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. Keep the inputs visible and clearly labelled and the whole thing stays auditable — anyone who opens the file later, including you, can see at a glance exactly what feeds the result and change one assumption without hunting through the formula. For “combo 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. One habit worth forming early: name the cells that hold your inputs, so the formula reads in plain language instead of a string of cell addresses. A reviewer — or you in three months — can then follow the logic without decoding what B7 and D2 were supposed to mean, which is most of what makes a sheet maintainable.
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. The aim was to get you unstuck fast and leave you a little more capable than a copy-paste would. The answer is at the top, the tool proves it, and the detail above shows why it holds — so the next time a colleague asks, you can answer without reaching for search. The short version of “combo chart excel”: the answer is at the top of this page, the tool proves it on your own numbers, and the sections above explain why it holds so the next variation does not stump you. Excel rewards people who reference cells instead of typing values and who keep inputs separate from formulas, because that is what makes a result you can audit months later. Build it once, deliberately, with the live tool as a check, and you convert a one-off lookup into a reusable skill — which is the whole point of learning the why and not just the what.
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.
Other ways people ask this
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