Combo Bar Chart in Excel: Create, Format, and Fix It

To make a combo chart in Excel, select your data, choose Insert > Recommended Charts > All Charts > Combo, then assign a chart type to each series and enable a secondary axis if their scales differ. Excel’s built-in combo charts work most naturally with columns and lines; combining a true horizontal bar series with another chart type takes a workaround.

What a combo bar chart means in Excel

A combo chart displays two or more data series using different chart types in one chart area. A common example is monthly sales shown as columns with a line for a target or percentage rate. The columns make the size of each month’s sales easy to compare, while the line highlights how the other measure changes.

People often use “bar chart” informally to mean any chart with rectangular bars. Excel distinguishes between Column charts, whose bars extend vertically, and Bar charts, whose bars extend horizontally. That distinction matters: Excel’s built-in Combo chart options are designed around combinations such as clustered columns and lines, not a conventional horizontal Bar series combined with a line.

So, if you mean a column-and-line chart, Excel can create it directly. If you specifically need horizontal bars and a line in the same visual, you will generally need to build and align separate charts or choose a different design. Knowing which meaning you intend avoids searching for a chart option that is not available in the standard combo chart dialog.

When to combine chart types

A combo chart is useful when two related measures tell different parts of a story or have different units. For example, a retailer could use columns for monthly revenue and a line for the percentage of orders delivered on time. Revenue might be measured in dollars and delivery performance in percent, so plotting both on one vertical scale would make one series difficult to read.

Combining types can also clarify the role of each series. Columns are effective for comparing totals across categories, while a line can communicate a trend, target, rate, or average. A combo chart is less helpful when the series are unrelated, when there are too many categories, or when a reader cannot tell which axis belongs to which measure. In those cases, two separate charts may be clearer.

Use columns for values that readers should compare across categories, such as monthly units sold.
Use a line for a measure that changes over the same categories, such as a moving average or target.
Use a secondary axis when the measures have very different units or ranges, and label it clearly.

Prepare the worksheet data

Arrange the information in a simple table before inserting the chart. Put the category labels in the first column, such as month names, and give each numeric series its own column with a descriptive heading. For example, the headings might be Month, Revenue, and On-time delivery. Each row should represent the same category across every series.

Check that values intended for charting are numeric, not numbers stored as text. Keep missing observations genuinely blank if there is no measurement; do not enter a zero unless zero is the real value, because a zero can change the visual interpretation. Avoid merged cells in the data range, and include the header row so Excel can use the series names in the legend.

If the worksheet contains extra columns that should not appear in the chart, select only the category labels and the series you need. You can also insert a chart first and later use Chart Design > Select Data to adjust the source range. Clear headings and a compact data range make the series easier to identify in the combo chart setup.

Create a column-and-line combo chart

Select the category labels, headings, and values you want to plot. Include non-adjacent ranges by selecting the first range, then holding Ctrl while selecting additional ranges on Windows.
On the ribbon, choose Insert > Recommended Charts. In the Insert Chart window, open the All Charts tab and select Combo. In some Microsoft 365 builds, you can use Insert > Insert Combo Chart directly instead.
Choose a suggested combination, such as Clustered Column – Line. For more control, use the custom combo option and choose a chart type for each listed series.
If a series has a very different scale from the others, select its Secondary Axis checkbox. Confirm that the column series and line series are assigned as intended.
Select OK to insert the chart. Add a useful chart title and check the legend to make sure each visual mark is associated with the correct series.

You can change the combination after insertion. Select the chart, then choose Chart Design > Change Chart Type and open Combo. This is useful if Excel initially assigns an unexpected chart type or if you decide that a series should use a secondary axis. The chart is linked to its worksheet data, so edits to the source values normally update the plotted series.

Choose and label the axes

A secondary axis gives one series a separate value scale on the opposite side of the chart. It is often appropriate when one series is a large count and another is a small percentage. For instance, revenue might range from 0 to 100,000 while an on-time rate runs from 0 to 100 percent. Sharing one scale would compress the percentage series near the bottom.

However, a secondary axis can also make a relationship appear stronger or weaker depending on the scale limits. Do not add one merely to make the lines or columns look more dramatic. If you use it, label both axes with the measure and unit, such as Revenue ($) on the left and On-time delivery (%) on the right. Make sure the legend or series styling also helps readers distinguish which series uses which axis.

To add axis titles, select the chart and use Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Axis Titles, then choose the relevant horizontal or vertical title. The exact available axis choices depend on the chart layout. You can format an axis by right-clicking it and selecting Format Axis. Set bounds or number formatting only when doing so makes the scale more readable and does not hide important variation.

Format the chart so it is easy to read

Formatting should explain the data, not compete with it. Give the chart a specific title, keep category labels readable, and use distinct but restrained colors for the column and line series. If the line needs extra emphasis, markers can help readers follow individual observations; if there are many categories, markers may create clutter.

In Excel, select a chart element to open its formatting options, or use Chart Design and Format on the ribbon. You can add data labels through Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels. Labels are helpful when the chart has only a few points, but labeling every column and every line marker can make a busy chart difficult to scan. Consider labeling only the line or the most important series.

Use a sensible number format for each measure. A percentage series should display as a percentage, and a currency series should use an appropriate currency format. Avoid relying on color alone to identify series when the chart may be printed in grayscale or viewed by someone with color-vision differences; a clear legend, axis title, or line marker pattern adds another cue.

Can Excel combine a horizontal bar chart and a line?

If by “bar” you specifically mean horizontal bars, the standard Combo chart dialog does not offer the same straightforward bar-and-line setup that it offers for columns and lines. Changing a series to a Bar type may be unavailable or may not produce the intended shared category layout. The reason is that horizontal bars and lines use different category orientations and axis arrangements.

For a chart that must show horizontal bars alongside a line, one possible workaround is to create a bar chart and a separate line chart, remove unnecessary backgrounds and axes, then position the charts on top of each other. This approach is fragile: resizing, changing data, or adjusting axes can misalign the charts. It also requires careful attention to category order, plot-area dimensions, and transparency. It is not ideal for a chart that will be frequently updated or used by others.

Often, a clearer alternative is to use a clustered column-and-line combo, which preserves Excel’s built-in axis behavior, or to place a horizontal bar chart and a line chart side by side. If horizontal ranking is the priority, a sorted bar chart by itself may communicate the key point more directly. Choose the workaround only when the combined layout adds real value and you can maintain it reliably.

Common problems and how to fix them

The combo option is missing: Select a normal worksheet data range and open the chart insertion options. If a chart already exists, select it and use Chart Design > Change Chart Type. Interface labels can vary slightly between Microsoft 365 updates.
Excel plots rows instead of columns: Select the chart, then choose Chart Design > Switch Row/Column. This is useful when Excel interprets each row as a series but your columns were intended to be the series.
The line looks flat: Check whether the line series is measured on a much smaller scale. Assigning it to a secondary axis can help, but label that axis and confirm the scale is not misleading.
Categories appear in an unexpected order: Check the order of the source rows and the category axis settings. Bar charts may display categories in the reverse order from what you expect; use Format Axis options to adjust category order where available.
A blank or zero appears in the chart: Review the source cells for zeros, text values, or formulas returning an empty string. In Chart Design > Select Data, use Hidden and Empty Cells to review how empty cells are displayed.

When a chart does not update as expected, use Chart Design > Select Data to inspect the chart data range and series references. A common source of trouble is adding new rows outside the chart’s selected range. Converting a continuous data range into an Excel table can help charts include newly added rows, though you should still confirm the chart uses the intended columns.

Combo charts compared with alternatives

A combo chart is not automatically better than two charts. Use one when the shared categories make direct comparison useful and the axes remain understandable. Use separate charts when readers need to compare detailed values, when the series have unrelated meanings, or when dual axes would require too much explanation.

A secondary-axis line chart is sometimes mistaken for a combo chart, but the distinction is the chart types: a combo uses different types for different series, while a chart can also use multiple axes without changing every series to a different type. A scatter chart may be more suitable when the horizontal values are numeric measurements rather than categories such as months or product names. A table with conditional formatting can be more accessible when exact values matter more than visual trends.

In Excel for Mac, the charting workflow is broadly similar, though ribbon labels and dialog placement can differ by build. Excel for the web also has a different interface and may not expose every desktop formatting control. If a particular combo option or axis setting is unavailable in your version, open the workbook in the Microsoft 365 desktop app for Windows and use the chart design controls described above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a bar and line chart in Excel?
Yes, if by bar you mean vertical columns: use a built-in column-and-line combo chart. If you mean horizontal bars, Excel does not provide the same direct combo setup in its standard dialog; consider separate charts, a workaround, or a column-and-line design.

How do I add a secondary axis to a combo chart?
When creating or editing the chart, open the Combo settings and select Secondary Axis for the series that needs its own scale. You can also right-click that series and choose Format Data Series, then select Secondary Axis if the option is available for the selected chart.

Why does Excel show two vertical axes?
A combo chart may show a primary axis on the left and a secondary axis on the right when a series is assigned to the secondary scale. This is expected. Add axis titles and appropriate number formats so readers can tell which measure each axis represents.

Can I change a regular chart into a combo chart?
Yes. Select the chart and choose Chart Design > Change Chart Type > Combo. Assign the desired type to each series and turn on a secondary axis only if the values or units justify it.

Should I use a secondary axis whenever one series is smaller?
No. Use one when the measures have different units or scales and a shared axis would obscure a series, but label it clearly. For unrelated measures or a chart that becomes hard to interpret, two separate charts are often the better choice.

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