To make a box and whisker plot in Google Sheets, select a range of raw numbers, click Insert, then Chart, and choose the box and whisker chart under Chart type in the chart editor. Since October 2026 Sheets builds it natively and works out the minimum, quartiles, median, maximum, mean and outliers for you, with no helper formulas.
Until this update, a box plot in Sheets meant calculating five numbers yourself and bending another chart type into shape. Google announced native box and whisker charts on 22 October 2026, and they're rolling out to Workspace accounts and personal Google accounts over the following weeks.
Here's how to build one, what each setting does, and how to read the result without a statistics degree.
What a box and whisker plot shows
A box plot squeezes a whole column of numbers into one picture of how they're spread. It's brilliant for questions like how consistent your delivery times are, how varied your order values are, or whether one month's response times were unusual.
| Part of the chart | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| The box | Where the middle half of your values sit, from the first quartile to the third |
| The line inside the box | The median, the middle value |
| The whiskers | How far the rest of the normal range stretches, out to the minimum and maximum |
| Dots beyond the whiskers | Outliers, values far away from the rest |
| The mean marker | The average, which can sit away from the median if a few values are extreme |
How to make one, step by step
- Open your spreadsheet in Google Sheets on a computer.
- Select the cells with your raw numbers, for example a column of order values or delivery times.
- Click Insert, then Chart.
- In the chart editor on the right, click Setup.
- Under Chart type, click the down arrow and choose the box and whisker chart.
- Use the chart editor options to set the quartile method, outliers, inner points and mean markers.
Use the raw values, not a summary table. The whole point of the native chart is that Sheets does the maths: Google says it calculates the minimum, first quartile, median, third quartile, maximum, mean and outliers from the data you select.
If you need to change the data later, double-click the chart, click Setup, and under Data range click the grid icon to select new cells.
The settings worth knowing
| Setting | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Inclusive quartiles | Includes the median when it splits the data into halves | Your default for most business data |
| Exclusive quartiles | Leaves the median out of each half | When you need to match a report that uses this method |
| Show inner points | Plots each value inside the box | Small data sets, so people can see every value |
| Show outliers | Marks extreme values as separate dots | Spotting unusual orders, delays or spikes |
| Mean markers and mean lines | Adds the average to the chart | Comparing average with median |
Choose the quartile method before you share the chart. The two methods can give slightly different box edges on the same data, so if someone checks your numbers in another tool, tell them which one you used.
The Excel bonus most people will miss
This update also fixes an old annoyance. Google says that before now, importing an Excel file with a box and whisker chart into Sheets dropped the chart entirely. Now those charts survive the import with their data references, calculations and formatting, and box plots you make in Sheets export back to Excel as editable box and whisker charts.
If you swap spreadsheets with an accountant, a client or a team that lives in Excel, that alone saves a rebuild every time.
When the chart won't appear yet
| Account type | Rollout |
|---|---|
| Rapid Release Workspace domains | Gradual rollout from 22 October 2026, up to 15 days to appear |
| Scheduled Release Workspace domains | Gradual rollout from 6 November 2026, up to 15 days to appear |
| Personal Google accounts | Included in the rollout |
There's no admin setting to switch it on. If you can't see the chart type yet, it simply hasn't reached your account.
A worked example for a small business
Say you log how many days each order takes to arrive. Put one value per row in a single column, select it, and insert the chart. If the box is narrow, delivery is consistent. A long upper whisker tells you a chunk of orders take much longer than usual, and any dots above it are the deliveries worth investigating.
Keep one measure per chart. Mixing days-to-deliver with order values in one selection gives you a picture that means nothing, so give each question its own chart and its own clear title.
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Ask Gemini to explain it
If you have Gemini in Google Sheets, it can turn the chart into plain words for a client or a team update:
Explain the chart
Look at the delivery times in column B.
Explain the spread in three short sentences for a non-technical reader, and point out any outliers worth checking.
When a spreadsheet chart isn't enough, our guide to SPC software covers tools that plot control charts from live data.
My take
This is a small update that saves real time. Box plots are the quickest honest picture of how varied your numbers are, and averages alone hide that. If you're new to charts in Sheets, my guide on how to make a graph in Google Sheets covers the basics, a histogram is the best partner chart for the same data, and using Gemini in Google Sheets shows how to get the AI to do the explaining.
Frequently asked questions
Does Google Sheets have a box and whisker plot?
Yes. Google added native box and whisker charts to Google Sheets in October 2026, rolling out gradually to Workspace and personal accounts.
How do I make a box plot in Google Sheets?
Select a range of raw numbers, click Insert, then Chart, and choose the box and whisker chart under Chart type in the chart editor.
Do I need formulas for a box plot in Google Sheets?
No. Google says Sheets calculates the minimum, quartiles, median, maximum, mean and outliers for you, with no helper formulas needed.
Can I import an Excel box and whisker chart into Google Sheets?
Yes. Since this update, Google says box and whisker charts from Excel are kept on import with their data and formatting, and export back to Excel as editable charts.
Why can't I see the box and whisker chart in Sheets?
It's a gradual rollout, taking up to 15 days to appear, starting on 22 October 2026 for Rapid Release domains and on 6 November 2026 for Scheduled Release domains.
