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How to skip blank cells while creating a chart in Excel?

Author Sun Last modified

If there are some blank cells in a list, the relative chart of the list will be shown as below screenshot which is not pleasing to the eye. In this article, I will talk about how to skip the blank cells while creating a chart in Excel.

A screenshot showing a chart in Excel with blank cells displayed

Display blanks as zero in chart

Skip blanks in chart

arrow blue right bubble Display blanks as zero in chart

To display blank cells as zeros in chart, you just need to check an option after creating the chart.

1. After creating the chart by the values, right click at the chart and click Select data form the popped context menu. See screenshot:
A screenshot of the 'Select Data' option in Excel to edit chart data

2. Then in the Select Data Source dialog, click Hidden and Empty Cells, and in the Hidden and Empty Cells Settings dialog, check Zero option. See screenshot:
A screenshot showing the 'Hidden and Empty Cells' settings in Excel for displaying blanks as zeros in charts

3. Click OK > OK to close dialogs, and the blank cells have been displayed as zeros. See screenshot:
A screenshot of an Excel chart where blank cells have been replaced with zeros

arrow blue right bubble Skip blanks in chart

To skip blanks directly in a chart, you need a formula before creating the chart.

1. Select a blank cell next to the values you want to create chart by, and type this formula =IF(ISBLANK(B2),#N/A,B2), B2 is the cell you use, and drag auto fill handle down to the cells you need to apply this formula. See screenshot:
A screenshot showing the Excel formula to skip blank cells

2. Then keep the formula cells selected, click Insert tab, and insert a chart as you need in the Charts group. See screenshot:
A screenshot showing the chart options on the Insert tab on the ribbon

Then the blank cells have been ignored in the chart.
A screenshot of the final chart in Excel with blank cells skipped using a formula

Tip: If you usually use complex charts in Excel, which will be troublesome as you create them very time, here with the Auto Text tool of Kutools for Excel, you just need to create the charts at first time, then add the charts in the AutoText pane, then, you can reuse them in anywhere anytime, what you only need to do is change the references to match your real need.  Click for free download it now.
A screenshot of Kutools for Excel's Auto Text tool for saving and reusing complex charts

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