Create a Column or Line Chart and Maintain Its Source in LibreOffice Calc

Create a chart only after deciding which cells are categories, values, and the series name. This small example makes a transposed series or missing final month easy to catch.

Start with four months

Create an ODS workbook with a sheet named Orders and enter A1:B5:

Month	Orders
January	12
February	16
March	14
April	20

Enter numbers as numbers, without apostrophes. In D2, enter =SUM(B2:B5); the check total is 62. The full fixture is here, so no external download is required.

These standard-menu instructions follow Calc Guide 26.2 (February 2026) and online Help labeled 26.8, checked 19 October 2026. The value sequence and totals have been independently checked; the chart UI, appearance, and save/reopen steps have not been executed in native Calc.

Create one Orders series

1. Select A1:B5 and choose Insert → Chart.
2. In Chart Type choose Column, the normal 2D variant. Leave 3D off.
3. On Data Range, select Data series in columns and enable First row as label and First column as label. The source must cover $Orders.$A$1:$B$5.
4. On Data Series, inspect the actual roles: one series named from B1, values from B2:B5, and categories from A2:A5. If another series is present, correct the orientation and labels before continuing.
5. On Chart Elements, type Monthly orders as the title, Month for the X axis and Orders for the Y axis. Keep the legend during checking so its Orders label is visible. Finish, then click outside the chart.

Chart Wizard: Data Range documents the range and orientation controls; Chart Elements explains titles and legends. The title is typed text, while the series label comes from its source cell.

Check meaning before appearance

Read left to right: January 12, February 16, March 14, April 20. April is highest; January is lowest; March is lower than February. There must be four categories and one series. A convincing-looking upward line would still be wrong if February and March were reversed.

For a column comparison, keep the value axis starting at zero. If you need to inspect or set it, double-click the chart to enter chart-edit mode, open the Y axis properties, and inspect its Scale settings. Keep text readable instead of adding perspective or decorative gradients.

Test an edit, then an appended row

Change B4 from 14 to 18. The expected third value is now 18, with the same four categories; D2 becomes 66. Restore B4 to 14 and verify the original shape and total.

Now type May in A6 and 22 in B6. Inspect the source before expecting a fifth category. Double-click the chart and choose Format → Data Ranges. Set the source explicitly to $Orders.$A$1:$B$6, preserving the two label settings and columns orientation. Confirm that the series values end at B6 and categories end at A6.

Expected sequence: 12, 16, 14, 20, 22, with five categories. Change D2 to =SUM(B2:B6); expected 84. A source-cell edit and an added row are different tests: a chart can update existing points while its selected range still excludes a new month. Calc Guide 26.2, Chapter 6 documents linked source edits and explicit range changes.

Compare a line view

With the chart in edit mode, use Format → Chart Type and select a 2D line variant with points. Keep the same source and verify all five values again. The line emphasizes the ordered month-to-month movement; the columns emphasize individual monthly counts. Neither is a cumulative total.

These month names are category labels. This example does not establish elapsed-time spacing for uneven dates; use a scatter chart with a date axis for that problem.

Recovery and final check

• Several series instead of Orders: correct row/column orientation and inspect each source role.
• May missing: extend both values and category ranges; do not merely type a title containing May.
• Menu commands seem wrong: click outside the chart to return to sheet editing, or double-click it for chart editing.
• Wrong source after experimentation: reset A1:B6 to the table plus May 22 and reselect the full source.

Save, close, and reopen the ODS. Check one series, five categories, values ending at 22, and total 84. The workbook is the editable master; a chart image is only a snapshot. Review SUM for the check total.