Manage a Chart

After you have created a chart, you can customize it to best present your data. You can format individual chart elements such as the title, chart area, plot area, data series, axes, and more.

Change the chart style

• Click the chart.
  

• On the Formatting Palette, click the Chart Style section.
  

• In the Chart Style section, click the up and down arrows to find a style that you like.

• Click on it and the style will be applied.

Format individual chart elements

• Click the chart.
  

• Position the pointer over the chart element that you want to format.
  

• Double-click the chart element that you want to format.
  

• Change the settings that you want.

Add a chart title or axis titles

• Click the chart.
• On the Formatting Palette, click the Chart Options section.
  

• Under Titles, use the pop-up menu to select Chart Title or an axis.
• Under the pop-up menu, click Click here to add title, and then type a title.

Change the scale of an axis

• Click the chart.
  

• For the axis that you want to change, make sure that the axis labels are showing.
• Hold down CONTROL, click an axis label, and then click Format Axis.
  

• In the navigation pane, click Scale, and then click the options that you want.

Add tick marks on an axis

• Click the chart.
• For the axis that you want to add tick marks to, make sure the axis labels are showing.
• Hold down CONTROL, click an axis label, and then click Format Axis.
• In the navigation pane, click Ticks, and then make your selections for major and minor tick mark types.
• To change the intervals between the tick marks, in the navigation pane, click Scale.

Change the position of axis labels

• Click the chart.
• For the axis that you want to change, make sure that the axis labels are showing.
• Hold down CONTROL, click an axis label, and then click Format Axis.
• In the navigation pane, click Ticks, and then under Axis labels, click an option.

Display and format gridlines

• Click the chart.
• On the Formatting Palette, click the Chart Options section.
  

• Under Gridlines, click the major and minor gridline options that you want.
  

• To change the scale and formatting of a set of gridlines, click the chart, and then position the mouse pointer over a gridline until the name of the gridlines appears in the tooltip, for example Vertical (Value) Axis Minor Gridlines.
• Double-click the gridline.
• The Format Gridlines dialog box opens.
• In the navigation pane, click Line, Shadow, or Scale, and then change the settings that you want.