How to Edit Charts in Excel

After creating a chart in Excel, the next step is often customizing it so the information is easier to understand. Excel provides many tools that allow you to edit charts, including adding titles, adjusting gridlines, displaying data labels and changing colors. This tutorial demonstrates several ways to modify charts and graphs using the Chart Tools interface.

Selecting a Chart

Before making any changes, the chart must be selected.

To select a chart:

Move the pointer over the chart area
When the four-arrow cursor appears, click the chart

When the chart is selected:

the underlying data becomes highlighted in the worksheet
the Chart Tools tabs appear on the ribbon

These tabs contain the commands used to modify the chart.

Using Chart Styles

Excel includes Chart Styles, which are preconfigured sets of formatting options.

You can preview each style by placing your cursor over the available styles in the Design tab. Excel will temporarily show how the chart would look if that style were applied.

Although these styles can be useful, many users prefer to adjust individual chart elements instead.

Using “Add Chart Element”

Most chart adjustments can be found under:

Chart Tools → Design → Add Chart Element

This menu allows you to modify individual parts of the chart, including:

gridlines
titles
data labels
legends

When you move the cursor over an option, Excel shows a preview of how the chart will change.

Adding and Removing Gridlines

Gridlines help the reader visually estimate values on the chart.

To modify gridlines:

Select the chart
Go to Add Chart Element → Gridlines
Turn specific gridlines on or off

You can enable or disable:

primary major horizontal gridlines
primary major vertical gridlines
minor gridlines

Whether gridlines improve the chart often depends on how much detail you want to show.

Adding Data Labels

Data labels display the exact value for each data point directly on the chart.

To add them:

Select the chart
Go to Add Chart Element → Data Labels
Choose a label position

Common options include:

center
inside end
outside end

Displaying labels outside the chart elements often makes them easier to read.

Editing Individual Data Labels

Excel allows you to format a single label separately from the others.

When you click a data label:

the first click selects all labels
the second click selects only one label

Once a single label is selected, you can:

change the font size
make the text bold
move the label to another location

This can be useful when highlighting an important value.

Selecting Individual Data Points

Charts also allow individual data points to be selected.

For example, in a pie chart:

the first click selects the entire chart series
the second click selects a single slice

Once selected, you can drag the slice outward to emphasize it or apply different formatting.

Adding Chart Titles and Legends

Charts can include several elements that help explain the data.

Using Add Chart Element, you can add or modify:

Chart Title

Titles can appear:

above the chart
as a centered overlay

You can double-click the title to edit the text.

Legend

The legend connects colors in the chart to the data categories. The legend can be placed at the:

bottom
top
left
right

It can also be resized and formatted like any other text.

Resizing and Formatting Chart Elements

Many chart components can be resized or repositioned.

For example:

titles
legends
labels

Once selected, these elements can be resized by dragging the corner handles.

You can also change their font size using the Font commands on the Home tab.

Excel automatically adjusts the chart layout when these elements change size.

Changing Chart Colors

Charts can also be customized by changing colors.

To do this:

Select the chart element you want to modify
Go to Chart Tools → Format
Choose Format Selection

A panel will appear allowing you to modify:

fill color
outline
effects

For example, individual slices of a pie chart can be assigned different colors to make the chart easier to interpret.

Two Ways to Modify Chart Elements

In Excel there are often multiple ways to achieve the same result.

You can modify chart elements by:

Method 1

Chart Tools → Design → Add Chart Element

Method 2

Chart Tools → Format → Format Selection

Exploring both approaches will help you discover which method is easiest for you to remember.