Error bars show the range of uncertainty around your data points

Error bars are lines that extend above and below (or left and right of) each data point on a chart, showing how much that measurement might vary. In Google Sheets, you add them through the chart editor after you've created a basic chart. The bars can represent standard deviation, standard error, a percentage of the value, or a custom range you define yourself.

Google Sheets lets you set error bars differently for different data series on the same chart, and you can choose whether to show them on the vertical axis, horizontal axis, or both. The process takes about two minutes once you know where to look.

Key Takeaways

  • Error bars are added through the chart editor, not by editing your data — click the chart, then click the three-dot menu and select "Edit chart".
  • You choose the error bar type (standard deviation, standard error, percentage, or custom range) in the "Series" tab of the chart editor.
  • Google Sheets can show error bars on the vertical axis, horizontal axis, or both, depending on what your data represents.
  • You can format the appearance of error bars — color, thickness, and cap size — in the "Format" tab of the chart editor.

Open the chart editor and navigate to the Series tab

Click on the chart you want to edit. A border appears around it. Click the three-dot menu in the top right corner of the chart and select "Edit chart". The chart editor panel opens on the right side of your screen.

In the chart editor, click the "Series" tab (it's the second tab, after "Setup"). Scroll down in the Series tab until you see the "Error bars" section. If you don't see it, make sure your chart type supports error bars — line charts, scatter plots, column charts, and bar charts all do, but pie charts and gauge charts do not.

Choose your error bar type

Click the dropdown that says "None" (or whatever is currently selected) under "Error bars". You'll see four options: Standard deviation, Standard error, Percentage, and Range.

Standard deviation shows how spread out your data is around the average — use this when you have multiple measurements of the same thing and want to show natural variation. Standard error is similar but smaller; it shows the uncertainty in your average itself rather than the spread of individual measurements. Percentage lets you set error bars as a fixed percentage above and below each value — for example, 10% means the bar extends 10% above and 10% below the point. Range lets you specify the exact values by pointing to columns in your spreadsheet, useful when you've already calculated upper and lower bounds.

Set up standard deviation or standard error bars

If you chose "Standard deviation" or "Standard error", Google Sheets calculates the bars automatically from your data. You don't need to do anything else — just close the chart editor and the bars appear on your chart.

These options work only if your data series contains multiple values per category (for example, three test scores per student). If each category has only one value, Google Sheets cannot calculate standard deviation or standard error, and the bars won't appear.

Set up percentage error bars

If you chose "Percentage", a field appears asking you to enter a number. Type the percentage you want — for example, type 15 to show bars that extend 15% above and 15% below each data point. The same percentage applies to all points in the series.

Percentage error bars are useful when you want to show a consistent margin of uncertainty across all values, such as "this measurement is accurate to within 5%". Close the chart editor when you're done, and the bars appear immediately.

Set up custom range error bars

If you chose "Range", two fields appear: one for the lower bound and one for the upper bound. In each field, click the range icon (a small grid symbol) and select the column in your spreadsheet that contains those values. For example, if column D holds the lowest possible value for each measurement and column E holds the highest, select D for the lower bound and E for the upper bound.

Your spreadsheet must have these columns already calculated before you create the chart. Each row in your lower-bound column should contain a number, and the same for your upper-bound column. Google Sheets then draws the error bars from the lower value to the upper value for each point. This method gives you the most control and works when you've calculated uncertainty ranges yourself.

Format the appearance of your error bars

After you've set the error bar type, you can change how they look. In the chart editor, click the "Format" tab. Scroll down to find the "Series" section, and look for options labeled "Error bar color", "Error bar thickness", or "Error bar cap size".

Change the color by clicking the color box. Increase or decrease thickness by moving the slider. The cap size controls the width of the horizontal line at the end of each error bar — a larger cap makes the bar more visible, while a smaller cap makes it more subtle. These changes are optional; the default appearance works fine for most charts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have different error bar types for different data series on the same chart?

Yes. In the Series tab of the chart editor, click the dropdown that says "Series 1" (or whichever series you want to change) at the top of the panel. Set the error bar type for that series, then repeat for each other series. Each series can have its own error bar type, color, and thickness.

Why don't my error bars appear even though I selected them?

The most common reason is that your chart type doesn't support error bars — pie charts and gauge charts don't. If you're using a line, scatter, column, or bar chart and still don't see them, check that you've actually closed the chart editor (click outside the chart). Also verify that your data series has values to work with; if you're using standard deviation or standard error, you need multiple values per category.

Can I show error bars only on the vertical axis, not the horizontal axis?

Yes. In the Series tab, the error bar dropdown controls the vertical axis. To add horizontal error bars on a scatter plot, you need a separate data series for the horizontal values. Most charts show error bars only on the vertical axis by default, which is what most people need.

How do I remove error bars after I've added them?

Click the chart, open the chart editor, go to the Series tab, and change the error bar dropdown from whatever type it is back to "None". Close the chart editor and the bars disappear.