Box and whisker plots are typically used to depict information from related data sets than have independent sources, such as test scores between different schools or data from before and after changes in a process or procedure. In recent versions of Excel, you can create a box and whisker chart using the Insert Chart tool. Although older versions of Excel don’t have a box and whisker plot maker, you can create one by converting a stacked column chart into a box plot and then adding the whiskers.
Use Excel’s Box and Whisker Plot Maker
For Excel 2019, Excel 2016, or Excel for Microsoft 365, make a box and whisker plot chart using the Insert Chart tool.
Transform a Box Plot Chart into a Box and Whisker Plot
For Excel 2013 or Excel 2010, start with a stacked column chart and transform it into a box and whisker plot chart. Create a basic box plot chart in Excel and then add the whiskers.
Add the Top Whisker
The whiskers on a box and whisker box plot chart indicate variability outside the upper and lower quartiles. Any data point that falls outside the top or bottom whisker line would be considered an outlier when analyzing the data.
Add the Bottom Whisker
Once you’ve added the top whiskers, then you can add the bottom whiskers in a similar fashion.
Format a Box and Whisker Plot Chart in Excel
Once you have created the chart, use Excel’s chart formatting tools.
Edit or Change the Appearance of the Box and Whisper Plot
To make changes to the appearance of the box and whisker plot chart, select any area of the chart and then choose Chart Design or Design Tools on the Chart Tools tab, depending on which version of Excel you are using.
Inclusive Median is included in the calculation if the number of values in the data is odd.Exclusive median is excluded from the calculation if there are an odd number of values in the data.
Modify factors such as the chart layout, style, or colors using the same methods described above.
