Excel Bar Over Bar Graph: How to Overlay Two Data Series

To put one data series over another in an Excel bar chart, select a bar, open Format Data Series, and set Series Overlap to 100%. The bars for each category will share the same position; arrange the series order and formatting so the front bar does not hide information you need to see.

What an Overlapping Bar Chart Shows

An overlapping bar chart places two or more series at the same category position rather than side by side. For example, you might show actual sales over a sales target for each region. A standard clustered bar chart gives each series its own adjacent bar; an overlapped chart draws them on top of each other.

Overlap is different from stacking. In a stacked chart, segments are added along the same bar to show a total. With overlap, each series keeps its own value and begins at the chart’s zero baseline. The rear bar remains visible only where the front bar does not cover it, or where its fill is transparent.

Excel bar charts use horizontal bars, while column charts use vertical ones. The same Series Overlap setting applies to both. Use the horizontal version when category labels are long; choose a column chart if vertical bars better fit the comparison or the surrounding report.

Arrange the Data Before Making the Chart

Put category names in the first column and each measure in its own adjacent column, with a heading at the top. For example, use Region, Target, and Actual as headers, then list North, South, and West in the rows below. Keeping each measure in a separate column gives Excel distinct data series that can be overlapped and formatted independently.

Check that the measures use comparable units and scales. Overlaying dollars with percentages, for example, can make one series seem meaningless because the values are not directly comparable. If you want to compare actual results with a target, make sure both are expressed in the same unit and that the chart’s value axis covers their range.

Use one row per category, such as a region, product, or month.
Use one column per measure, such as Target and Actual.
Include clear column headings so the chart legend identifies each series.
Avoid blank rows and merged cells in the selected data range; they can make Excel interpret the chart layout unexpectedly.

Create a Bar Chart in Excel

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the category labels and the series columns, including their headings. Go to Insert > Insert Column or Bar Chart, then choose a 2-D Bar option such as Clustered Bar. Excel creates a chart with the series side by side by default. You can change the chart to a column chart from the same menu if vertical bars suit the data better.

If Excel assigns categories and series in the wrong direction, select the chart and choose Chart Design > Switch Row/Column. Use this when, for example, Excel treats each region as a separate series instead of treating Target and Actual as the two series. Check the legend and category labels before formatting; overlap will not correct an incorrectly interpreted data range.

On Mac, the chart concepts and Series Overlap control are also available, though tabs and pane placement can vary slightly with the Excel release. Select the chart, then use its chart-formatting controls to open the data-series options. The instructions below refer to the Windows Microsoft 365 ribbon.

Set Series Overlap to 100%

Click a bar once to select its entire data series. If you click a bar twice, Excel may select only that individual data point; click elsewhere on the series and try again if the whole series is not selected.
Right-click the selected series and choose Format Data Series. This opens the formatting pane.
In the pane, open Series Options and find Series Overlap. Set it to 100% by entering the value or moving the slider to its maximum.
Repeat the setting for the other series if Excel does not apply the overlap across them automatically. Check the chart to confirm the bars now occupy the same position within each category.

Series Overlap controls how far adjacent series move into one another. At 0%, the bars meet at their edges without overlapping; at 100%, they occupy the same category position. Negative settings separate them more. For the simple effect of one bar drawn directly over another, 100% is the setting to use.

Choose Which Bar Appears in Front

At full overlap, order matters because an opaque front bar can cover the bar behind it. Excel’s series order determines the drawing order in a 2-D chart; the later series is generally drawn over the earlier one. If the wrong series is on top, select the chart and go to Chart Design > Select Data. Under Legend Entries (Series), select a series and use the move-up or move-down controls to change its order, then check the result in the chart.

For a target-versus-actual example, place Target earlier in the series order and Actual later. If both have the same scale, format Target with a muted fill and Actual with a stronger color. A target of 100 and an actual of 72 then leaves part of the target bar visible beyond the actual bar, making the shortfall easy to see. An actual of 115 extends beyond the target, showing that the result exceeded it.

Series order can make a meaningful difference when the front bar is longer than the rear bar: it can cover the rear series completely. If you need both values to remain visible in every category, consider transparency or a different chart design rather than relying on color alone.

Format Overlapping Bars So They Stay Legible

To reveal a rear bar through the front one, select the front series and use the Format Data Series pane’s Fill & Line options to adjust fill transparency. A partly transparent fill lets the rear color show through, but it can also make both series’ colors harder to distinguish. Test the chart at the size it will be viewed or printed, not just while it is enlarged on screen.

Use contrasting, clearly named series and keep the legend close to the chart. If the exact values matter, add data labels or provide a small table alongside the chart; overlapping fills alone do not always make it clear which bar corresponds to which number. A descriptive chart title should tell readers what the measures and categories represent.

Gap Width changes the spacing between categories, not the amount of overlap between series. You can adjust it in Series Options to make bars appear thicker or thinner, but it does not create independent widths for the two overlapping series. For a conventional background-target and foreground-actual design, the bars will ordinarily have the same thickness.

When to Use Another Chart Type

Overlaying bars is useful when two related measures share units and each category needs a direct comparison, such as actual versus target, current year versus prior year, or forecast versus result. It is less suitable when many series need comparison: each added opaque bar can hide another, and transparency can make the chart crowded.

Choose clustered bars when the reader should compare every series side by side. Nothing is hidden, although the chart takes more horizontal space.
Choose stacked bars when the series are parts of a meaningful total and the sum matters. Stacking changes how segment lengths are interpreted.
Choose a line or combo chart when a measure is a trend or uses a different unit. A secondary axis may be appropriate in some combo charts, but it requires clear axis labels because the two scales are different.
Use separate charts when the measures have very different scales or need distinct explanations. This is often clearer than placing two independently formatted charts directly on top of one another.

Do not use a 100% stacked chart merely to make bars overlap. That chart converts values into percentages of each category’s total, so it answers a different question. Likewise, placing one chart object on top of another can be difficult to align and maintain as data changes; the Series Overlap option is the appropriate method when the goal is to overlap series within one chart.

Common Problems and Fixes

The bars still look side by side. Confirm that the chart contains multiple series and that you changed Series Overlap, not Gap Width. If the chart is a stacked type or Excel interpreted the rows and columns unexpectedly, check Chart Design > Switch Row/Column and the selected data range.

One series disappears. It may be fully covered by an opaque series with a greater value. Reorder the series, make the front fill partly transparent, or switch to clustered bars. Also check that the missing series is included in Chart Design > Select Data.

The comparison looks misleading. Verify the units, value axis, and zero baseline. A chart with different scales or a truncated axis may exaggerate small differences. Overlap does not make unlike measures comparable, and a secondary axis should be labeled plainly if used.

Only one category changes. You may have selected an individual data point rather than the whole series. Click a bar once to select its series, then reopen Format Data Series and inspect the chart. If a single point was intentionally formatted earlier, check whether that point’s special formatting is affecting its appearance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I put one bar behind another in Excel?

Use one chart with both measures as separate data series. Set Series Overlap to 100%, then use Chart Design > Select Data to adjust series order so the bar you want behind is drawn first.

Can I make one overlapping bar narrower?

Not with the standard Series Overlap and Gap Width controls alone: Gap Width affects category spacing rather than giving each series its own bar thickness. You can use transparency or a different chart construction, but first consider whether clustered bars communicate the comparison more clearly.

Can I overlap bars in an Excel column chart?

Yes. Column charts use the same data-series overlap setting as horizontal bar charts. Select a column series, open Format Data Series, and set Series Overlap to 100%.

Why does my target bar disappear behind actual results?

The actual series may be drawn over the target and cover it, especially when actual is equal to or greater than the target. Put Target earlier in the series order and use a distinct or partly transparent fill, or use clustered bars if both values must remain separately visible.

Does overlapping bars add the values together?

No. Overlap changes where series are drawn, not their values. Unlike a stacked chart, it does not represent a combined total; each bar still shows its own value from the category baseline.

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