Last week, we learned how to create win-loss charts in Excel. In the comments, Dan said,
Incidentally, the fastest way to do this would be using SFE, just reflect your data with 1 for a win, – 1 for a loss. There’s even an option to automatically invert negative numbers. #
Of course, we can use the beautiful Sparklines for Excel addin to do this and several other charts. But if you just have a series of Wins and Losses, like below, you can use a column chart to create win loss charts too.
Your Data:
Lets say you have data like this,

Win Loss Chart in Excel – 5 Steps
Step1: Select Win & Loss columns and Insert a Column Chart
This is the first and easiest step. At the end, your chart looks like this:

Step 2: Adjust the Series Gap & Overlap
- Select either Win or Loss series and press CTRL+1 (or goto format series).
- From here, adjust the gap to 0
- and overlap to 75%, like shown aside.
Step 3: Remove un-necessary chart elements
- Remove grid lines and labels
- Remove horizontal axis
- Select vertical axis and press CTRL+1 (format axis).
- Now, adjust axis min to -1 and max to 1
- Close it and remove vertical axis too
Step 4: Adjust colors
Change the colors if you fancy.
Step 5: That is all
There is no step 5. Your win loss chart is ready. Go ahead and show it off.

Download Win Loss Chart (Improved) Template:
Click here to download the winloss chart template and play with it.
Click here to download the winloss chart template complete with Sinusoid chart template. (Supplied by Hui)
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11 Responses
Ciao Hui,
Collecting Excel tricks under the title “Notable Excel Websites (Non-MVP) Edition” is a brilliant idea…
Thank you in the name of all The FrankensTeam.
On our site there is a box with a picture and text highlighting:
This is a no-MVP site
we think ourselves “bad boys” a bit 🙂
For those who would like to know why our site is a no-MVP site, enough to click on the link:
http://goo.gl/lxDszY
Thank you again!
Thanks a lot
I really enjoyed this (newsletter). I must admit that I rarely read an Excel newsletter (and I subscribe to quite a few) all the way though, but this grabbed my attention and before I realized it, I was engrossed in it. I must also admit that most of this I don’t understand, yet. But, it excites me when I do learn something new in Excel. I can’t wait to see how much of this I can implement into my (constantly-evolving) ‘House Budget’ & ‘Family Medical’ worksheets that I have developed over the past few years! I sure hope to see more of these type of newsletters in the future! Thanks!
Thanks for doing this Hui! I appreciate being included.
I like Tom’s tip a lot. I posted about a tool I wrote to automate this at http://yoursumbuddy.com/tables-edit-query-dialog/
EXCELLENT !
Hui, This post is Superb! More over I have always been a fan of Roberto’s work and have learnt a lot from him.
Here are some of my recent contributions
1. Customising markers in a chart – http://www.goodly.co.in/customize-markers-in-a-chart/
2. Charting Hacks to work faster – http://www.goodly.co.in/5-charting-hacks-to-help-you-work-faster/
3. 7 Date formulas to make life easy – http://www.goodly.co.in/date-formulas-in-excel/
4. Customised scrollbar using VBA – http://www.goodly.co.in/customized-scroll-bar-in-excel/
5. Adding Direct Legends – http://www.goodly.co.in/customized-scroll-bar-in-excel/
Hope everyone enjoys!
I like the Excel Ninja Menus.
1. Select a cell or range then move till the 4-way cross appears. Right-Click and drag the selection to another place in the worksheet then, like a ninja, a menu full of skills and throwing stars pops up allowing me to do all kinds of awesomeness.
2. When you click the fill box on a Date and right click and drag it down, a lot of amazing Date options pop up.
I also brand my Excel to remind myself that I’m awesome. In my personal macro workbook I place the following code.
Private Sub Workbook_Open()
Application.Caption = “SuperKrishna’s Awesomeness”
End Sub
My favorite tip goes along with #17. If you try to copy subtotaled data (and in earlier Excel versions filtered data),when you paste it all the data displays instead of just the summarized data.
To get around this, select your summarized data, click on Find and Select tab and then select Go to Special. Click Visible cells Only and click OK. Now paste and you will see that only the summarized data has been copied.
You can also go CTRL+G and then click the Special icon at the bottom of the dialog box.
What a great idea, Chandoo! I’d love to be included in your next edition:) Perhaps a VBA exclusive version?
@Ryan
I will review this concept about 6 months out from the original post and be sure to keep your site in mind
Hui…
That sounds great, Hui:) I just realized I gave credit to Chandoo for the idea and I should have attributed it to you.
Sorry about that!