How do I Adjust Spacing in Clustered Column Chart in Excel?

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A clustered column chart is a type of chart that uses bars to visualize the values of categorical variables clustered by another variable.

This tutorial provides a step-by-step example of how to create a clustered column chart in Excel and adjust the spacing of the bars both within clusters and between the clusters.

Step 1: Enter the Data

First, let’s enter the following dataset that shows the total sales at two different stores during five consecutive years:

Step 2: Create the Clustered Column Chart

Next, highlight the cell range A1:C6, then click the Insert tab along the top ribbon, then click the Clustered Column icon within the Charts group:

This will produce the following clustered column chart:

Step 3: Adjust the Spacing Between Bars

To adjust the spacing between the bars in the chart, right click on any of the bars. Then click Format Data Series from the dropdown menu:

In the Format Data Series panel that appears on the right side of the screen, you can adjust the following sliders to adjust the spacing of the bars:

• Series Overlap: Increasing this value will reduce the space between the bars within clusters.
• Gap Width: Increasing this value will increase the space between the clusters.

For example, suppose we set the Series Overlap to 0% and the Gap Width to 50%:

This will cause the bars within clusters to have no space between them and there will be less space between clusters as well:

Feel free to modify the values for both sliders to achieve the exact spacing between bars that you’d like.

The following tutorials explain how to create other common visualizations in Excel: