Excel is great at crunching numbers, but its default charts can be a bit boring. So when I came across a Microsoft 365 add-on called People Graph, I had to give it a try. Within minutes, it turned ordinary spreadsheet data into infographic-style visuals that looked more polished than I expected, and it required no setup.
Different traditional Excel chartsPeople Graph uses icons and ratios that make it easy to scan comparisons in presentations, reports, and emails. This is less accurate than a standard chart, but is often more attractive when you want to convey a simple comparison at a glance.
The plugin takes 20 seconds to install
The hidden tool is easy to find
You won’t find the People Chart in Excel’s standard charting tools. Instead, you should install it for free from the Office Add-ins store:
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click House.
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choose Supplements.
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search for People Chart.
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click add.
Once installed, you can launch People Graph Supplements menu whenever you want.
If it was launched when you first installed the add-on, click the arrow in the upper right corner and select it Delete.
All you need are two columns of data
Structure your sheet and create a chart
Before opening the People Graph, make sure your data meets these guidelines:
- Category tags (such as countries, names, or departments) must be in the first column.
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Appropriate numeric values should be in the second column.
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(Optional but recommended) Convert your range to a format Excel spreadsheet (Ctrl+T) so the infographic can adjust automatically if your data grows or shrinks later.
For example, you can create a simple table that shows countries in the first column and population figures in the second column.
Once you have your data ready, insert the People Graph:
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open House badge.
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click Add-ons > People Chart.
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click on it desk icon In the upper right corner of the People Chart window.
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Give the graph a title.
- OS
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Windows, macOS, iPhone, iPad, Android
- Free trial
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1 month
Microsoft 365 includes access to Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on up to five devices, 1 TB of OneDrive storage, and more. includes
Finally, connect the graph to your table data:
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click Select your data.
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choose data cells in your table (not in the column headings).
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click Create.
Excel instantly replaces the placeholder content with an infographic based on your spreadsheet.
The chart is linked to the underlying Excel spreadsheet, so it updates automatically when your data changes. Because it uses a table structure, you can also add or delete rows and the infographic will adjust dynamically.
If new rows are not visible in the infographic, simply click and drag the handles to expand it.
You people are stuck with icons
Customize forms, themes and layouts
Despite its name, the People Graph is not limited to human-shaped icons. In fact, one of the first things I changed after creating my infographic was the icon style itself. Depending on your data, replacing the default numbers with a more appropriate symbol can make the visualization much easier to understand at a glance.
For example, you can use star icons to represent ratings or review scores, a money bag for revenue and financial information, or a box icon to visualize shipped products and inventory figures. Matching the icon to the topic helps the infographic feel more focused and less like a generic diagram.
People Chart also allows you to change the overall layout and color scheme. While the default orange design works well enough, a different theme or graphic style can make the finished graphic look more polished.
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Select the infographic and click on it Parameters gear in the upper right corner.
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To change Kind switch between different infographic layouts.
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To change Subject to change the color palette.
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To change Form to replace the default person icons with other characters.
Copy the graph to other programs
Your infographic travels anywhere
Your infographic remains interactive within Excel, but if you want to export it to a document, presentation, or email, you need to convert it to a static image:
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Click the arrow in the upper right corner of the infographic.
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choose Show as Saved Image.
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Right click on the image and select Copy it.
- Paste it insert it into Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, or another program.
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Go back to Excel and click on Show as Saved Image select again to deselect and return to the live version.
Excel can do more than you think
Excel’s little-known People Chart add-in proves that you don’t need advanced charting tools to create eye-catching visuals from ordinary spreadsheet data. While it doesn’t replace traditional charts for detailed analysis, it’s a surprisingly effective way to turn simple comparisons into infographic-style graphics that are easier to scan and share.
But if you need more control over how your visuals look, Excel offers many other creative charting tricks. For example, you can use images as chart columns create impressive graphics or turn simple line graphs into dynamic graphs to visualize trends over time.
