How to Format Excel Charts – Shiksha Online

The article discusses how to format Excel Charts using real data sets. Learn how to change data labels, insert image, edit chart data, etc.

Now that you know how to create a chart in Excel, you should learn how to format MS Excel Charts. Excel allows you to format chart styles, colors, data labels, and other elements. These elements can help improve your office reports’ aesthetics and highlight chart data.

Content

• Colors, Textures, And Gradient Fill
• Number Formats, Axis Scale, and Tick Marks
• Formatting Data Series

Colors, Textures, and Gradient Fill

You can apply colors, borders, and fill effects to data markers, chart area, plot area, and other elements to your excel charts.

Change the Colors, Patterns, Lines, Fills, and Borders of Charts

With Excel features, you can –

• Change chart colors
• Apply a texture or pattern
• Change the line width or border style of data markers, graphics area, plot area, gridlines, axes, and tick marks on 2D and 3D charts
• Error data bars on 2D charts
• Side planes and bottom plane on 3D charts

To format the elements of a chart –

• Double-click the chart element you want to change and hover onto the Format Plot Area section

• Click the Patterns tab and choose the desired options 

• Click Fill Effects, Gradient, Texture, or Pattern tab, as required, to specify a fill effect

Use an Image in a Chart

Attaching images to your chart can be used as data markers. To attach images to your chart –

• Click the chart area, locate the Insert tab
• Click on Pictures
• Pick the picture of your choice, and double-click to insert picture 

Tip: For multiple pictures, press CTRL and keep on clicking on multiple pictures to insert.

Number Formats, Axis Scale, and Tick Marks

You can specify the range of chart data ​​displayed on the value axis. The range can be changed along the axis. Additionally, you can indicate whether an axis has tick marks.

Change Number Formats in Charts

If you change the number format of a chart, the number format is no longer linked to the spreadsheet cells.

• To format labels on an axis, double-click the corresponding horizontal or vertical axis
• To format data labels or a trend line label, double-click the element
• On the Number tab, select the options that you want

Change Axis Labels in a Chart

A label identifies each category on the horizontal axis. You can change the intervals at which these labels and minor tick marks appear. You can specify the location of the value (Y) axis to cross the category (X) axis on 2D charts.

• Right-click or double-click the category axis labels you need to format
• Click Font

• Pick the desired formatting options 

• Hover on to the Character Spacing tab to choose the spacing options

You can format text in a chart the same way you would any other text. Click on the text or element and change its font, size, color, etc. To format the text, click the Format Toolbar and choose the required option.

Change the Font and Size of the Text in a Chart

If the chart title or text box is linked to a spreadsheet cell, all characters in the title or text box can be reformatted simultaneously. However, we cannot format the individual characters.

• Click the text in the chart or select the individual characters you want to format.
• Format the text on your chart as suggested in below table – 

To apply to text	Click on
Change font	The font you want in the Font box
Change font size	The font you want in the Font Size box
Bold, Italics, Underline
Highlighting or changing colors, pick selected colors

Text Alignment in Chart Titles 

To align the text in chart titles –

• Go to the Format tab
• Locate the Current Selection group and click Format Selection

• Locate Format Chart Area -> Text Options 

• Click on Text Options and align the text as required

Tip: To change the horizontal alignment of selected text box and chart titles, click Align Left, Center, or Right on the Formatting toolbar.

Formatting Data Series

To modify the data series on the chart:

• Click the data series whose format needs to be changed
• Click on the Format menu (Marked 1 on the image), then move to Format Selection (Marked 2). You will see the Format Axis appearing on the extreme right (Marked 3)

•  Locate the Labels option and select the Label Options you want to apply 

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