# Create an alarm from a metric on a graph
<a name="create_alarm_metric_graph"></a>

You can graph a metric and then create an alarm from the metric on the graph, which has the benefit of populating many of the alarm fields for you.

**To create an alarm from a metric on a graph**

1. Open the CloudWatch console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Metrics**, **All metrics**.

1. Select a metric namespace (for example, **EC2**) and then a metric dimension (for example, **Per-Instance Metrics**).

1. The **All metrics** tab displays all metrics for that dimension in that namespace. To graph a metric, select the check box next to the metric.

1. To create an alarm for the metric, choose the **Graphed metrics** tab. For **Actions**, choose the alarm icon.  
![\[Create an alarm from a graphed metric\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/images/metric_graph_alarm.png)

1. Under **Conditions**, choose **Static** or **Anomaly detection** to specify whether to use a static threshold or anomaly detection model for the alarm.

   Depending on your choice, enter the rest of the data for the alarm conditions.

1. Choose **Additional configuration**. For **Datapoints to alarm**, specify how many evaluation periods (data points) must be in the `ALARM` state to trigger the alarm. If the two values here match, you create an alarm that goes to `ALARM` state if that many consecutive periods are breaching.

   To create an M out of N alarm, specify a lower number for the first value than you specify for the second value. For more information, see [Alarm evaluation](alarm-evaluation.md).

1. For **Missing data treatment**, choose how to have the alarm behave when some data points are missing. For more information, see [Configuring how CloudWatch alarms treat missing data](alarms-and-missing-data.md).

1. Choose **Next**.

1. Under **Notification**, select an SNS topic to notify when the alarm is in `ALARM` state, `OK` state, or `INSUFFICIENT_DATA` state.

   To have the alarm send multiple notifications for the same alarm state or for different alarm states, choose **Add notification**.

   To have the alarm not send notifications, choose **Remove**.

1. To have the alarm perform Auto Scaling or EC2 actions, choose the appropriate button and choose the alarm state and action to perform.

1. When finished, choose **Next**.

1. Enter a name and description for the alarm. The name must contain only ASCII characters. Then choose **Next**.

1. Under **Preview and create**, confirm that the information and conditions are what you want, then choose **Create alarm**.