Selecting a Custom Chart

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 22, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Microsoft Graph is a simple graphing program provided with Word. It includes the ability to view your graph data in both spreadsheet and graph formats. Microsoft Graph supports over a dozen different general types of graphs, but you are not limited to these. It also includes the ability to choose from many more custom types of charts. To use one of the custom chart types, follow these steps:

Make sure your chart is visible on the screen and you have selected it. (You do this by clicking on the chart.)
Choose Chart Type from the Chart menu. Microsoft Graph displays the Chart Type dialog box.
Make sure the Custom Types tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Custom Types tab of the Chart Type dialog box

Using the Chart Type list, select the type of graph you want to use to display your data. A sample of the chart appears at the right side of the dialog box.
Click on OK. Microsoft Graph presents your data as requested.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (701) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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