Color a Bar Chart by Category in Excel (Easiest Way in 2025)

In this article, we will show you how to insert a color bar chart by category in Excel. Simply follow the steps below.

Color a Bar Chart by Category in Excel

To add a color bar chart by category in Excel, simply follow the steps below.

1. Prepare Your Data

First, ensure your data is organized. For example, let’s say you have sales data for different products (Apples, Bananas, and Carrots) over several months. Arrange this data in three columns: ‘Product’ ‘Month’ and ‘Sales’. Each product should be listed with corresponding month and sales figures next to it.

2. Insert a Bar Chart

Select your organized data. Click on the ‘Insert’ tab in Excel’s ribbon. Choose ‘Bar Chart’ from the Chart options. For our example, select ‘Clustered Bar’ to insert a basic bar chart. This will create a bar chart with sales data for each product.

3. Access the Format Options

Click on the bar chart you just inserted. This activates the Chart Tools on the ribbon, which includes ‘Design’ and ‘Format’. Under ‘Chart Tools’, select ‘Format’. Here, you can access different formatting options for your chart.

4. Apply Color to Categories

In the ‘Format’ tab, find the ‘Shape Fill’ option. Click on it to see color choices. To apply colors by category, click on each bar representing a product separately and choose different colors. For instance, color Apples red, Bananas yellow, and Carrots orange.

We hope you now have a better understanding of how to insert a color bar chart by category in Excel. If you enjoyed this article, you might also like our article on how to change bar graph colors in Excel based on value or our article on how to make a double bar graph in Excel.