How to create a Geographic map chart in Microsoft Excel

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This tip is about the how to create a Geographic map chart in Microsoft Excel. So read this free guide, How to create a Geographic map chart in Microsoft Excel step by step. If you have query related to same article you may contact us.

How to create a Geographic map chart in Microsoft Excel – Guide

Graphs are useful for visually presenting your information. You can make information easier to view and examine, especially for your audience. Why not use the Microsoft Excel map type for geographic data? Whether you want to show population numbers in multiple countries for your sales team or US abbreviations for your elementary school class, you can quickly create a graphical map in Microsoft Excel. You can format them with labels, a caption, and an appropriate color scheme. Choose a single data type for the map.

As in the examples above, this can be population or abbreviation, which you can get from Excel’s built-in geospatial input. Or alternatively, your sales volumes, number of stores, average operating costs, or whatever other data you just prepared in your spreadsheet. While you can use the map for smaller areas like cities, the map is not as effective. You only see dots that represent these types of places. The map chart in Excel works best with large locations such as counties, states, regions, countries and continents.

Create the map chart

When you are ready to create the map chart, select your data by dragging across the cells, open the “Insert” tab and go to the “Charts” section of the ribbon. Click the drop-down menu for “Maps” and choose “Filled Map”.

Your newly created chart will appear directly in your spreadsheet with your mapped data.

Format the map chart

Next steps include formatting your map to include useful components and a color scheme. You can add a title, some labels, a caption and a style.

add a title

If your map contains the default “Graph Title”, you can simply click on that text box on the map and type your own title. If the map doesn’t include a title, you can easily add one as well as change its position.

Select the chart and click “Chart Elements” (“+” icon) on the right. Check the “Graph Title” box and enter the title in the text box that appears on the map. Hover over the arrow to the right of “Chart Title” in the Chart Elements box and choose a different position for the title if desired.

You can also select “More Title Options”, which will bring up a sidebar on the right. There, you can choose the position, use a fill color, or apply a text outline.

Include data labels

If the data displayed on the map is small enough, you may want to include data labels. These will show the data directly at each location on the map.

Select the chart and click “Chart Elements” on the right. Check the “Data Labels” box.

To adjust the label text and options, select “More Data Label Options”. As with the chart title, the right sidebar will open with formatting features for the labels.

insert a caption

One more useful element for almost any chart is a legend. This handy tool is a key to the data displayed on the chart.

Select the chart and click “Chart Elements” on the right. Check the box for “Caption”.

Hover over the arrow to the right of “Legend” in the Chart Elements box and choose a position for the legend.

You can also select “More caption options” to open the sidebar and format the text and additional options.

apply a style

The map graphic is pretty basic in its color, but you can spruce it up up with a theme or color scheme. Select the chart and click on “Chart Styles” (found in the brush) on the right. Click “Styles” to cycle through pre-built themes, or “Color” to choose a color or monochrome scheme.

Move, resize, edit or delete the map

You can easily move the map chart anywhere you want on your worksheet. Just select it and drag it to its new location. If you want to avoid changes, you can lock the Microsoft Excel chart in place. And to resize the graphic, drag one of the corners or edges.

To edit the data displayed on the map, for example if you add more locations, right-click on the chart and click “Select Data”. Alternatively, you can go to the “Graph Design” tab and click “Select Data” on the ribbon.

Enter cells in the “Graph data range” box at the top or drag your cursor across the cells. Click “OK” when finished.

If you decide that you don’t want to use the map chart, you can easily remove it. Select the chart and press the Delete key or right-click and choose “Cut”.

Final note

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