How to create a stacked bar chart in Google Sheets

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TL;DR

• Google Sheets' built-in chart editor is the fastest way to create a one-off stacked bar chart directly inside a spreadsheet.
• If you need to share that chart in a live dashboard with permissions, filters, and multiple views, build it as a chart block in a Softr app connected to your Google Sheets data (or migrate it to a native Softr Database for even faster performance).
• Both methods are covered step by step below, so you can pick the one that fits how you'll actually use the chart. [.blog-callout]

Creating a stacked bar chart is an effective way to present data, showcasing the composition of different categories over a specific criterion. In this guide, we will demonstrate two distinct methods to achieve this:

• How to create a stacked bar chart in Google Sheets, using the chart editor: using Google Sheets' built-in charting tools, this method allows you to directly generate and customize a stacked bar chart based on your data;
• How to create a stacked bar chart with your data stored in Google Sheets, using Softr: an alternative approach that turns that same data into a shareable, permission-controlled dashboard.

By the end of this guide, you will have a clear understanding of both methods and be equipped to effectively use stacked bar charts to visualize and interpret your data, regardless of the method you opt for.

Making a stacked bar chart in Google Sheets, using the chart editor

This method uses Google Sheets’ built-in chart editor, which allows you to quickly and easily create a stacked bar chart to achieve your goals.

Step 1: Prepare your data

Before diving into creating a stacked bar chart, it's crucial to have your data properly organized. The next steps will guide you through the process of properly setting up your data in Google Sheets to create a chart of this type. Using sample data from a hypothetical company, we will explore the number of personnel in each department, segmented by gender.

Step 1.1: Label the headers

In the first row of your dataset, you should identify what each column is about. To follow our personnel example, leave the top-left cell (A1) empty or Type “Departments” and type on the cells B1 andundefinedthe genders of your team.

Step 1.2: Add your data

Now that your headers are set, it's time to populate the data. In our example, we added each department in column A and the number of people of each gender in each department on columns B and C.

Step 1.3: Verify data format

Verify that each column's data type corresponds accurately to its content, whether it's text, number, or currency. Should there be a discrepancy, rectify it by selecting the specific column data and clicking on "Format" from the menu above. Then, select the desired option.

Step 2: Select the data for your stacked bar chart

Once your data is well-organized and formatted, the next step is to select the specific data you want to visualize. This is a crucial step as it determines what your chart will display.

To do so, click on the first cell of your dataset and drag your mouse until you’ve selected all of it.

Step 3: Choose and insert a chart

Now that you've selected your data, it's time to decide which type of chart will best represent your information. Google Sheets offers a variety of chart types, each with its own advantages for displaying certain kinds of data.

Step 3.1: Insert a chart

Go to the top menu bar in your Google Sheets, and click on "Insert." From the dropdown menu, select "Chart."

Step 3.2: Choose the chart type

A default chart will appear, along with the chart editor on the right side of your screen.

In the chart editor, under the Setup tab, click on the "Chart type" dropdown menu, so that you can see different types of charts.

As Google Sheets have four different types of stacked bar charts, you may select the chart type that best suits your data, taste or usage. In this tutorial, we are using the "Stacked column chart" type.

Step 3.3: Adjust the position of your chart

Click and hold your chart to move it to the position you want it to be.

Step 4: Customize your chart

After inserting the chart and choosing the right type, the next step is to customize it, so that it clearly and accurately represents your data. Google Sheets offers a variety of customization options to do so.

Step 4.1: Open the chart editor

If the chart editor is not already open, double-click on your chart. The chart editor will appear on the right side of your spreadsheet.

Step 4.2: Navigate to the customization tab

In the chart editor, at the top of the panel, click on the "Customize" tab. It will list a variety of customization options.

Step 4.3: Customize chart and axis titles

Still under the "Customize" tab, find the option for "Chart & axis titles." Click on it to expand the menu. There, you can add chart titles, and subtitles, or change the font, size or color for these elements.

Step 4.4: Customize legend

Locate the "Legend" option under the Customize tab in the chart editor. Click on it to expand the menu. There, you can change the legend's position, font color, size, and format.

Step 4.5: Customize the color of each series

To choose the color of each element, locate the "Series" option and click on it to expand the menu. Then you will notice a dropdown list displaying the series present in your chart. Select the series (gender, in our example) you wish to customize.

After doing so, you'll be presented with a color option. Click on the color box, and a color palette will appear, allowing you to choose your desired color for that particular series.

Repeat the process for each series to give each a unique color that resonates with your data presentation needs.

Step 5: You made a stacked bar chart in Google Sheets!

By following these steps, you created a stacked bar chart in Google Sheets. You can use it to help yourself or others to visualize and understand your data.

Making a stacked bar chart with your data stored in Google Sheets, using Softr

The chart editor is great for a quick, static chart inside a spreadsheet. But if you want to share that chart as a live dashboard, control who sees it, or combine it with other data, you need something built for apps, not spreadsheets. This method explores how to harness Softr to craft a highly customizable stacked bar chart using data stored in Google Sheets, and it works the same way if you decide to move that data into a native Softr Database for faster performance and deeper permissions down the line.

Step 1: Sign in or register to Softr

First, you will need to log in to Softr. If you don't have an account, you can sign up to Softr for free.

Step 2: Click on "New Application"

With your Softr account set up, it's time to create a new application where your chart will be housed. On your Softr dashboard, locate and click on the "New Application" button. From here, you can describe your app to the AI Co-Builder and let it generate a working app (with database, pages, and blocks already in place), start from a template, or build from scratch.

Step 3: Search for a template

For this guide, we'll start from a template to keep things fast, but you could just as easily describe your dashboard to the AI Co-Builder and have it set up the pages and chart blocks for you. Softr offers a big variety of templates that can simplify the process of making a chart with your data in Google Sheets. In this guide, we will be using the Employee Directory Template. Locate and select it in the list to proceed.

Step 4: Click on "Use Template"

You can now learn more about the Employee Directory Template, including its features and functionalities. Once you're ready, click on the "Use Template" button.

Step 5: Select Google Sheets as the data source

Once you've selected your template, you'll be prompted to choose a data source. Softr recommends starting with a native Softr Database for the fastest performance and simplest permissions setup, but since your data already lives in Google Sheets, select "Google Sheets" from the available data sources and click on "Continue." (Softr connects to 17+ data sources beyond Google Sheets and Airtable, including a REST API connector, if your data lives elsewhere.)

Step 6: Connect to Google Sheets

Now, you have to connect your Softr app with your Google Account. To do so, follow the next steps.

Step 6.1: Select a Google Account

A new window or tab will open for you to login to or select your Google Account.

Step 6.2 Grant additional access

In this step, you'll need to grant Softr access to a set of features. Click on "Select all" and then hit "Continue."

Step 6.3: Go to your app

Now that your Google account is connected with Softr, click on "Go to application."

Step 7: Add a new chart block

Softr lets you easily place pre-made blocks into pages, including charts. You can also skip the manual steps below and ask the AI Co-Builder to add a stacked bar chart for you by describing what you want to visualize and which fields to group it by.

Step 7.1: Add a block

Navigate to the page you need to have your chart blocked, by using the button on the left sidebar. Then, click on the "+" icon on the top-right corner of the screen.

Step 7.2: Choose the right block

A new popup will appear. On the search bar write "chart" or scroll down and click on "Chart" to open a list of chart blocks. Click on "Stacked bar chart."

Step 8: Select your data

You can have multiple data sources in one Softr app, such as a native Softr Database alongside several Google Sheets files, so you need to define which is the Google Sheets file that has the data you want to use to create a chart.

Step 8.1: Select a data source

On the right side of the screen, Softr will show you all the block settings. In the SOURCE tab, under the Source heading, click on the dropdown and choose your data source. This will be the Google account where your data is stored.

Step 8.2 Select the Google Sheets file

Now, you will need to select the spreadsheet and the sheet where your data is by clicking on the "Document" and "Sheet" options.

Step 9: Adjust the chart setting

In the FEATURES tab, you can define a variety of settings, making your chart match your needs. Let's check some of these settings. If you'd rather not click through each tab manually, you can also describe the chart configuration you want (grouping, metrics, colors) to the AI Co-Builder and let it apply the settings for you.

Step 9.1: Adjust chart options

The first set of options in this tab allows you to type a new title and subtitle.

Step 9.2: Adjust metrics options

By scrolling in the "FEATURES" tab, you can find a section called "METRICS." Here, you can further personalize your chart.

The "Aggregate function" allows you to perform a specific calculation on your data. Here are the options:

• Sum calculates the sum of all the values for a given category;
• Average calculates the average of all the values for a given category;
• Min picks the smallest value of all the values of the category;
• Max picks the biggest value of all the values of the category;
• Count distinct values, which you can use to add up the number of records that contain a unique value;
• Count All adds up the number of records present in a given grouping category.

For example, if you have multiple records for the same month and you want to display the sum of these sales for each month, you would choose "Sum" as your Aggregate Function.

Other options in this section are:

• Field, where you select which column from your data source will be used for the "Aggregate function;"
• Show axis label: This option allows you to display or hide the label for the axis on your chart. Enabling this makes your chart more informative;
• Start at 0, when enabled, ensures that the chart's y-axis starts at zero, providing a more standardized view of your data.

Step 9.3 Adjust grouping options

Still in the FEATURES tab, under the GROUPINGS heading, you will find the options that will allow you to define how your data will be grouped and displayed on the X-axis of your chart.

These settings include two major options you need to define:

• Group by: Select the option "Department." This will make your chart have one column for each department;
• Sub-grouping: Select the option "Gender." By selecting this option, Softr will stack the genders on each column.

Let's delve into the other available settings:

• Sort By: This dropdown gives you several options for sorting your data:
• Categories // A-Z sorts by the Category field values in alphabetical order;
• Categories // Z-A Sorts by the Category field values in reverse alphabetical order;
• Values // A-Z sorts by the Value field values in alphabetical order;
• Values // Z-A sorts by the Value field values in reverse alphabetical order;

For instance, if your "Group By" field is "Date" and you select "Categories // A-Z," your data will be sorted from January to December:

• Max Categories: This setting allows you to limit the number of categories (i.e., chart bars) displayed on your chart. For example, setting this to 2 would only show the first two months on your chart.
• Show Axis Label: this toggle lets you display or hide the axis label, which can make your chart more informative;
• Show legend: Enabling this toggle allows you to display the meaning of each color present in your chart. In this example, we're activating this option which will display the position and direction options for the legend.
• Include Empty Cells: This toggle allows you to include or exclude empty cells in the category field. For example, if you've removed one of the values in the "Month" field, enabling this option will still include that date in the chart.

Step 9.4: Adjust other options

In the last section of the “FEATURES” tab, Softr provides additional settings to further customize your stacked bar chart. Let's explore each one:

• Orientation: This setting allows you to change the orientation of your chart. You can switch between horizontal and vertical orientations to better suit your data presentation needs;
• Show zoom: Enabling this option allows users to zoom into specific areas of the chart for a closer look. A "Zoom out" feature is also available to revert the zoom-in action, offering a flexible way to explore complex data;
• Show tooltip: When this feature is enabled, hovering over each bar or data point on the chart will display a tooltip. This tooltip contains detailed information about that specific bar, providing additional context to the viewer;
• Enable download: This option allows you and your users to download the chart directly to their device in .png format. This is particularly useful for sharing or including the chart in presentations and reports.

Step 10: Publish your chart

Now that you have a stacked bar chart in your Softr app with data retrieved from your Google Sheets spreadsheet, you just need to click on the "Publish" button located on the top-right corner of the page. A small popup will appear, just hit "Publish." Once published, you can control exactly who can view this dashboard using users and permissions, so managers, employees, or clients each see only what's relevant to them.

Step 11: Your stacked bar chart is now live!

You have created a stacked bar chart based on the data stored in your Google Sheets file, and it now lives in a real, shareable app rather than a static spreadsheet tab.

This is exactly the kind of shift teams make once a chart in a spreadsheet turns into an operational habit. As Shiran Brodie, Head of Marketing at Softr, put it while describing how a simple database grew into a full reporting system: "It started off as a simple CRM database, but then it grew into an influencer management system with a portal, and now tracking and dashboarding. It is just now an end-to-end system, and we can do the entire thing within Softr."

Turning a one-off chart into a real dashboard

A stacked bar chart in Google Sheets is a good starting point when you just need to visualize a dataset once. But the moment you want to share that chart with a team, restrict who sees which numbers, or combine it with other data sources, a spreadsheet chart stops being enough. Building it as a chart block in Softr gets you there without any extra tooling: connect your Google Sheets data (or move it to a native Softr Database for more speed and scale), drop in a chart block, and configure the grouping and metrics that matter to your business, manually or with the AI Co-Builder.

If you want a head start, check out our guide on building a no-code client dashboard or explore the Google Sheets Product KPIs Dashboard template to see a full reporting app already built around Google Sheets data.