Looking to create a Column Chart with Red Colors for Negative Bars in Google Sheets? Or maybe a Bar Chart with Red Colors for Negative Bars? While Google Sheets doesn’t offer a built-in “Invert if Negative” option like Excel, there’s a simple workaround that lets you visually separate positive and negative values with different colors—automatically.

Tip: You can try this tutorial directly in my sample sheet (make a copy to edit).

Default Column Chart Behavior in Google Sheets

Here’s what happens by default: when you insert a chart from a data range containing positive and negative values, all bars appear in the same color. There’s no built-in way to make negative bars red—at least not directly.

For example, take the following sample data (Sheet1, range A1:B13):

To create a basic Column Chart:

1. Select A1:B13.
2. Go to Insert > Chart.
3. In the Chart Editor under the Setup tab, set the Chart Type to “Column chart”.

You’ll now see a chart where both positive and negative bars are the same color.

How to Create a Column Chart with Red Colors for Negative Bars in Google Sheets

Here’s how to make the negative bars red using a clever data formatting trick.

In a new sheet:

• A2: =Sheet1!A2
• B2: =IF(Sheet1!B2>0, Sheet1!B2, ) (Positive values)
• C2: =IF(Sheet1!B2<0, Sheet1!B2, ) (Negative values)

Drag the formulas down to row 13. You’ll now have:

• Column A: Month
• Column B: Positive values only
• Column C: Negative values only

Select A2:C13 and insert a Column Chart. Under the Setup tab:

• Chart Type: Column chart
• Stacking: None
• X-axis: A2:A13
• Series: Columns B2:B13 and C2:C13

You’ve now created a Column Chart with Red Colors for Negative Bars in Google Sheets—with color automatically based on value sign.

To customize the bar colors:

1. Go to Customize > Series in the Chart editor.
2. Assign a standard color (e.g., blue) to the positive values series.
3. Assign red or orange to the negative values series.

What If I Have Two Series?

Let’s say you’re comparing profits/losses from two regions. Try this sample data (Sheet3, A1:C13):

Now format the data in Sheet4:

• A2: =Sheet3!A2
• B2: =IF(Sheet3!B2>0, Sheet3!B2, )
• C2: =IF(Sheet3!B2<0, Sheet3!B2, )
• D2: =IF(Sheet3!C2>0, Sheet3!C2, )
• E2: =IF(Sheet3!C2<0, Sheet3!C2, )

Drag these down to row 13. In A1:E1, label the columns: Month, Region A +, Region A -, Region B +, Region B -

Select A1:E13 and insert a chart:

• Chart Type: Column chart (or Bar chart if preferred)
• Under Customize > Series, assign colors:
  • Use blue for Region A + and Region B +
  • Use red for Region A - and Region B -

You now have a Bar Chart with Red Colors for Negative Bars in Google Sheets, perfectly visualizing both regional gains and losses.

Final Tips

• You can turn off the legend under Customize > Legend > Position: None for a cleaner look.
• The same logic applies whether you’re creating a column chart or a bar chart—the key is splitting the data into positive and negative series.

Additional Resources

• How to Change Data Point Colors in Charts in Google Sheets
• Multi-Color Gantt Chart in Google Sheets
• Google Sheets Bar and Column Chart with Target Coloring
• Automate Multi-Colored Line Charts in Google Sheets