Build an interactive chart to step through data in Apple Numbers

Quick answer: Choose Chart → Interactive, add the monthly table data, and set Plot Columns as Series so North and South remain the series. Check each monthly step, then choose Buttons Only under Format → Chart if preferred.

Use an interactive chart when readers should step through a small sequence rather than compare every period at once. This example keeps the complete source table visible so the controls never become the only way to retrieve the figures.

Create a small monthly sequence

Create a Blank spreadsheet in Numbers on Mac. Keep the first sheet Sheet 1 and first table Table 1. In Format → Table set four rows and three columns, one header row and one header column, with no footer rows. Enter A1:C4:

Month	North	South
Jan	12	9
Feb	18	15
Mar	14	21

The month totals are 21, 33, and 35. North totals 44 and South 45. These are independent checks for transposed or mistyped values; do not add a Total column to the chart source. Save monthly-steps-before.numbers in your local Numbers Practice folder, then File → Save As → monthly-steps-work.numbers in the same folder.

Build the stepping chart

1. On Sheet 1, click blank canvas. Click Chart in the toolbar, choose Interactive, and choose an interactive column chart thumbnail.
2. Select the new chart and click Add Chart Data. Select A1:C4 in Table 1.
3. In the bottom reference-selection menu choose Plot Columns as Series, then Done. North and South are the two column series; each monthly row supplies a pair of values for a step.
4. Move the chart below the table. Step through its control slowly, checking the month associated with each displayed set. The intended Jan view compares 12 with 9, Feb compares 18 with 15, and Mar compares 14 with 21.

Treat those three comparisons as acceptance checks. If the controls cycle North and South instead of months, use Edit Data References and check that Plot Columns as Series is selected and column A is a header column. Do not relabel a wrongly oriented chart to disguise the issue. If the displayed labels still differ on your build, stop and consult the matched Apple guide before using it in a report.

Choose a control and explain what changes

Select the chart, open Format → Chart, and find the pop-up below Interactive Chart. Choose Buttons Only. Use the chart’s buttons to revisit the same three sets. Apple also documents a slider-and-buttons presentation; controls change the view, not the table values.

The intended story is a reversal: North leads by three in Jan and Feb, whereas South leads by seven in Mar. It is not a running total. Keep a written summary with the table so a static copy does not require a reader to infer which step was visible. Do not assume a PDF or exported image preserves working controls.

Update one period and add another

With Table 1 active, change B3 from 18 to 20. Revisit Feb in the chart. Its comparison should now be 20 versus 15, a North lead of five and a period total of 35. Jan and Mar remain unchanged.

Increase the table to five rows in Format → Table. Enter A5:C5 as Apr, 16, 24. Select the chart → Edit Data References. For each of the two column series, select its dot and extend the selection box through row 5. Keep Plot Columns as Series and click Done. Check that there are now four monthly sets, with April displaying 16 versus 24. If the new row was already included automatically, retain that range rather than adding a duplicate series.

The final data totals are North 62 and South 69, or 131 combined. April’s total is 40; South’s April lead is eight. Check these figures in the table independently of the currently selected chart step.

Finish before any reset

Choose File → Save As and save monthly-steps-final.numbers in Numbers Practice. Close and reopen this exact file. Verify the table’s four months and revisit all four views; do not assume the saved current step is necessarily the one your reader will see.

To practise recovery without losing the result, use File → Save As again for monthly-steps-reset.numbers. Only in that reset copy restore B3 to 18, remove April from the table, and inspect references so the chart uses A1:C4 again. Confirm three steps with the original values. Restore this scope before experimenting with the opposite series orientation.

• Add Chart Data missing: select the chart object rather than a table cell.
• Old February values: confirm you edited B3 in the referenced Table 1, not a second table.
• April missing: check source references and hidden or filtered data; adding a table row alone is not sufficient evidence.
• Chart cannot be edited: check whether the object is locked.

This documentation-based recipe and arithmetic model are not a native interaction test. Verify the step labels and values on your installed Mac build before presenting the file.

For a row-removal step in a reset copy, point to that row’s number, click its menu arrow, and choose the delete-row command. Check the row’s label or values before deleting it. Header/footer counts are set with the Headers & Footer pop-up menus on Format → Table.

Scope and verification

Numbers 15.4 for Mac; documentation-qualified desktop workflow. Numbers on iPad, iPhone, and iCloud are not covered by these controls or checks. Apple’s cited guide identifies version 15.4; check Numbers → About Numbers on your Mac. This article was checked against first-party documentation on 2026-10-19. No native Mac application was available for execution, so the steps, save/reopen outcomes, and accessibility behavior remain untested in the application. No native screenshots are supplied; generated diagrams or website screenshots would not prove product behavior.

Official sources

• Welcome
• Interactive
• Chart Data
• Save
• Rows and headers

Related tutorial

See Create a chart in Numbers for the related workflow.