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Excel - Excel Chart - Easier Method for Negative Bars in Red and Positive in Green - Episode 674

2,505 views · Published 19 February 2009 · 2:07 · Indexed 25 September 2026

Channel: MrExcel.com · 2009 · Education

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Microsoft Excel Tutorial - Excel Chart - Easier Method for Negative Bars in Red and Positive in Green.

Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast! In this episode, we're going to explore a much easier way to create a chart with negative bars in red and positive bars in green. In a previous episode, I showed you how to do this by creating two separate series, but thanks to a tip from German MVP Newt Simon, we now have a simpler solution.

Let's start by creating a column chart and cleaning it up by removing the legend and title. Next, we'll select the series and use the shortcut "Ctrl+1" to quickly access the "format cells" option. From there, we'll go to the "Fill Effects" and select the "Pattern" tab. Here, we can specify two colors - red for the foreground and green for the background.

Now, when we click "Invert if negative", instead of the usual white color for negative bars, we'll get the red and green colors we specified. You may notice a pattern showing through, but we can easily fix that by going back to "format cells" and selecting a plain green color. Don't worry, the previous color settings will still be remembered.

Unfortunately, this method only works for Excel 97 through 2003, as the pattern option was removed in Excel 2007. But for those using the older versions, this is a much better way to create the desired chart. A big thank you to Newt for sharing this tip with us. And as always, thank you for tuning in to the MrExcel netcast. We'll see you next time for more helpful tips and tricks.

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Ute from Germany sends in a better way to show negative points in a column chart in a red color. His cool trick works for Excel 97-2003. Episode 674 will show you how.

Table of Contents:
(00:00) Introduction to the topic of creating a chart with different colored bars
(00:20) New, easier method suggested by German MVP Newt Simon
(00:36) Step-by-step guide to creating the chart
(01:03) Applying two colors and using "Invert if negative" option
(01:17) Adjusting the pattern and applying a plain color
(01:28) Limitations in Excel 2007 and older versions
(01:40) Clicking Like really helps the algorithm

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This video answers these common search terms:
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Removing legend and title in Excel chart
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Tips for creating bars in older versions of Excel
Using patterns in Excel 97-2003 for coloring bars
YouTube video on creating chart with color-coded bars

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