Update the data in an existing chart

If you need to change data in a chart, you can do it from its source.

WindowsmacOS

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Create a chart from a table

1. Select the cells you want to use.

2. Select Insert > Recommended Charts.

3. Select the chart type you want, and select OK.

Update a chart source

• With your table linked to a chart, make updates in your table and you'll see the changes reflected in the chart.

Which version of Office are you using?



• Which version of Office are you using?
• Office 2016 for Mac
• Office for Mac 2011

Word

After you create a chart, you can edit the data in the Excel sheet. The changes will be reflected in the chart in Word.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. Click the chart.

3. On the Chart Design tab, click Edit Data in Excel.

   Excel opens and displays the data table for the chart.

   

4. To change the number of rows and columns that are included in the chart, rest the pointer on the lower-right corner of the selected data, and then drag to select additional data. In the following example, the table is expanded to include additional categories and data series.

   

5. To add data to or edit data in a cell, click the cell, and then make the change.

6. To see the results of your changes, switch to Word.

After you create a chart, you might want to change the way that table rows and columns are plotted in the chart.  For example, your first version of a chart might plot the rows of data from the table on the chart's vertical (value) axis, and the columns of data on the horizontal (category) axis. In the following example, the chart emphasizes sales by instrument.

However, if you want the chart to emphasize the sales by month, you can reverse the way the chart is plotted.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. Click the chart.

3. On the Chart Design tab, click Switch Row/Column.

   Switch Row/Column is available only when the chart's Excel data table is open and only for certain chart types. If Switch Row/Column is not available:

   1. Click the chart.

   2. On the Chart Design tab, click Edit Data in Excel.

To change the order of a data series, you need to work with a chart that has more than one data series.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. In the chart, select a data series. For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all the columns of that data series become selected.

3. On the Chart Design tab, click Select Data.

4. In the Select Data Source dialog box, next to Legend entries (Series), use the up and down arrows to move the series up or down in the list.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

   Note: For most chart types, changing the order of the data series affects both the legend and the chart itself.

5. Click OK.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. In the chart, select a data series. For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all columns of that data series become selected.

3. On the Chart Design tab, click Select Data.

4. In the Select Data Source dialog box, do one of the following.

   To	Do this
   Remove a series	Under Legend entries (Series), select the data series that you want to remove, and then click Remove (-).
   Add a series	Under Legend entries (Series), click Add (+), and then in the Excel sheet, select all the data that you want to include in the chart.

5. Click OK.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. In the chart, select a data series. For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all the columns of that data series become selected.

3. Click the Format tab.

4. Under Chart Element Styles, click the arrow next to Fill  , and then click the color that you want.

You can add labels to show the data point values from the Excel sheet in the chart.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Design tab.

3. Click Add Chart Element, and then click Data Labels.

4. Select the location in which you want the data label to appear (for example, select Outside End).

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Design tab.

3. Click Add Chart Element, and then click Data Table.

4. Select the options that you want.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

When you create a chart from data that uses dates, and the dates are plotted along the horizontal axis in the chart, Office automatically changes the horizontal axis to a date (time-scale) axis. You can also manually change a horizontal axis to a date axis. A date axis displays dates in chronological order at set intervals or base units, such as the number of days, months, or years, even if the dates on the Excel sheet are not in sequential order or in the same base units.

By default, Office uses the smallest difference between any two dates in the data to determine the base units for the date axis. For example, if you have data for stock prices where the smallest difference between dates is seven days, Office sets the base unit to days. However, you can change the base unit to months or years if you want to see the performance of the stock over a longer time.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Design tab.

3. Click Add Chart Element, click Axes, and then click More Axis Options. The Format Axis pane appears.

4. For the axis that you want to change, make sure that the axis labels show.

5. Under Axis Type, click Date axis.

6. Under Units, in the Base drop-down list box, select Days, Months, or Years.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

Note: If you follow this procedure and your chart does not display the dates as a time-scale axis, make sure that the axis labels are written in date format in the Excel table, such as 05/01/08 or May-08. To learn more about how to format cells as dates, see Display dates, times, currency, fractions, or percentages.

PowerPoint

After you create a chart, you can edit the data in the Excel sheet. The changes will be reflected in the chart in PowerPoint.

1. Click the chart.

2. On the Chart Design tab, click Edit Data in Excel.

   Excel opens and displays the data table for the chart.

   

3. To change the number of rows and columns that are included in the chart, rest the pointer on the lower-right corner of the selected data, and then drag to select additional data. In the following example, the table is expanded to include additional categories and data series.

   

4. To add data to or edit data in a cell, click the cell, and then make the change.

5. To see your changes, switch to PowerPoint.

After you create a chart, you might want to change the way that table rows and columns are plotted in the chart.  For example, your first version of a chart might plot the rows of data from the table on the chart's vertical (value) axis, and the columns of data on the horizontal (category) axis. In the following example, the chart emphasizes sales by instrument.

However, if you want the chart to emphasize the sales by month, you can reverse the way the chart is plotted.

1. Click the chart.

2. On the Chart Design tab, select Switch Row/Column.

   Switch Row/Column is available only when the chart's Excel data table is open and only for certain chart types. If Switch Row/Column is not available:

   1. Click the chart.

   2. On the Chart Design tab, click Edit Data in Excel.

To change the order of a data series, you need to work with a chart that has more than one data series.

1. In the chart, select a data series. For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all the columns of that data series become selected.

2. On the Chart Design tab, click Select Data.

3. In the Select Data Source dialog box, next to Legend entries (Series), use the up and down arrows to move the series up or down in the list.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

   Note: For most chart types, changing the order of the data series affects both the legend and the chart itself.

4. Click OK.

1. In the chart, select a data series. For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all columns of that data series become selected.

2. Click the Chart Design tab, and then click Select Data.

3. In the Select Data Source dialog box, do one of the following.

   To	Do this
   Remove a series	Under Legend entries (Series), select the data series that you want to remove, and then click Remove (-).
   Add a series	Under Legend entries (Series), click Add (+), and then in the Excel sheet, select all the data that you want to include in the chart.

4. Click OK.

1. In the chart, select a data series. For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all the columns of that data series become selected.

2. Click the Format tab.

3. Under Chart Element Styles, click the arrow next to Fill  , and then click the color that you want.

You can add labels to show the data point values from the Excel sheet in the chart.

1. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Design tab.

2. Click Add Chart Element, and then click Data Labels.

3. Select the location in which you want the data label to appear (for example, select Outside End).

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

1. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Design tab.

2. Click Add Chart Element, and then click Data Table.

3. Select the options that you want.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

When you create a chart from data that uses dates, and the dates are plotted along the horizontal axis in the chart, Office automatically changes the horizontal axis to a date (time-scale) axis. You can also manually change a horizontal axis to a date axis. A date axis displays dates in chronological order at set intervals or base units, such as the number of days, months, or years, even if the dates on the Excel sheet are not in sequential order or in the same base units.

By default, Office uses the smallest difference between any two dates in the data to determine the base units for the date axis. For example, if you have data for stock prices where the smallest difference between dates is seven days, Office sets the base unit to days. However, you can change the base unit to months or years if you want to see the performance of the stock over a longer time.

1. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Design tab.

2. Click Add Chart Element, click Axes, and then click More Axis Options. The Format Axis pane appears.

3. For the axis that you want to change, make sure that the axis labels show.

4. Under Axis Type, select Date axis.

5. Under Units, in the Base drop-down list box, select Days, Months, or Years.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

Note: If you follow this procedure and your chart does not display the dates as a time-scale axis, make sure that the axis labels are written in date format in the Excel table, such as 05/01/08 or May-08. To learn more about how to format cells as dates, see Display dates, times, currency, fractions, or percentages.

Excel

After you create a chart, you can edit the data in the Excel sheet. The changes will be reflected in the chart.

1. Click the chart.

   Excel highlights the data table that is used for the chart. The gray fill indicates a row or column used for the category axis. The red fill indicates a row or column that contains data series labels. The blue fill indicates data points plotted in the chart.

   

   Data series labels

   Values for the category axis

   Data points plotted in the chart

2. To change the number of rows and columns that are included in the chart, rest the pointer on the lower-right corner of the selected data, and then drag to select additional data. In the following example, the table is expanded to include additional categories and data series.

   

   Tip: To prevent that data from being displayed in the chart, you can hide rows and columns in the table.

3. To add data to or edit data in a cell, click the cell, and then make the change.

After you create a chart, you might want to change the way that table rows and columns are plotted in the chart.  For example, your first version of a chart might plot the rows of data from the table on the chart's vertical (value) axis, and the columns of data on the horizontal (category) axis. In the following example, the chart emphasizes sales by instrument.

However, if you want the chart to emphasize the sales by month, you can reverse the way the chart is plotted.

1. Click the chart.

2. On the Chart Design tab, click Switch Row/Column.

To change the order of a data series, you need to work with a chart that has more than one data series.

1. In the chart, select a data series. For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all the columns of that data series become selected.

2. On the Chart Design tab, click Select Data.

3. In the Select Data Source dialog box, next to Legend entries (Series), use the up and down arrows to move the series up or down in the list.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

   Note: For most chart types, changing the order of the data series affects both the legend and the chart itself.

4. Click OK.

1. In the chart, select a data series. For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all columns of that data series become selected.

2. Click the Chart Design tab, and then click Select Data.

3. In the Select Data Source dialog box, do one of the following.

   To	Do this
   Remove a series	Under Legend entries (Series), select the data series that you want to remove, and then click Remove (-).
   Add a series	Under Legend entries (Series), click Add (+), and then in the Excel sheet, select all the data that you want to include in the chart.

4. Click OK.

1. In the chart, select a data series. For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all the columns of that data series become selected..

2. Click the Format tab.

3. Under Chart Element Styles, click the arrow next to Fill  , and then click the color that you want.

   Tip: To vary the color by data point in a chart that has only one data series, click the series, and then click the Format tab. Click Fill, and then depending on the chart, select the Vary color by point check box or the Vary color by slice check box. Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

You can add labels to show the data point values from the Excel sheet in the chart.

1. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Design tab.

2. Click Add Chart Element, and then click Data Labels.

3. Select the location in which you want the data label to appear (for example, select Outside End).

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

1. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Design tab.

2. Click Add Chart Element, and then click Data Table.

3. Select the options that you want.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

When you create a chart from data that uses dates, and the dates are plotted along the horizontal axis in the chart, Office automatically changes the horizontal axis to a date (time-scale) axis. You can also manually change a horizontal axis to a date axis. A date axis displays dates in chronological order at set intervals or base units, such as the number of days, months, or years, even if the dates on the Excel sheet are not in sequential order or in the same base units.

By default, Office uses the smallest difference between any two dates in the data to determine the base units for the date axis. For example, if you have data for stock prices where the smallest difference between dates is seven days, Office sets the base unit to days. However, you can change the base unit to months or years if you want to see the performance of the stock over a longer time.

1. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Design tab.

2. Click Add Chart Element, click Axes, and then click More Axis Options. The Format Axis pane appears.

3. For the axis that you want to change, make sure that the axis labels show.

4. Under Axis Type, select Date axis.

5. Under Units, in the Base drop-down list box, select Days, Months, or Years.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

Note: If you follow this procedure and your chart does not display the dates as a time-scale axis, make sure that the axis labels are written in date format in the Excel table, such as 05/01/08 or May-08. To learn more about how to format cells as dates, see Display dates, times, currency, fractions, or percentages.

Word

After you create a chart, you can edit the data in the Excel sheet. The changes will be reflected in the chart in Word.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. Click the chart.

3. On the Charts tab, under Data, click the arrow next to Edit, and then click Edit Data in Excel.

   

   Excel opens and displays the data table for the chart.

   

4. To change the number of rows and columns that are included in the chart, rest the pointer on the lower-right corner of the selected data, and then drag to select additional data. In the following example, the table is expanded to include additional categories and data series.

   

5. To add data to or edit data in a cell, click the cell, and then make the change.

6. To see the results of your changes, switch to Word.

After you create a chart, you might want to change the way that table rows and columns are plotted in the chart.  For example, your first version of a chart might plot the rows of data from the table on the chart's vertical (value) axis, and the columns of data on the horizontal (category) axis. In the following example, the chart emphasizes sales by instrument.

However, if you want the chart to emphasize the sales by month, you can reverse the way the chart is plotted.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. Click the chart.

3. On the Charts tab, under Data, click Plot series by row   or Plot series by column   .

   

   If Switch Plot is not available

   Switch Plot is available only when the chart's Excel data table is open and only for certain chart types.

   1. Click the chart.

   2. On the Charts tab, under Data, click the arrow next to Edit, and then click Edit Data in Excel.

To change the order of a data series, you need to work with a chart that has more than one data series.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. In the chart, select a data series, and then click the Chart Layout tab.

   For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all the columns of that data series become selected.

3. Under Current Selection, click Format Selection.

   

4. In the navigation pane, click Order, click a series name, and then click Move Up or Move Down.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

   Note: For most chart types, changing the order of the data series affects both the legend and the chart itself.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. In the chart, select a data series, and then click the Charts tab.

   For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all columns of that data series become selected.

3. Under Data, click the arrow next to Edit, and then click Select Data in Excel.

   

4. In the Select Data Source dialog box, do one of the following.

   To	Do this
   Remove a series	Under Series, select the data series that you want to remove, and then click Remove.
   Add a series	Under Series, click Add, and then in the Excel sheet, select all the data that you want to include in the chart.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. In the chart, select a data series, and then click the Format tab.

   For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all the columns of that data series become selected.

3. Under Chart Element Styles, click the arrow next to Fill  , and then click the color that you want.

   Tip: To vary the color by data point in a chart that has only one data series, click the series, and then click the Chart Layout tab. Under Current Selection, click Format Selection. In the navigation pane, click Fill, and then depending on the chart, select the Vary color by point check box or the Vary color by slice check box. Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

You can add labels to show the data point values from the Excel sheet in the chart.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Layout tab.

3. Under Labels, click Data Labels, and then in the upper part of the list, click the data label type that you want.

   

4. Under Labels, click Data Labels, and then in the lower part of the list, click where you want the data label to appear.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Layout tab.

3. Under Labels, click Data Table, and then click the option that you want.

   

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

When you create a chart from data that uses dates, and the dates are plotted along the horizontal axis in the chart, Office automatically changes the horizontal axis to a date (time-scale) axis. You can also manually change a horizontal axis to a date axis. A date axis displays dates in chronological order at set intervals or base units, such as the number of days, months, or years, even if the dates on the Excel sheet are not in sequential order or in the same base units.

By default, Office uses the smallest difference between any two dates in the data to determine the base units for the date axis. For example, if you have data for stock prices where the smallest difference between dates is seven days, Office sets the base unit to days. However, you can change the base unit to months or years if you want to see the performance of the stock over a longer time.

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.

2. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Layout tab.

3. For the axis that you want to change, make sure that the axis labels show.

4. Under Axes, click Axes, point to Horizontal Axis, and then click Axis Options.

   

5. In the navigation pane, click Scale, and then under Horizontal axis type, click Date.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

Note: If you follow this procedure and your chart does not display the dates as a time-scale axis, make sure that the axis labels are written in date format in the Excel table, such as 05/01/08 or May-08. To learn more about how to format cells as dates, see Display dates, times, currency, fractions, or percentages.

PowerPoint

After you create a chart, you can edit the data in the Excel sheet. The changes will be reflected in the chart in PowerPoint.

1. Click the chart.

2. On the Charts tab, under Data, click the arrow next to Edit, and then click Edit Data in Excel.

   

   Excel opens and displays the data table for the chart.

   

3. To change the number of rows and columns that are included in the chart, rest the pointer on the lower-right corner of the selected data, and then drag to select additional data. In the following example, the table is expanded to include additional categories and data series.

   

4. To add data to or edit data in a cell, click the cell, and then make the change.

5. To see your changes, switch to PowerPoint.

After you create a chart, you might want to change the way that table rows and columns are plotted in the chart.  For example, your first version of a chart might plot the rows of data from the table on the chart's vertical (value) axis, and the columns of data on the horizontal (category) axis. In the following example, the chart emphasizes sales by instrument.

However, if you want the chart to emphasize the sales by month, you can reverse the way the chart is plotted.

1. Click the chart.

2. On the Charts tab, under Data, click Plot series by row   or Plot series by column   .

   

   If Switch Plot is not available

   Switch Plot is available only when the chart's Excel data table is open and only for certain chart types.

   1. Click the chart.

   2. On the Charts tab, under Data, click the arrow next to Edit, and then click Edit Data in Excel.

To change the order of a data series, you need to work with a chart that has more than one data series.

1. In the chart, select a data series, and then click the Chart Layout tab.

   For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all the columns of that data series become selected.

2. Under Current Selection, click Format Selection.

   

3. In the navigation pane, click Order, click a series name, and then click Move Up or Move Down.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

   Note: For most chart types, changing the order of the data series affects both the legend and the chart itself.

1. In the chart, select a data series, and then click the Charts tab.

   For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all columns of that data series become selected.

2. Under Data, click the arrow next to Edit, and then click Select Data in Excel.

   

3. In the Select Data Source dialog box, do one of the following.

   To	Do this
   Remove a series	Under Series, select the data series that you want to remove, and then click Remove.
   Add a series	Under Series, click Add, and then in the Excel sheet, select all the data that you want to include in the chart.

1. In the chart, select a data series, and then click the Format tab.

   For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all the columns of that data series become selected.

2. Under Chart Element Styles, click the arrow next to Fill  , and then click the color that you want.

   Tip: To vary the color by data point in a chart that has only one data series, click the series, and then click the Chart Layout tab. Under Current Selection, click Format Selection. In the navigation pane, click Fill, and then depending on the chart, select the Vary color by point check box or the Vary color by slice check box. Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

You can add labels to show the data point values from the Excel sheet in the chart.

1. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Layout tab.

2. Under Labels, click Data Labels, and then in the upper part of the list, click the data label type that you want.

   

3. Under Labels, click Data Labels, and then in the lower part of the list, click where you want the data label to appear.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

1. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Layout tab.

2. Under Labels, click Data Table, and then click the option that you want.

   

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

When you create a chart from data that uses dates, and the dates are plotted along the horizontal axis in the chart, Office automatically changes the horizontal axis to a date (time-scale) axis. You can also manually change a horizontal axis to a date axis. A date axis displays dates in chronological order at set intervals or base units, such as the number of days, months, or years, even if the dates on the Excel sheet are not in sequential order or in the same base units.

By default, Office uses the smallest difference between any two dates in the data to determine the base units for the date axis. For example, if you have data for stock prices where the smallest difference between dates is seven days, Office sets the base unit to days. However, you can change the base unit to months or years if you want to see the performance of the stock over a longer time.

1. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Layout tab.

2. For the axis that you want to change, make sure that the axis labels show.

3. Under Axes, click Axes, point to Horizontal Axis, and then click Axis Options.

   

4. In the navigation pane, click Scale, and then under Horizontal axis type, click Date.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

Note: If you follow this procedure and your chart does not display the dates as a time-scale axis, make sure that the axis labels are written in date format in the Excel table, such as 05/01/08 or May-08. To learn more about how to format cells as dates, see Display dates, times, currency, fractions, or percentages.

Excel

After you create a chart, you can edit the data in the Excel sheet. The changes will be reflected in the chart.

1. Click the chart.

   Excel highlights the data table that is used for the chart. A purple outline indicates a row or column used for the category axis. A green outline indicates a row or column that contains data series labels. A blue outline indicates data points plotted in the chart.

   

   Data series labels

   Values for the category axis

   Data points plotted in the chart

2. To change the number of rows and columns that are included in the chart, rest the pointer on the lower-right corner of the selected data, and then drag to select additional data. In the following example, the table is expanded to include additional categories and data series.

   

   Tip: To prevent that data from being displayed in the chart, you can hide rows and columns in the table.

3. To add data to or edit data in a cell, click the cell, and then make the change.

After you create a chart, you might want to change the way that table rows and columns are plotted in the chart.  For example, your first version of a chart might plot the rows of data from the table on the chart's vertical (value) axis, and the columns of data on the horizontal (category) axis. In the following example, the chart emphasizes sales by instrument.

However, if you want the chart to emphasize the sales by month, you can reverse the way the chart is plotted.

1. Click the chart.

2. On the Charts tab, under Data, click Plot series by row   or Plot series by column   .

   

To change the order of a data series, you need to work with a chart that has more than one data series.

1. In the chart, select a data series, and then click the Chart Layout tab.

   For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all the columns of that data series become selected.

2. Under Current Selection, click Format Selection.

   

3. In the navigation pane, click Order, click a series name, and then click Move Up or Move Down.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

   Note: For most chart types, changing the order of the data series affects both the legend and the chart itself.

1. In the chart, select a data series, and then click the Charts tab.

   For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all columns of that data series become selected.

2. Under Data, click Select.

   

3. In the Select Data Source dialog box, do one of the following.

   To	Do this
   Remove a series	Under Series, select the data series that you want to remove, and then click Remove.
   Add a series	Under Series, click Add, and then in the Excel sheet, select all the data that you want to include in the chart.

1. In the chart, select a data series, and then click the Format tab.

   For example, in a column chart, click a column, and all the columns of that data series become selected.

2. Under Chart Element Styles, click the arrow next to Fill  , and then click the color that you want.

   Tip: To vary the color by data point in a chart that has only one data series, click the series, and then click the Chart Layout tab. Under Current Selection, click Format Selection. In the navigation pane, click Fill, and then depending on the chart, select the Vary color by point check box or the Vary color by slice check box. Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

You can add labels to show the data point values from the Excel sheet in the chart.

1. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Layout tab.

2. Under Labels, click Data Labels, and then in the upper part of the list, click the data label type that you want.

   

3. Under Labels, click Data Labels, and then in the lower part of the list, click where you want the data label to appear.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

1. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Layout tab.

2. Under Labels, click Data Table, and then click the option that you want.

   

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

When you create a chart from data that uses dates, and the dates are plotted along the horizontal axis in the chart, Office automatically changes the horizontal axis to a date (time-scale) axis. You can also manually change a horizontal axis to a date axis. A date axis displays dates in chronological order at set intervals or base units, such as the number of days, months, or years, even if the dates on the Excel sheet are not in sequential order or in the same base units.

By default, Office uses the smallest difference between any two dates in the data to determine the base units for the date axis. For example, if you have data for stock prices where the smallest difference between dates is seven days, Office sets the base unit to days. However, you can change the base unit to months or years if you want to see the performance of the stock over a longer time.

1. Click the chart, and then click the Chart Layout tab.

2. For the axis that you want to change, make sure that the axis labels show.

3. Under Axes, click Axes, point to Horizontal Axis, and then click Axis Options.

4. In the navigation pane, click Scale, and then under Horizontal axis type, click Date.

   Depending on the chart type, some options may not be available.

Note: If you follow this procedure and your chart does not display the dates as a time-scale axis, make sure that the axis labels are written in date format in the Excel table, such as 05/01/08 or May-08. To learn more about how to format cells as dates, see Display dates, times, currency, fractions, or percentages.

See Also

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