How to Edit a Graph in Excel

Creating a basic graph in Excel takes just a few clicks, but turning that default chart into something clear, professional, and convincing requires a bit of polish. Mastering graph edits is what separates a confusing visual from a powerful data story. This tutorial will walk you through everything you need to know to customize your Excel graphs, from simple color changes and title tweaks to advanced formatting and data adjustments.

First, Activate the Chart Tools

Before you can edit anything, you need to tell Excel which chart you're working on. Click anywhere on your graph. When you do, you'll notice two new tabs appear on the Ribbon at the top of the screen: Chart Design and Format.

The Chart Design tab is your go-to for big-picture changes. This is where you’ll change the overall layout, style, color scheme, and even the chart type itself.
The Format tab gives you granular control over individual elements. Use it to change the color of a single bar, format the text in your chart title, or add effects like shadows and outlines.

You’ll also see three small icons appear on the right side of the chart: a plus sign (Chart Elements), a paintbrush (Chart Styles), and a funnel (Chart Filters). These are handy shortcuts for the most common editing tasks.

Changing the Chart Type

Sometimes you create a bar chart and realize your data would be much clearer as a line graph. Thankfully, you don't have to start from scratch.

Click on your chart to select it.
Go to the Chart Design tab.
On the far right, click Change Chart Type.
A dialogue box will pop up showing all of Excel's available chart types (Column, Line, Pie, Bar, etc.).
Select the new chart type you want and click OK. Excel will instantly reformat your data into the new style.

This is perfect for experimenting with different visualizations to find the one that best tells your story.

Customizing Chart Elements (The '+' Icon)

Specific components of your chart - like titles, labels, and gridlines - are called "Chart Elements." The quickest way to add, remove, or modify them is by using the plus icon that appears on the top-right of your selected chart.

Click on the "+" icon to open the Chart Elements menu. Here's a breakdown of what each option does:

Axes & Axis Titles

By default, Excel shows the primary horizontal (X-axis) and vertical (Y-axis), but you can add titles to explain what they represent.

Tick the Axis Titles box to add placeholder titles (like "Axis Title") next to each axis. Simply click on the placeholder text box to type in your own descriptive title, such as "Month" for the X-axis and "Revenue ($)" for the Y-axis. This is one of the most important edits for making your chart understandable at a glance.

Chart Title

Your chart needs a clear, concise title. To edit it, just click on the "Chart Title" text at the top of your chart and start typing. You can also use the Chart Elements menu to change its position (Above Chart or Centered Overlay) or remove it completely by unchecking the box.

Data Labels

Instead of making your audience guess the exact value of each bar or point, you can add data labels. Check the Data Labels box to display the value directly on the chart.

You can customize their position by clicking the small arrow next to the Data Labels option. For a bar chart, you might place them in the center, at the inside end, or outside the end of each bar. This adds precision and makes your chart easier to read.

Data Table

If you want to show the precise numbers behind your visual, you can add a data table directly beneath the chart. Checking the Data Table box will display a small spreadsheet of your source data. This can be useful for formal reports where viewers need to see both the visual trend and the raw figures.

Gridlines

Gridlines are the faint lines running across the plot area that help the eye track from an axis to a data point. You can use the Gridlines option to add, remove, or customize them. Clicking the arrow next to it allows you to toggle Major and Minor horizontal and vertical gridlines, giving you more or less visual guidance.

Legend

The legend tells you what each color or symbol in your chart represents, which is essential if you're plotting multiple data series (e.g., sales for "Product A" vs. "Product B"). Use the Legend option to show or hide it, and use the arrow to change its position - Top, Left, Bottom, or Right.

Fine-Tuning Your Chart's Style and Color

Excel's default blue and orange tones work, but custom branding and colors can make your chart look much more professional. You can quickly change the aesthetics using the paintbrush icon or the tabs on the ribbon.

Using Pre-Built Chart Styles

For a quick design overhaul, use Excel's built-in styles.

Select your chart.
Click the paintbrush icon on the right, or go to the Chart Design tab.
Hover over the different styles in the gallery to see a live preview. Styles range from minimalist and modern to dramatic with dark backgrounds and shadows.
Click on a style to apply it.

Changing the Color Palette

If you like the style but not the colors, you can change the palette.

Select your chart.
In the Chart Design tab, click the Change Colors button.
You'll see several palettes labeled Colorful and Monochromatic. Hover over one to see how it looks on your chart.
Click to apply the new color scheme.

Formatting Individual Elements

What if you want to make just one bar in your chart a different color to highlight it? This is where formatting individual elements comes in.

First, click on the data series you want to change (e.g., any of the bars). This will select all bars in that series.
Then, click a second time on just the single bar you want to edit.
Right-click on that single selected bar and choose Format Data Point from the menu. A formatting pane will open on the right.
In the pane, click the paint bucket icon (Fill & Line). You can change its fill color, add a border (outline), or even use a picture or pattern fill.

You can use this same "double-click" method to isolate and format almost any part of your chart - the chart background (Chart Area), the gridlines, or a legend entry.

Working With Your Chart's Data

Sometimes you need to adjust the data the chart is displaying, not just its appearance.

Switch Row/Column

One of the most useful - and simplest - data edits is the Switch Row/Column button. If your chart's axes are flipped (e.g., the months are on the Y-axis and sales figures are on the X-axis), select the chart, go to the Chart Design tab, and click this button to instantly swap them.

Selecting and Modifying the Data Source

What happens if you need to add a new month of sales data to your existing chart or remove an old one? You can easily edit the source data.

Right-click your chart and choose Select Data.
A dialogue box will appear. You'll see the Chart data range field at the top, showing the cells currently being used.
To change this, you can either type in the new range (e.g., =Sheet1!$A$1:$B$13) or click the icon next to the field and drag your mouse to select the new data range directly on your worksheet.
On the left side, you can also add, edit, or remove individual legend entries (data series), and on the right, you can edit the horizontal axis labels.
Click OK when you're done, and your chart will update with the new data.

Advanced Formatting for a Professional Finish

Ready to add a final layer of professionalism? These techniques give you even more control over how your information is presented.

Adjusting the Axis Scale

Excel automatically sets the scale for your vertical (value) axis, but sometimes its choices can be misleading. For instance, if your sales are between $9,500 and $10,000, Excel might start the axis at $0, making all the bars look roughly the same height and hiding important variance.

Right-click on the vertical axis labels (the numbers) and choose Format Axis.
In the formatting pane on the right, under Axis Options, you'll see settings for Bounds (minimum and maximum).
You can manually enter a new minimum bound (e.g., 9000) to "zoom in" on the data and make the differences between the bars more obvious.
You can also change the Units to control the spacing of the gridlines (e.g., set the major unit to 500 for a gridline every $500).

Adding a Secondary Axis

What if you want to plot two different types of data on the same chart, like monthly revenue (in tens of thousands of dollars) and website visitors (in millions)? A standard chart won't work, as the revenue bars would be too tiny to see. The solution is a secondary axis.

For this example, start with a column chart showing both data series.
Right-click on the data series you want to move to a secondary axis (e.g., website visitors) and choose Format Data Series.
In the pane that opens, under Series Options, select Secondary Axis. A new vertical axis will appear on the right side of the chart, scaled for that data.
To make it clearer, right-click that same data series again, choose Change Series Chart Type, and change just that series to a Line graph while keeping the other a Column chart. Now you have a combo chart with two different measures scaled appropriately.

Final Thoughts

Moving beyond Excel's default settings is the key to creating compelling, easy-to-understand visuals that truly communicate your message. By customizing titles, colors, labels, and axes, you transform a generic graph into a sharp, insightful piece of analysis that tells a clear story with your data.

While mastering these manual edits in Excel is a valuable skill, it can be time-consuming, especially when you have to repeatedly fetch data from different sources. For moments like these, we designed Graphed to streamline the entire process. Instead of navigating menus, you simply connect platforms like your Shopify store or Google Analytics account and ask for what you want in simple English - for example, "create a dashboard comparing sales vs. ad spend for the last quarter." We build real-time, interactive dashboards for you in seconds, letting you focus on the insights, not the clicks.