rather than the entire set.

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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