How to Plot Two Graphs in Excel

Plotting two different datasets onto a single graph in Excel is one of the most effective ways to compare trends and reveal relationships in your data. It allows you to see how one metric impacts another, all within one clear visual. This guide will walk you through the essential methods for combining two graphs into one Excel chart, from the straightforward combo chart to adding data to an existing graph.

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First Things First: Setting Up Your Data Correctly

Before you can plot anything, your data needs to be structured properly. A clean setup is the foundation of a good chart. For most charts that combine two data series, you'll want your data arranged in columns with a shared axis, typically a time period or category.

Imagine you're a marketing manager analyzing website traffic and online sales. Your data should be organized in a simple table like this:

• Column A: The shared X-axis label (e.g., Month).
• Column B: The first data series you want to plot (e.g., Website Sessions).
• Column C: The second data series you want to plot (e.g., Sales Revenue).

Here’s how that would look in Excel:

+----+----------+------------------+--------------+ | | A | B | C | +====+==========+==================+==============+ | 1 | Month | Website Sessions | Sales Revenue | +====+==========+==================+==============+ | 2 | January | 25,000 | $4,500 | +====+==========+==================+==============+ | 3 | February | 28,000 | $5,200 | +====+==========+==================+==============+ | 4 | March | 35,000 | $6,100 | +====+==========+==================+==============+ | 5 | April | 32,000 | $5,800 | +====+==========+==================+==============+

By organizing your data this way, you make it incredibly easy for Excel to understand what you want to visualize. The shared 'Month' column acts as the horizontal axis for both the sessions and the revenue data.

Method 1: Creating a Combination (Combo) Chart

The Combo Chart is Excel’s dedicated feature for plotting multiple data series that might even require different chart types and scales. This is the most common and powerful method, especially when your two datasets have vastly different value ranges (like thousands of visitors vs. a 3% conversion rate).

Using our example data, let’s plot Website Sessions (as a column chart) and Sales Revenue (as a line chart) together.

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Step 1: Select Your Data

Click and drag to highlight the entire data range you want to plot, including the column headers (in our case, cells A1 through C5).

Step 2: Insert the Combo Chart

Navigate to the Insert tab on Excel’s ribbon. In the Charts section, click on the small icon for Insert Combo Chart (it looks like a bar chart with a line chart overlaid). From the dropdown, select Create Custom Combo Chart.

Step 3: Customize the Chart Types and Introduce a Secondary Axis

The "Insert Chart" dialog box that appears is where the magic happens. Here you can control how each of your data series appears.

• For the Website Sessions series: Choose ‘Clustered Column’ from the Chart Type dropdown.
• For the Sales Revenue series: Choose ‘Line’ from its dropdown.

Now, notice the scale difference. Website Sessions are in the tens of thousands, while Sales Revenue is in the thousands. If plotted on the same axis, the revenue line would look almost flat and insignificant. This is where the Secondary Axis comes in.

What is a Secondary Axis?

A secondary axis adds a second vertical (Y) axis to the right side of your chart. This allows you to plot two series with different scales in a way that makes both legible. The data series on the left Y-axis corresponds to its scale, and the data series on the right Y-axis corresponds to its own scale.

In the dialog box, simply check the box under the Secondary Axis column for the ‘Sales Revenue’ series. You'll see the preview update immediately. The columns for Website Sessions will be measured by the left Y-axis, while the line for Sales Revenue will be measured by the new right Y-axis.

Click OK, and your combined chart will appear, clearly showing the relationship between traffic and revenue, even though they operate on different scales.

Method 2: Adding a Second Data Series to an Existing Chart

What if you’ve already created a chart for your first data series and just want to add a second one to it? That's simple, too. Let's say you started by only plotting 'Website Sessions' as a bar chart.

Here's how to add the 'Sales Revenue' data to your existing chart.

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Step 1: Open the Select Data Source Window

Right-click anywhere on your existing chart. From the context menu, click on Select Data…. This opens the "Select Data Source" dialog box, which shows you exactly what data is currently powering your chart.

Step 2: Add a New Series

Under the "Legend Entries (Series)" box on the left, click the + (or Add) button. This opens the "Edit Series" window.

1. Series name: Click in the text box, and then click on the cell containing the header for your second data series (e.g., cell C1 for 'Sales Revenue').
2. Series values: Delete any default content in this box. Then, click and drag to select the numerical data values for that series (e.g., cells C2 through C5).

Click OK. You'll return to the previous window and see your new data series listed. Click OK again to close it.

Step 3: Adjust the Chart Type (If Needed)

Your new data series will initially appear as the same chart type as the original (e.g., another set of bars). To change it and add a secondary axis, just follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the new data series in the chart.
2. Select Change Series Chart Type... from the menu.
3. This takes you back to the familiar Combo Chart dialog box. From here, you can change the chart type for the new series to a line and assign it to the Secondary Axis, just as we did in Method 1.

Method 3: Plotting Two Sets of XY Data in a Scatter Plot

A combo chart is perfect for comparing two different metrics over the same set of categories (like time). But what if you want to see the correlation between two different numerical variables for two separate groups?

This is where a scatter plot (also called an XY plot) shines. Let’s say you want to compare the relationship between daily ad spend and clicks for two campaigns: Google Ads and Facebook Ads.

Your data would be structured with correlated X and Y values for each series:

+----+-------------------+--------------+---------------------+--------------+ | | A | B | C | D | +====+===================+==============+=====================+==============+ | 1 | Google Ad Spend | Google Clicks | Facebook Ad Spend | Facebook Clicks | +====+===================+==============+=====================+==============+ | 2 | $100 | 150 | $80 | 200 | +====+===================+==============+=====================+==============+ | 3 | $250 | 360 | $200 | 510 | +====+===================+==============+=====================+==============+ | 4 | $400 | 550 | $350 | 800 | +====+===================+==============+=====================+==============+

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Step 1: Insert a Blank Scatter Chart

First, click on an empty cell so that Excel doesn't try to guess your data. Then, go to Insert > Charts > Insert Scatter (X, Y) or Bubble Chart and choose the simple Scatter chart option.

Step 2: Add Your First Data Series (Google Ads)

Right-click on the blank chart and choose Select Data…

• Under "Legend Entries (Series)," click Add.
• Series name: Select the cell with "Google Ads."
• Series X values: Select the data under "Google Ad Spend."
• Series Y values: Select the data under "Google Clicks."
• Click OK.

Step 3: Add Your Second Data Series (Facebook Ads)

In the same "Select Data Source" window, click Add again.

• Series name: Select the cell with "Facebook Ads."
• Series X values: Select the data under "Facebook Ad Spend."
• Series Y values: Select the data under "Facebook Clicks."
• Click OK twice to close the windows.

You will now have a scatter plot with two distinct sets of colored dots, allowing you to visually compare the cost-per-click relationship and performance of each ad platform.

Best Practices for Creating Clear, Professional Charts

Just because you can plot two graphs doesn't mean it will automatically be easy to read. Follow these tips to ensure your chart communicates its point effectively.

• Label Everything Clearly: Your chart must have a descriptive title, a legend that distinguishes the two series, and labels for both the primary and secondary Y-axes. Don't make your audience guess what your numbers mean.
• Use Strong Colors: Choose distinct, contrasting colors for your two data series. Avoid using two different shades of blue, which can be hard to differentiate.
• Choose the Right Chart Types: A line chart is excellent for continuous data like trends over time. A column/bar chart works best for comparing discrete categories. Combining them is often the perfect pair.
• Don't Overcrowd the Chart: Two series is often the sweet spot. Adding a third is possible, but beyond that, the chart quickly becomes cluttered and loses its impact.

Final Thoughts

Mastering combo charts and adding multiple series in Excel is a fundamental skill that transforms flat data into a compelling visual story. Whether you're comparing website traffic to sales, ad spend to conversions, or any other related metrics, combining graphs is your key to unlocking deeper insights.

While creating these charts manually is a powerful skill, the real challenge for many teams is consolidating the data in the first place and keeping the reports updated. Instead of exporting CSVs from different platforms every week, we built Graphed to automate that entire process. You can connect sources like Google Analytics, Shopify, and your ad platforms in a few clicks, then ask for a chart in plain English - like "create a dashboard comparing Facebook Ads spend and conversions over the last 90 days." Graphed instantly builds a live, interactive dashboard, freeing you up to act on insights instead of just finding them.