Excel shall automatically choose the map and plot the heat map by analyzing the geographies in the input dataset. Microsoft Excel uses the Bing Maps API to create the heat map. So, you might get a prompt to allow Excel to share your dataset with Bing Maps. By default, Excel uses the Sequential (2-color) option to visualize the chart data series.

Creating a geographic heatmap in Excel is simple. To begin, click on ‘Insert’, then ‘Maps’, and choose ‘Filled Maps’. This action will display a blank map in your spreadsheet. Allocate one column for geographic locations and another for corresponding data. Enter your locations into the worksheet to place them on the map.

The heat map you create in Excel is based on the actual cell values and deleting them would destroy the heat map. To hide the cell values without removing them from the sheet, use custom number formatting. Here are the detailed steps: Select the heat map. Press Ctrl + 1 to open the Format Cells dialog.

For example, as a retail store owner, you want to find out which products sell more in specific seasons. With a heat map, you can easily identify the products visually rather than scanning tables containing many rows of data with your eyes. Join me as I explain the most popular and practical methods to plot Excel heat maps.