Customizing a Chart

Sometimes a series of columns, bars, or lines doesn’t properly express your data. To create the most informative chart possible, you might want to combine different chart types within a single chart. You can even add one or more axes so that your data can be presented with different scales.

Change a Data-Series Chart

  1. Click to select the chart if it isn’t already selected.

  2. Click to select the data series you want to change (or, on the Chart Tools Format tab, select the data series in the Chart Elements list box).

  3. On the Chart Tools Design tab, click the Change Chart Type button to display the Change Chart Type dialog box.

  4. Select the chart type that you want to use for the selected series.

  5. Click OK.

    Change a Data-Series Chart

Caution

Caution

Some chart types are incompatible, so Excel might not allow you to add one type of chart to another. In this case, you’ll need to experiment with different combinations of chart types to find out which ones work together.

Add an Axis

  1. Click to select the chart if it isn’t already selected.

  2. On the Chart Tools Format tab, select the data series in the Chart Elements list box.

  3. Click the Format Selection button to display the Format Data Series dialog box.

  4. Select this option to have the data plotted against a second axis, and then click Close.

  5. Format the axis just as you’d format any other element in the chart.

    Add an Axis
    Add an Axis

Tip

Tip

Clicking the Format Selection button displays different options, depending on the chart element you’ve selected. This button is a powerful tool for customizing individual items in a chart.

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