Scatter plots in Excel - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Scatter plots help you see the relationship between two sets of numbers. They show points on a grid so you can spot patterns or trends easily.

When you want to compare sales numbers and advertising spend to see if more ads lead to more sales.

When you track students' study hours and their test scores to find if studying more helps improve scores.

When you want to check if temperature changes affect ice cream sales over days.

When you analyze the connection between hours worked and money earned for freelancers.

When you want to visualize how two measurements relate, like height and weight of people.

Steps

Step 1: Select

- the two columns of data you want to compare

The data cells are highlighted on the worksheet

Step 2: Click

- Insert tab on the Ribbon

The Insert tab options appear

Step 3: Click

- Scatter chart icon in the Charts group

A menu with scatter chart styles appears

Step 4: Select

- the first Scatter chart style (Scatter with only Markers)

Excel inserts a scatter plot chart on the worksheet showing points for your data

Step 5: Click

- Chart Title on the chart

The title becomes editable

💡 Type a descriptive title like 'Sales vs Advertising Spend'

Step 6: Click

- Chart Elements button (plus icon) next to the chart

A list of chart elements appears

Step 7: Check

- Axis Titles option

Axis titles appear on the chart for X and Y axes

💡 Click each axis title to rename it to something meaningful like 'Advertising Spend' and 'Sales'

Before vs After

Before

Two columns of numbers with no visual summary

After

A scatter plot chart appears showing dots representing each pair of numbers, making it easy to see patterns

Settings Reference

Chart Type

📍 Insert tab > Charts group > Scatter chart icon

Choose how the points and lines appear on the scatter plot

Default: Scatter with only Markers

Chart Title

📍 Click on the chart title text box on the chart

Add a clear title to explain what the chart shows

Default: Chart Title

Axis Titles

📍 Chart Elements button (plus icon) next to the chart

Show or hide labels for the X and Y axes

Default: Off

Data Labels

📍 Chart Elements button (plus icon)

Show values next to each point on the chart

Default: Off

Common Mistakes

Selecting only one column of data before inserting the scatter plot

Scatter plots need two sets of numbers to compare; one column is not enough

Select both columns of related data before creating the scatter plot

Using a line chart instead of a scatter plot for two numeric data sets

Line charts connect points in order, which can mislead the relationship between two variables

Use the Scatter chart type to show the true relationship between two numeric variables

Not adding axis titles

Without axis titles, it is hard to understand what each axis represents

Add clear axis titles to explain what each axis measures

Summary

Scatter plots show the relationship between two sets of numbers using dots on a grid.

You create them by selecting two columns of data and choosing Scatter chart from the Insert tab.

Always add clear titles and axis labels to make the chart easy to understand.