Seeking quick help with an Excel bar chart

Factual Questions
1

My Google skills are truly failing me this morning.

I’ve got a very simple bar chart I’ve created based on two columns of data. The first column is the name of several companies. Next to each company, in the second column, is a dollar amount.

The data is sorted so that the highest dollar amount company is first (at the top), down to the lowest dollar amount. I actually entered the data in this order, but ran a sort just to be on the safe side.

What happens when I create the bar chart, however, is that the bar chart sorts the data with the LOWEST dollar amount company being at the top of the vertical axis. I was able to find a checkbox that reverses the axis order, which put the companies in the proper order, but it ALSO stuck the horizontal axis at the top of the chart instead of the bottom, which I definitely do not want.

I’ve been using Excel long enough to guess that there’s a simple solution I’m not finding, so if you can help, please do!

2

To fix the axis issue in Excel 2007, choose the “At maximum category” under “Horizontal axis crosses:” in the “Format Axis” dialog box.

3

That had the effect of flipping the horizontal axis to the top of the chart instead of the bottom, though. Am I missing something?

4

Well, combine that with what you did here:

And you should be in good shape, although it doesn’t fix the underlying problem of why they were in the wrong order in the first place.

5

Doesn’t sorting the data from lowest to highest resolve this? It does in the quick chart I just created.

6

I just replicated your data model and got the same result as you in a bar chart. I then sorted the dollar amount the other way (smallest to largest) using a Data Sort, and the bar chart automatically reversed itself. Simples.

7

Changing the sort order fixed it. Thank you, folks.