How to Add Error Bars in Google Sheets

Hello, I’m Tracy. Today I am going to show you how to add error bars in Google sheets. Consulting a spreadsheet and finding no way to interpret the margin of error can be frustrating. Luckily, Google Sheets has a built-in feature for adding error bars to data points.

What Are Error Bars?

Error bars are graphical representations of data variability. They provide a visual way to express uncertainty in data points. It indicates the reliability of a measurement.

Adding Error Bars in Google Sheets

Step 1: Open Your Data

Open your Google Sheets document that contains the data you want to work with. For this illustration, let’s assume you have a line or scatter chart already.

Step 2: Click on Your Chart

Click on your chart to activate the Chart editor menu.

Step 3: Navigate to the Customize Tab

On the right side of your screen, you’ll see the Chart editor pane. Click on the ‘Customize’ tab.

Step 4: Go to Series

Scroll down in the ‘Customize’ tab until you see the ‘Series’ option. Click on it to expand the menu.

Step 5: Enable Error Bars

In the ‘Series’ menu, you’ll find an ‘Error bars’ drop-down menu. Click on it, then from the options provided, select the type of error calculation you want to apply (i.e., Constant, Percentage, etc.).

Step 6: Customize Error Bars

You can then customize your error bars by adjusting its color, thickness, and transparency as per your preferences.

And there you have it! With these few steps, you can include error bars to your charts in Google Sheets, making your data analysis clearer and more professional.

If you have any more questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can reach me at tracy@valadilene.org

My mission with Valadilene.org is to demystify complicated tech topics and offer simple, user-friendly solutions. So stay tuned for more tips and guides on how to best use and navigate through tech-related tasks!

References

N/A