How to Use SPARKLINE in Google Sheets: Comprehensive Guide

SPARKLINE draws a small chart inside a single cell: a line, a set of columns, a progress bar or a win/loss strip. It gives a dashboard or a data table an instant visual summary of trends, progress and comparisons, without a full chart.

Syntax

=SPARKLINE(data, [options])

data: A row or column of values (or a single value for a bar). The chart is drawn from these numbers.
options [Optional]: Settings for the chart, given as pairs of "name", value inside curly braces, such as {"charttype", "column"; "color", "blue"}. Separate pairs with a semicolon.

The chart fills the cell, so a wider and taller cell makes a more readable chart.

Chart types

Set "charttype" to one of:

"line" (default): a trend line
"column": vertical bars
"bar": a single horizontal bar, mainly for progress and proportions
"winloss": a strip of up and down blocks for positive and negative values

Line

=SPARKLINE(B2:G2)

A trend line through six values.

=SPARKLINE(B2:G2, {"charttype", "line"; "color", "#1a73e8"; "linewidth", 2})

Column

=SPARKLINE(B2:G2, {"charttype", "column"; "color", "teal"; "highcolor", "green"; "lowcolor", "red"})

Columns, with the highest bar in green and the lowest in red.

Bar: a progress meter

=SPARKLINE(B2, {"charttype", "bar"; "max", 100; "color1", "green"})

A bar that fills in proportion to the value in B2 out of a maximum of 100. Add "color2" to color the unfilled part.

For two segments, such as completed and remaining, pass both values:

=SPARKLINE({B2, C2}, {"charttype", "bar"; "color1", "green"; "color2", "lightgray"})

Win/loss

=SPARKLINE(B2:G2, {"charttype", "winloss"; "color", "green"; "negcolor", "red"})

Positive values draw blocks above the axis, negative values below.

Options reference

Common options (not every option works for every chart type):

"color": the line or bar color. Names such as "red", or hex codes such as "#1a73e8".
"linewidth": the line thickness, such as 2.
"ymin", "ymax": the vertical axis range. Fixing these makes different sparklines comparable.
"xmin", "xmax": the horizontal range.
"max": the maximum for a bar chart, such as 100.
"highcolor", "lowcolor": colors for the highest and lowest columns or points.
"firstcolor", "lastcolor": colors for the first and last columns or points.
"negcolor": the color for negative values in column and win/loss charts.
"axis": TRUE draws the horizontal axis, with "axiscolor" to set its color.
"rtl": TRUE draws the chart right to left.
"empty": how empty cells are handled: "zero" or "ignore".
"nan": how non-numeric text is handled: "convert" or "ignore".
"color1", "color2": the two segment colors for bar charts.

Practical patterns

Trend column next to a table of months

With months across B2:M2, add a sparkline in N2 and copy it down:

=SPARKLINE(B2:M2, {"charttype", "line"; "color", "#1a73e8"})

Each row now gets its own mini trend.

Compare rows on the same scale

Sparklines scale to each row's own data by default. To compare rows fairly, fix the axis:

=SPARKLINE(B2:M2, {"charttype", "column"; "ymin", 0; "ymax", 1000})

Progress to goal

=SPARKLINE(C2 / D2, {"charttype", "bar"; "max", 1; "color1", IF(C2 / D2 >= 1, "green", "orange")})

A bar that shows how much of the goal in D2 is reached by the value in C2, colored green when complete.

Stock price history

=SPARKLINE(GOOGLEFINANCE("NASDAQ:GOOG", "close", TODAY() - 90, TODAY()), {"charttype", "line"})

This is the standard way to get a price trend into a single cell.

Fill the whole column

SPARKLINE returns one chart per cell and does not spill. Enter the formula in the first row and drag it down (or double-click the fill handle).

Common errors

A blank cell. The data range is empty or contains only text. Check that data points to numbers.
#VALUE!/#ERROR! with options. A bracket or quote is missing, or an option name is misspelled. The options are a single set of curly braces with pairs separated by semicolons: {"name1", value1; "name2", value2}.
A flat or odd-looking line. The data has text or blanks. Use "empty", "ignore", or clean the data. Also check the axis range.
Tiny or unreadable chart. The cell is too small. Widen the column and increase the row height.
Colors not applied. The option isn't supported for that chart type. For example, "highcolor" applies to column charts and "color1" to bar charts.

SPARKLINE vs. full charts

A full chart (Insert > Chart) can show axes, legends and many series, which is best for presentation. A sparkline is a single series with no labels, designed to sit next to the numbers and to repeat down a table. Use sparklines to scan many rows at a glance, and charts for detail.

Frequently asked questions

Can I add labels or values to a sparkline? No. It is a bare chart. Place the numbers in adjacent cells.

Can I change the sparkline when the data changes? Yes, it updates automatically with the underlying data.

Can a sparkline use data from another sheet? Yes: =SPARKLINE(Data!B2:M2).

Does it work with a column of values? Yes, a row or a column both work.

Related Functions

GOOGLEFINANCE: Fetch stock and currency data.
QUERY: Select the data for a sparkline.
IF: Choose colors conditionally.
INDEX: Pick a range from a table.
ARRAYFORMULA: Apply a formula to a whole range.

SPARKLINE