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To make a histogram in Google Sheets, select the column of numbers, choose Insert > Chart, then set Setup > Chart type to Histogram. The bucket size and outlier percentile are changed afterwards under Customize > Histogram. This guide covers those steps as Google documents them, how to read the result, and how to report it so another researcher can reproduce the figure.
What a histogram in Google Sheets is used for in research
Google’s help page describes the use directly: “Use a histogram when you want to show the distribution of a data set across different buckets or ranges.” The height of each bar shows how many values fall in that range; Google’s own example is call-center hold times. For research data, that makes it a first look at a single numeric variable (reaction times, scores, concentrations, ages) before any test is chosen.
A histogram answers a different question from a bar chart. A bar chart compares named categories; a histogram splits one numeric variable into consecutive ranges. For the general concept, see the CASRAI guide to the histogram, and for where it sits among other plots, types of graphs in statistics.
Access: where to build it
Histogram charts are a chart type inside Google Sheets, the spreadsheet application in Google Docs Editors. Google’s instructions for adding a chart start from opening the spreadsheet in Google Sheets on a computer.
Step-by-step: how to make a histogram in Google Sheets
1. Lay out the data
Google’s stated data format for histograms is: the first row (optional) holds the category name; the first column holds the numeric data; further columns (optional) hold more numeric data. In practice, put one variable in column A with a header in A1 and keep the values numeric.
2. Insert the chart
- Open the spreadsheet in Google Sheets on a computer.
- Select the cells you want to include in your chart.
- Click Insert, then Chart.
3. Choose the Histogram chart type
- Double-click the chart.
- In the chart editor at the right, click Setup.
- Open the Chart type dropdown and choose the histogram from the list.
- To change the cells used, click the grid icon under Data range, select the cells, and click OK.
4. Set the bucket size and outlier percentile
Double-click the chart, click Customize at the right, and open the Histogram section. Google lists three things there: show item dividers, change bucket size, or change the outlier percentile. Bucket size sets how wide each range is, which is the same decision as class width in a hand-built frequency table (see how to calculate class width).
5. Add titles, axes and gridlines
The other Customize sections are Series (bar colors), Chart & axis titles, Legend, Horizontal axis (minimum and maximum), Vertical axis (minimum, maximum and log scale) and Gridlines. Google notes that gridlines can be added to line, area, column, bar, scatter, waterfall, histogram, radar or candlestick charts. Use Chart & axis titles to name the variable and its unit.
Output and how to read it
Each bar is one bucket and its height is the number of values in that bucket. Read three things in order: where the bulk of the values sits, whether the bars trail off to one side (see right-skewed histograms), and whether there is more than one peak (see multimodal distributions). To recover a mean or other summary from the bars, see how to find the mean from a histogram.
Bucket size changes the picture
The same data can look smooth or jagged depending on the bucket size, so the figure is not interpretable without it. CASRAI’s recommendation (a methods-reporting practice, not a Google rule) is to state the bucket size, the number of values plotted and the outlier percentile setting in the figure caption or methods section, so a reader can rebuild the chart from the same data.
Counts versus proportions
Google’s help page describes bar height as a count of values. If you need proportions, see CASRAI’s guide to relative frequency and frequency distributions for how counts convert to relative frequencies.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| The chart is not a histogram | Double-click the chart, open Setup, and set Chart type to the histogram. |
| The chart uses the wrong cells | In Setup, click the grid icon under Data range, select the correct cells and click OK. |
| The first column is not what you expected | Google’s histogram format reads numeric data from the first column and an optional category name from the first row. Reorder the columns so the numeric variable comes first. |
| The chart editor is closed | Double-click the chart; the editor opens at the right. |
| Bars look too coarse or too fine | Change the bucket size under Customize > Histogram. |
| A few extreme values stretch the chart | Change the outlier percentile under Customize > Histogram, or set the horizontal axis minimum and maximum under Customize. |
Free alternatives
Google’s help pages document bucket size and outlier percentile as the adjustable histogram settings. Other tools covered on CASRAI give different controls:
| Tool | What CASRAI covers | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets | Insert > Chart, Histogram chart type, bucket size and outlier percentile (this page) | This page |
| Microsoft Excel | Step-by-step histogram creation in Excel | How to create histograms in Excel |
| R | The hist() function: default Sturges bin count, and a numeric breaks value is a target rather than an exact count |
Histograms in R |
FAQ
How do I make a histogram in Google Sheets?
Select the numeric cells, click Insert, then Chart, double-click the chart, open Setup, and choose the histogram under Chart type. Customize > Histogram then lets you change the bucket size and outlier percentile.
How do I change the bucket size of a histogram in Google Sheets?
Double-click the chart, click Customize, open the Histogram section and change the bucket size. The same section has the outlier percentile and item dividers.
How do I add titles and axis labels to a histogram in Google Sheets?
In the chart editor, open Customize and use Chart & axis titles. The Horizontal axis and Vertical axis sections set minimum, maximum and, for the vertical axis, a log scale.
When should I use a histogram instead of a bar chart?
Use a histogram when you want to show how one numeric data set is distributed across ranges, as Google describes it. Use a bar chart to compare separate named categories.
Are histograms in Google Sheets and histograms in Excel the same thing?
Both show a distribution across ranges, but the menus and settings differ. The Excel steps are in how to create histograms in Excel.
Sources
- Google Docs Editors Help, “Histogram charts” https://support.google.com/docs/answer/9146867?hl=en, checked 2026-10-29.
- Google Docs Editors Help, “Add & edit a chart or graph” https://support.google.com/docs/answer/63824?hl=en, checked 2026-10-29.
