The entry to the charting user interface is via the Insert tab on the ribbon. When you have selected the data you want to chart (or a single cell within that block of data), click the Insert tab. The Charts group on the ribbon appears in the center of the ribbon, presenting you with a selection of available chart types:

Each of the basic chart types shown in the Charts group includes a large number of subtype options. Clicking a chart-type button reveals the gallery of its subtypes. When you click the Column button, for example, you see the following gallery.

At the bottom of each subtype gallery is an item called All Chart Types. You can click All Chart Types to get a composite gallery of all types and subtypes. (You can also get to that “megagallery” by clicking the dialog box launcher in the lower-right corner of the Charts group on the ribbon, just below the Other Charts button.)

To create your new chart, click a chart-type button on the ribbon, and select the subtype you want from the gallery that appears. Excel responds by displaying a chart object in the center of your screen. A chart object is a graphic element that lies atop your worksheet in its own window. You can drag any part of the object’s perimeter to move it or drag one of the handles in the corners or midpoints of the sides to change the object’s size. As you’ll see, you also have the option of turning the chart object into a separate chart sheet.

With the chart object created and selected, Excel adds three tabs to the ribbon, under Chart Tools, and selects the first of these three, Design. The newly adjusted ribbon looks like this (if you are working at a resolution higher than 1024x768, you see more items in the Chart Styles group):

The Design tab includes all the ribbon items you’re most likely to need as you begin working with a newly created chart.