Excel Waterfall Combo Charts: Setup and Workarounds

Yes—but Excel’s built-in Waterfall chart cannot be combined directly with another chart type in the standard Combo chart setup. In Microsoft 365 for Windows, you can create a waterfall-style combo chart by using helper columns, a stacked column chart for the floating steps, and a line series for the running total.

What an Excel waterfall combo chart shows

A waterfall chart explains how a starting value changes through a sequence of positive and negative contributions to reach an ending value. A combo chart puts two chart types together, often to show a line alongside columns. Combining these ideas is useful when you want to show both the size of each change and the evolving balance in one visual.

For example, a cash balance might start at 100, rise by 40 in revenue, fall by 25 in expenses, and rise by 10 after an adjustment. The ending balance is 125. Floating columns show each change in context: the revenue bar runs from 100 to 140, while the expense bar runs from 115 to 140. A line can trace the balance after each step.

The key distinction is that this is a constructed waterfall-style combo chart, not Excel’s native Waterfall chart with an extra series attached. The distinction matters if you expect native waterfall features such as marking a bar as a total. With the workaround, the helper data controls each bar’s position and appearance.

Why the built-in Waterfall chart cannot be combined directly

Excel includes a dedicated Waterfall chart type. In Microsoft 365 for Windows, you can find it through Insert > Insert Waterfall, Funnel, Stock, Surface or Radar Chart > Waterfall. It is usually the quickest choice when you need a conventional waterfall and do not need a second chart type.

However, the standard combo-chart controls do not offer the native Waterfall type as a chart type that you can assign to one series while assigning another type to a different series. A common misconception is that selecting a Waterfall chart and then choosing Change Chart Type > Combo will expose the same options available for ordinary column charts. It does not provide a direct native-waterfall-plus-line combination.

The workaround uses a stacked column chart to imitate the floating bars. A hidden base series lifts each contribution to the correct starting level; separate increase and decrease series provide the visible colored segments. A total series draws the opening and closing bars from zero. The line series plots the running balance.

Plan the data and choose an example

Put the categories and changes in a simple source table before building the chart. This example uses illustrative units, not a statement about any particular business:

Opening balance: 100
Revenue: +40, bringing the balance to 140
Expense: −25, bringing the balance to 115
Adjustment: +10, bringing the balance to 125
Closing balance: 125

Use columns A:H with these headings in row 1: Category, Change, Balance, Base, Increase, Decrease, Total, and Balance line. Put Opening, Revenue, Expense, Adjustment, and Closing in A2:A6. Enter 100, 40, −25, and 10 in B2:B5. The closing row is a displayed total rather than another change, so B6 can be blank. The Balance column tracks the running result; Base, Increase, Decrease, and Total create the stacked bars; Balance line repeats the running result for the line series.

Build the helper columns

With the layout above, enter =B2 in C2 to set the opening balance to 100. With the same layout, enter =C2+B3 in C3 and fill it down through C5; the results are 140, 115, and 125. With the same layout, enter =C5 in C6, which returns 125 for the closing value.

The Base series places a change bar at its lower endpoint. With the stated columns, enter =0 in D2. Enter =MIN(C2,C3) in D3 and fill down through D5: the bases are 100, 115, and 115. Enter =0 in D6. For an increase, the base is the balance before the change; for a decrease, it is the lower balance after the change.

With the stated columns, enter =0 in E2, then enter =MAX(B3,0) in E3 and fill through E5. This gives increases of 40, 0, and 10. Enter =0 in E6. With the same layout, enter =0 in F2, then enter =MAX(-B3,0) in F3 and fill through F5. This gives decreases of 0, 25, and 0; enter =0 in F6.

With the same layout, enter =C2 in G2 and =C6 in G6. Put 0 in G3:G5. The Total series will therefore show 100 at the opening and 125 at the closing, while remaining absent from the intermediate steps. For the line, enter =C2 in H2, fill =C3 down from H3 through H5, and enter =C6 in H6. The line values are 100, 140, 115, 125, and 125. These formulas use ordinary Excel functions and arithmetic; the example’s ending calculation checks out because 100 + 40 − 25 + 10 = 125.

Create the stacked-column and line combination

For a straightforward chart source, make a contiguous block containing Category and the five helper series Base, Increase, Decrease, Total, and Balance line. For example, copy or link A1:A6 and D1:H6 into J1:O6. Leave the series headings in row 1 and the category names in column J. Select J1:O6, then use Insert > Insert Combo Chart > Create Custom Combo Chart. Ribbon labels can vary slightly with Excel updates.

Set Base, Increase, Decrease, and Total to Stacked Column.
Set Balance line to Line.
Keep the line on the primary axis if it uses the same units as the waterfall values. Use a secondary axis only if the line represents a different scale.
Choose OK, then resize the chart and check that the categories appear in the intended order.

If Excel does not automatically treat Base as the first stacked series, use Chart Design > Select Data to check the series order. The Base series must sit below the visible contribution segments. A stacked column chart is important: a clustered column chart would place the helper series side by side rather than stacking them into floating bars.

Format the chart so the waterfall reads clearly

Hide the Base series so it acts as a spacer rather than a visible bar. Select a Base segment, open Format Data Series, and set its fill to No fill and its border to No line. The spacer still occupies chart space, which is why the other series float at the right heights. If you delete the Base series instead, the steps will no longer align with their running balances.

Give Increase and Decrease distinct fills, such as green and red, and use a contrasting color for Total. Make the balance line visible against the columns, and add markers if they help readers identify values at each category. A chart title, a useful vertical-axis title, and a legend that identifies the line can make the visual easier to interpret. Avoid relying on color alone if the chart may be printed in grayscale or read by people with color-vision differences; labels or a clear legend provide additional cues.

Check the vertical axis before adding labels. A zero minimum is often appropriate when the opening and closing totals should be compared from a common baseline. If the chart’s purpose is to emphasize small changes around a large balance, a tighter scale can make the steps easier to see, but it can also exaggerate their apparent size. State the scale clearly and do not hide a meaningful zero baseline without a reason.

Common problems and how to fix them

Every change starts at zero: The Base series may be missing, visible, or not included in the stacked column group. Confirm it is the first stacked series and set its fill and border to No fill and No line.
A decrease points the wrong way or has the wrong height: The decrease series should use the absolute size of a negative change, while its Base is the lower balance. Check the sign in the Change column and the MIN-based base calculation.
The opening or closing total looks like a floating step: Confirm that Total contains the opening and closing balances only, and that the corresponding Base, Increase, and Decrease cells are zero.
The line is hard to see: Check that Balance line is set to Line, not a column type. If the line has a different unit or scale from the bars, consider a secondary axis and label it clearly.
Categories or series are in the wrong order: Review the chart source range and the series order in Chart Design > Select Data. Blank rows, included source columns, or an unintended header selection can change what Excel plots.

When the source values change, formulas in the helper columns update the plotted steps. If you add more categories, extend the formulas and the chart’s source range; an Excel Table can help keep a data range expanding, but inspect the chart after adding rows because chart-series ranges may need adjustment.

When to use a native waterfall or another alternative

Choose the native Waterfall chart when the main goal is a standard bridge from a starting total through increases and decreases to a final total. It takes less setup and includes controls for identifying totals. In the native chart, you can select an individual data point and use the point’s formatting options to set it as a total. That built-in behavior is separate from the helper-series method.

Choose the stacked-column-and-line workaround when the balance line adds useful information, when you need control over each component’s appearance, or when the native chart does not offer the exact layout you need. Its trade-off is maintenance: the helper columns must remain correct, and a change in the data structure may require extending formulas or chart ranges.

If readers need to compare several independent trends rather than understand a sequence of cumulative changes, a line chart or ordinary column-and-line combo may be clearer. A waterfall emphasizes contribution and accumulation; it is not automatically the best chart just because the data includes positive and negative numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a line to Excel’s built-in Waterfall chart?
No, not as a direct native Waterfall-plus-line combination through the standard Combo chart controls. Use helper columns to build a waterfall-style stacked column chart with a line series, or keep the native Waterfall chart and show the line in a separate chart.

Can a waterfall combo chart use a secondary axis?
Yes. In the custom combo setup, you can assign the line to a secondary axis. This is useful when the line has a different unit or scale, but it can confuse comparisons if the axes are not labeled. If both series use the same units and range, a shared axis is generally easier to read.

Why do I need a hidden Base series?
The Base series creates the invisible space below each change segment. That space moves the visible increase or decrease bar up to the balance level where the change occurs. Without it, the columns begin at zero like an ordinary column chart.

Can I show opening and closing totals in the workaround?
Yes. Use a separate Total series for the opening and closing categories, with zeroes in the intermediate categories. The total columns begin at zero, while the contribution columns float from one balance to the next.

Does this setup work in Excel for Mac or Excel for the web?
The underlying chart design can be used in Excel versions that provide the needed combo-chart options, but ribbon layout and available controls can vary by platform and release. On Mac, use the Insert tab and the chart controls available in that Excel build; on the web, some chart editing options may differ. If a particular combo setting is unavailable, build or finish the chart in the Microsoft 365 desktop app.

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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