Create a chart in the document
Place the cursor where the chart should appear and choose Insert chart. Start with the chart type that best matches the comparison or trend you want the reader to see.
The chart stays editable in Compose. Reopen it later and change the data instead of rebuilding an image in another app.
- Place the cursor where the chart should appear.
- Choose Insert chart.
- Choose a chart type and enter a title when one is useful.
- Enter data or paste tabular data from a spreadsheet, then apply the chart.
Enter data or paste it from a spreadsheet
You can edit categories, series names and numeric values directly in Compose. If the data already exists in a spreadsheet, copy the rectangular range and paste it into the chart editor.
Check the first row and first column after pasting. Clear labels make the chart easier to understand and give Compose better information for its accessible description.
Choose the chart type that fits the data
Column and bar charts are useful for comparing categories. Line and area charts are better suited to change across an ordered sequence such as time. Pie charts show parts of one whole.
A pie chart uses one series and does not accept negative values. If the data needs several series or contains negative values, choose another chart type.
Edit a chart after inserting it
Select an existing chart to reopen its controls. You can change the title, categories, series and values, and switch to another supported chart type when the same data makes sense there.
Because the chart keeps its data, correcting one value does not mean exporting a new picture and replacing the old one.
Charts include readable data as well as a picture
Compose derives an accessible text description from the chart data. Clear chart titles, categories and series names therefore help people who cannot rely on the visual chart alone.
Use the chart to support the surrounding writing, not to hide the only copy of important figures. Explain the main conclusion in the text when it matters to the argument.
How charts move into exported formats
PDF and HTML keep the chart as a sharp graphic. DOCX and ODT place it as an image and include readable chart data. Markdown and plain text keep the data in text form.
These exports do not all produce a chart you can edit as a chart in the other app. Keep the .compose file when you need to keep editing the chart itself.