A Quick Chart

If you want to create a chart in a hurry, Excel lets you with one keystroke as the following To Do task explains.

To Do: Create a Quick Chart

Follow these steps to generate a default column chart:

1. Select a range of values from your worksheet.

2. Press the F11 key or the Alt+F1 key. Excel immediately analyzes the data and instantly presents a generic graph on your screen such as the one in Figure 10.6.

   Figure 10.6. Excel can generate an instant graph from a range.

   

This quick graph won't have proper labels, Excel won't place the graph exactly where you want it (as a matter of fact, the chart will be placed on a newly created, separate chart sheet), and it's possible that Excel will choose a chart type that does not suit your data. That's okay. The instant graphing feature exists to give you a quick glimpse of your selected data.

If the instant chart that Excel produces is somewhat like the chart you were hoping for, don't run the Chart Wizard to create a similar graph. Instead, right-click the chart's elements that you want to modify, such as the legend, and make your change. Excel already created the chart, so you don't need to go through the Chart Wizard once again to generate another chart.