Fix Excel Map Chart Not Displaying All London Boroughs or UK Regions
Question details
Users are unable to plot specific UK regions and London boroughs on Excel map charts due to location recognition failures.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Creating a map chart using UK geographic data and specific London boroughs.
- Observed behavior
- Certain areas such as Barnet, Bromley, Lambeth, and Westminster remain unplotted because Excel's Geography data types fail to recognize the regions.
Ensure your device is connected to the internet, as Excel relies on an active connection to Bing Maps to resolve Geography data types. Verify that your geographic data is organized clearly in a single column without any blank cells.
Use Fully Qualified Geographic Names
Update your location data to include broader geographic context, helping Bing Maps accurately identify and map the specific boroughs.
Excel's map charts rely heavily on the Bing Maps database to match text to geographic polygons. When locations share names or are too granular (like specific boroughs), Excel may fail to plot them unless you provide the full geographic hierarchy.
Instead of just entering the borough name like "Barnet", update the cell to a fully qualified string such as "Barnet, Greater London, England, United Kingdom".
Select the updated cells, navigate to the 'Data' tab on the ribbon, and click 'Geography' in the Data Types group.
Look for the map card icon next to the cell value, which indicates Excel has successfully recognized the exact geographic location.
Select the newly recognized data range, go to the 'Insert' tab, click 'Maps', and select 'Filled Map' to generate the updated visualization.
Seek Assistance in Microsoft Mapping Forums
If the locations are still unplotted despite using fully qualified names, the underlying Bing Maps geographic database may lack the necessary polygon data for those specific regions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Excel show a question mark next to my geographic data?
A question mark indicates Excel and Bing Maps cannot confidently match the text to a specific location. You need to click the question mark to open the Data Selector pane and search for the correct location manually.
Can I manually draw custom regions on an Excel map chart?
No, Excel's Filled Map charts strictly rely on predefined Bing Maps polygons. If Bing Maps does not have the boundary data for a specific UK region or London borough, you cannot manually add or draw it onto the map chart.
Do I need an active subscription to use Geography data types?
Yes, Geography data types and Map Charts in Excel are premium features that require a Microsoft 365 subscription and an active internet connection to access the Bing Maps backend service.
How do I fix the 'Map chart needs geographical data' error?
Ensure your data is properly formatted as a Geography data type by selecting your location cells, navigating to the Data tab, and clicking 'Geography'. Be sure to include standard geographic identifiers like country or region alongside your local names to assist recognition.
