In Excel: select the data including headers, choose Insert ▸ Recommended Charts and pick a layout; Alt+F1 inserts the default chart on the same sheet, F11 puts it on its own chart sheet.
Arrange the data in adjacent columns with one header row and no total row.
Select the range including headers, e.g. A1:B7.
Choose Insert ▸ Recommended Charts, compare the previews and click OK — or press Alt+F1 for the default chart, F11 for a chart sheet.
If series and categories come out swapped, use Chart Design ▸ Switch Row/Column.
Click Chart Elements (+) to add a title, axis titles and data labels, then replace the placeholder title with a real statement.
In Google Sheets, select the range and choose Insert ▸ Chart, then adjust type and labels in the Chart editor sidebar.
What this does
Creating a chart turns a range of labels and numbers into a picture Excel keeps linked to the data, so the chart updates when the cells change. Recommended Charts reads your selection and proposes sensible types with live previews. The right type follows the data shape: column or bar for categories, line for time series, pie only for a few parts of one whole, scatter when both variables are numeric. Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. Treat “create a thermometer chart in excel” as a small repeatable workflow rather than a one-off click you hope to remember next time. Use a small test block before the live file, so any surprise in the affected chart shows up while it is still harmless. 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 turns a visual that makes the number obvious at a glance into a method you can reuse, explain, and defend when the workbook leaves your screen.
A worked example
A1:B7 holds a header row (Month, Sales) plus Jan through Jun with 120, 135, 128, 152, 160, 171. Select A1:B7, choose Insert ▸ Recommended Charts and accept the clustered column chart: six columns rising from 120 to 171, months on the x-axis and the series named Sales from the header. A chart makes comparisons, trends and outliers visible at a glance, which a grid of numbers hides — it is the standard way to present spreadsheet results. If there is any chance you will reuse this, drop it into a small template tab right now: a labelled input area on the left and the formula beside it, checked once against the tool above. Next time the same question comes up, the answer is a single paste away instead of a rebuild from memory.
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. Keep this page bookmarked for the next time the same question comes up. Better still, rebuild the example once in your own sheet — doing it yourself, with the tool above to check against, is what turns a copied formula into a technique you own. Treat “create a thermometer chart in excel” as a small building block rather than a chore. Once the inputs sit in their own cells and the formula reads from them, the same setup answers a dozen related questions with a tweak, and Excel keeps every dependent figure current as the data changes. The tool above is there so you can rehearse and verify before committing anything to a real workbook; the steps and worked example are there so the logic sticks. Get it right once and it stops costing you time — it starts saving it, every time the question comes back around.
Common mistakes
- Selecting values without the header row, so the legend reads Series 1.
- Including a total row, which adds one giant misleading column.
- Choosing a pie chart for many categories or for data that is not parts of one whole.
- Using a line chart for unordered categories where bars compare more honestly.
- Leaving the default "Chart Title" placeholder in the finished chart.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to create a chart in Excel?
Select the data and press Alt+F1 for the default chart on the same sheet, or F11 to create it on a separate chart sheet.
Which chart type should I pick?
Match the data shape: column or bar for categories, line for time series, pie for a few parts of one whole, scatter for two numeric variables.
How do I make a chart in Google Sheets?
Select the range and choose Insert ▸ Chart; the Chart editor sidebar sets the chart type, series and labels.
Other ways people ask this
People reach this page typing “how to create thermometer chart in excel”, “how to make a thermometer chart in excel” and “how to make thermometer chart in excel”, among other phrasings; whichever wording you used, the fix above is the one you want.
Why do people search for this in so many different ways?
Because the same task has many names. “how to create thermometer chart in excel”, “how to make a thermometer chart in excel”, “how to make thermometer chart in excel” all point at the one operation explained on this page, which is why they all lead here.