In Excel: select the data and choose Insert ▸ Combo ▸ Create Custom Combo Chart, then set a chart type per series and tick Secondary Axis where the units differ.
Select the category column and every value column including headers.
Insert ▸ Charts ▸ Combo ▸ Create Custom Combo Chart.
Set the chart type for each series in the list at the bottom of the dialog.
Tick Secondary Axis for any series whose unit or magnitude differs from the primary one.
Title both axes so the reader knows which scale each series belongs to, then reorder series with Select Data ▸ Move Up if the line hides behind the columns.
What this does
A combo chart draws several series in one plot area with a different chart type each — typically columns for the volume measure and a line for a rate or percentage. The Custom Combination dialog lists every series with a type dropdown and a Secondary Axis checkbox, which is where the two-scale problem is actually solved. The same idea underpins a lot of everyday Excel work, so the few minutes spent getting it right here pay back across every sheet you build afterwards. Treat it as a pattern, not a one-off, and it stops being something you look up and starts being something you reach for. For “combination chart excel”, the reliable version is a short checking loop, not just the first command that appears to work. Run it on a deliberately small range first, watch how the affected chart change, and only then apply the same setup to the full sheet. When this is a ribbon command, the selection matters more than the button: confirm the range, apply the command, then spot-check the output before saving. That is what makes a visual that makes the number obvious at a glance useful in real work: repeatable, auditable, and not dependent on memory or luck.
A worked example
Monthly revenue in euros and gross margin in percent share the same months. Insert ▸ Combo ▸ Create Custom Combo Chart: revenue as Clustered Column on the primary axis, margin as Line with Markers with Secondary Axis ticked. Without that tick the margin line lies flat on the floor of a chart scaled to hundreds of thousands. The volume-and-rate pair is the most common chart request in any business review, and it is wrong every time the second scale is left implicit. A practical tip before you scale it up: build it once on a small block of test data, confirm the number against the tool on this page, and only then point it at your real sheet. That one habit catches almost every mistake while it is still cheap to fix, long before a wrong figure reaches a report or a colleague.
In Google Sheets
Google Sheets handles this almost identically to Excel. The formula syntax above is the same, and the menu lives under a slightly different label rather than a ribbon tab. Use the platform toggle at the top of the page to switch every keyboard shortcut between Windows and Mac, and expect at most cosmetic differences in naming. Nothing on this page is behind a login: the tool runs entirely in your browser, the formula is shown in full with one-click copy, and the steps work the same on Windows and Mac. That is the whole promise here — the exact answer, a way to prove it on your own numbers, and just enough context to make it stick. If you take one thing from this page on “combination chart excel”, make it the habit rather than the keystrokes: set the problem up with labelled inputs, reference those cells, and let Excel do the recomputing. Bookmark the page for the syntax, but do the example once in a blank sheet and check it against the tool above — five minutes of hands-on practice fixes the method in memory far better than re-reading, and it surfaces the small snags while they are still harmless. After that the technique is genuinely yours: faster than searching for it again, and reliable enough to drop into work that other people depend on.
Common mistakes
- Using a secondary axis without labelling it, which lets a reader infer a relationship the scales invented.
- Choosing scales that make two unrelated series cross dramatically — the crossing point is an artefact of the axis maxima.
- Leaving a line series drawn behind the columns; move it up the series order so it stays visible.
- Combining a stacked column with a line and reading the line against the stack total, which it is not aligned to.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a line to a bar chart?
Right-click the chart ▸ Change Chart Type ▸ Combo, then set the series you want as Line and tick Secondary Axis if its scale differs.
Where is Combo on a Mac?
Chart Design ▸ Change Chart Type ▸ Combo. The Insert tab also offers it once a chart exists.
Can I use three different chart types?
Yes. Each series has its own dropdown in the Custom Combination dialog, though more than two types is rarely readable.
Why is my percentage line flat?
It shares the primary axis with a much larger series. Tick Secondary Axis for that series.