Adjust Chart Formatting in Excel

Excel provides various formatting options for charts. This How To explains how to adjust the scale of your chart, format data points, create trendlines, along with adding graphics to your chart.

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How To Adjust the Scale of Chart:

1. Activate the worksheet with the chart you want to modify.
2. Select the value axis you want to change.
3. From the Format menu choose Selected Axis.
4. Click the Scale tab.
5. Make the desired changes.
6. Click OK.

How to Format Data Points:

1. Select the data point you want to label.
2. From the Format menu choose Selected Data Point to open the Format Data Point dialog box.
3. Click the Data Labels tab.
4. Select the desired label option.
5. Click OK.

How To Create Trendlines:

You can create trendlines in charts to emphasize patterns of change in your data. Adding trendlines can help highlight important variations and make your charts easier to understand. Trendlines also can facilitate prediction and decision making.

1. Select the data series to which you want to add a trendline.
2. From the Chart menu choose Add Trendline to display the Add Trendline dialog box.
3. Select a trendline from the Trend/Regression type box.
4. Click OK

 

How To Add Graphics to your Chart:

1. Activate the sheet and chart you want to add a graphic to.
2. Observe the Drawing toolbar.
3. Click the appropriate button in the Drawing toolbar.
4. Click, hold, and drag the mouse on the chart to create the graphic. Release the mouse
5. Click outside the Chart to see the affect.