If you choose a layout option that includes a title, Excel provides the title for you. If your chart doesn’t already have a title, you can add one by selecting any part of your chart, clicking the Layout tab under Chart Tools, and then clicking Chart Title in the Labels group. On the menu that appears, click either Centered Overlay Title or Above Chart. The former places the title within the plot area. The latter centers it above the plot area, reducing the size of the plot area to make room. If you need to adjust the position of the title, select it, and drag its bounding rectangle.

However you create the title, you might have to edit its default text. (Except when you plot a single data series with an adjacent cell containing text, Excel doesn’t try to pluck a chart’s title from the worksheet.) Figure 19-1 shows how your chart might look with a default title and legend. To enter a meaningful title on a chart like this, begin by selecting the default title. Excel responds by enclosing the title in a rectangle with corner handles. The simplest way to enter the text you want is by clicking the formula bar (above the worksheet) and typing. Alternatively, you can select the text you want to replace (Chart Title, or whatever else is currently there) and edit it.

Figure 19-1. If the chart layout you select includes a title, Excel creates one for you—but you’ll probably have to edit the text.

To remove a title, select it, and press Delete. If you see an insertion point in the title when you select it, you can press Esc and then press Delete.