How to Create Charts and Graphs in Airtable (Step-by-Step Guide)

Visualizing data through charts and graphs makes it easier to spot trends, compare information, and communicate insights at a glance. Instead of sifting through rows of data, a well-designed chart can tell the story in seconds.

Airtable’s Chart Extension allows you to create charts directly within your base—no need for third-party tools or complicated setups. In this article, I’ll walk you through how to install the extension and start building charts in just a few steps.

Note: Extensions are only available on paid plans. If you are on a free plan, you won’t be able to use this feature.

Step 1: Install the Chart Extension

Before you can create charts, you need to add the Chart Extension to your Airtable base. Here’s how:

• Open your Airtable base.

• Click on the Extensions button in the top-right corner.

• In the Extensions Marketplace, search for Chart.

• Click Install to add the extension to your base.

That’s it! Now you’re ready to start visualizing your data.

Step 2: Prepare Your Data

A great chart starts with well-structured data. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you begin:

• Ensure your table has clear column names and consistent formatting (e.g., dates, numbers, or categories).

• Use Views to filter or group your data so that you’re only working with relevant information.

Once your data is organized, you’re ready to create a chart.

Step 3: Build Your Chart

Now comes the fun part—turning your data into a visual story. Follow these steps:

• Open the Chart Extension from the Extensions menu.

• Select the table you want to pull data from.

• Choose a View of that table—the extension will use the data from this view.

• Pick a Chart Type based on what you want to display:

  • Bar charts for comparing categories

  • Line charts for tracking trends over time

  • Pie charts for showing proportions

• Map your data fields to the chart axes. For example, in a bar chart, you might place Task Name on the X-axis and Priority on the Y-axis.

• Optionally, group by a third field—each group gets its own color, helping to visually distinguish different data points.

• Customize your chart by adding a title, adjusting colors, or enabling legends, data labels, and tooltips for additional details.

• Click Done—and you're done!

Once your chart is ready, you can save it directly in Airtable. It remains interactive and updates automatically as your data changes, so you don’t have to recreate the chart every time new data is added.

You can also use your charts within Airtable’s Interface Designer to build custom dashboards, making it easier for your team to analyze and interact with data in one place.

Currently, Airtable does not support embedding charts outside the platform. However, you can take a screenshot of your chart to include it in presentations, documents, or websites.