How to Label Maximum Point on Excel Graph

Highlighting the highest point on your Excel chart transforms it from a wall of data into a clear, actionable insight. Instead of making viewers squint to find the peak, a simple label can instantly draw attention to your best-performing month, most successful campaign, or highest sales figure. This article will show you a few ways to label the maximum point on any Excel graph, from a quick manual trick to a powerful, dynamic formula that updates automatically as your data changes.

Manually Labeling Your Maximum Value

If you're in a hurry and need a label for a one-time report, the manual approach is the fastest way to get it done. The major downside is that this label is static, if your data changes and a new high point emerges, you’ll have to manually find it and move the label yourself.

Still, it's a great trick to know for quick-and-dirty analysis.

Step 1: Create Your Chart

First, set up your data in two columns. For our example, we’ll use monthly sales data. Select your data, go to the Insert tab, and choose your preferred chart type. A line chart or a column chart works perfectly for this.

Step 2: Isolate the Data Point

On your newly created chart, you need to select only the single data point representing the maximum value.

Click once on any of the columns or on the line. This will select the entire data series. You'll see selection handles on all the points.
Click a second time, but only on the specific column or point that represents your maximum value. Now, only that single point will be selected.

Step 3: Add and Format the Data Label

With the single data point selected, right-click on it and choose Add Data Label → Add Data Label from the context menu. The value will appear directly on or next to the point.

That’s it! You can further customize this label by right-clicking it and selecting Format Data Label. Here, you can change the font, color, position (e.g., Above, Center, Inside End), and even add the category name ("June" in our case) if you want more context.

This works well for a static presentation, but for any dashboard or report that gets updated, a dynamic solution is much better.

How to Dynamically Label the Maximum Point with Formulas

For reports that you refresh regularly, setting up a dynamic label is a game-changer. This method uses a "helper column" and a clever IF formula to automatically identify the maximum value. Whenever your data updates, the label on the chart moves to the new highest point without you having to lift a finger.

Step 1: Set Up Your Data and Find the Max Value

Start with your data organized in columns. Next to your data, in an empty cell, find the maximum value using the MAX function. While not strictly required for the chart, it’s a good practice to see the value you're hunting for.

For example, if your sales figures are in B2:B13, you'd use:

=MAX(B2:B13)

Step 2: Create the "Helper" Column

This is where the magic happens. We'll create a new column that isolates just the maximum value.

In the cell next to your first data point (e.g., C2), enter the following formula:

=IF(B2=MAX($B$2:$B$13), B2, NA())

Let's break down that formula:

B2=MAX($B$2:$B$13): This is the logical test. It checks if the value in the current row (B2) is equal to the maximum value in the entire range ($B$2:$B$13).
B2: If the test is true (meaning this is the maximum value), the formula returns the value from B2.
NA(): If the test is false, the formula returns #N/A. This is crucial! When Excel plots a chart, it ignores #N/A errors, so only our single max value will get plotted.
$B$2:$B$13: The dollar signs ($) create an absolute reference. This "locks" the range, ensuring that when you drag the formula down to a new cell, the formula continues to check against the same complete range (B2:B13) instead of shifting downwards.

Click the small square at the bottom-right of cell C2 and drag the formula down to the end of your data range. You’ll now have a new column where only the cell corresponding to the maximum value is populated.

Step 3: Add the Helper Column Data to Your Chart

Now we need to add this new series to our chart.

Click on your chart to select it.
Right-click on the chart area and choose Select Data.
In the "Select Data Source" window, click the Add button underneath "Legend Entries (Series)."
A small "Edit Series" window will pop up.
- Leave "Series name" blank, or give it a name like "Max Point."
- For "Series values," delete the default {1} and select the entire range of your new helper column (e.g., $C$2:$C$13).
Click OK twice to close the windows.

Your chart will now have a new data series plotted. In a bar chart, it will show up as a column that is the same height as your max value. In a line chart, it will be a single dot hovering at the peak.

Step 4: Add the Data Label and Format the Series

The final step is to turn that new series point into a clean label.

Click on the new point/bar to select only that series.
Right-click it and choose Add Data Label. The numeric value will appear.
At this point, you technically have a dynamic label, but the extra bar or point can look clumsy. To hide it, right-click the new point/bar again and select Format Data Series.
- For a bar chart, set the Fill to "No fill."
- For a line chart, under the "Marker" options, set the Fill and Border to "No Fill" and "No Line."

Now, you have a perfectly clean, professional-looking chart with a dynamic label on the highest point. If you change any numbers in your original data, the helper column will automatically update, and the label on your chart will move to the right spot!

Advanced Tips for Labeling Key Points

Once you’ve mastered the dynamic label method, you can use the same principle to achieve even more sophisticated looks.

How to Label the Minimum Point

Want to highlight the lowest point instead? It's just a small edit to the helper column formula. Simply swap the MAX() function for the MIN() function:

=IF(B2=MIN($B$2:$B$13), B2, NA())

The rest of the steps for charting this new helper column are exactly the same. You can even have two helper columns - one for the max and one for the min - and add both to your chart to highlight both extremes at once.

Using Custom Label Text (e.g., "Peak Month")

What if you don't want the label to be the numeric value, but custom text like "Peak" or "Best Month"? This requires a slightly different approach.

Create a new helper column (e.g., in column D) with this formula:

=IF(B2=MAX($B$2:$B$13), "Peak Month", NA())

Add your original value helper column (from column C) to the chart as a new series, just as we did before.
Add a data label to that new series point.
Right-click the data label itself and choose Format Data Label.
In the "Label Options" pane on the right, uncheck "Value" and check the box for "Value From Cells."
A "Data Label Range" prompt will appear. Select your custom text helper column (the range in column D). Click OK.

The label will now display "Peak Month" instead of the numeric amount, giving you total control over the commentary on your chart.

Bringing More Attention with a Marker

For line or scatter charts, instead of making the series invisible, you can give it a distinct marker to draw extra attention. To do this, after adding the helper series, single-click the point and go to Format Data Series.

Under Marker Options, you can:

Choose a built-in type like a circle, star, or diamond.
Increase its size so it stands out.
Change its color to a contrasting one, like bright red or yellow.

This formatting, combined with a data label, makes it impossible for your audience to miss the most important data point on the graph.

Final Thoughts

Mastering these simple Excel formulas provides a reliable, professional way to draw attention to key insights in your data. By using a helper column with an IF and NA() function, you can build dynamic, self-updating charts that do the heavy lifting for you, saving you from tedious manual adjustments.

While perfecting charts in Excel is a valuable skill, we know that building reports is often just one part of a bigger cycle of digging for insights across many different platforms. That's why we built Graphed. We connect directly to your marketing and sales tools like Google Analytics, Shopify, and Salesforce to create real-time analytics dashboards in seconds. Simply describe a chart you want in plain English, and our AI builds it instantly, letting you spend less time wrestling with formulas and more time acting on the insights that grow your business.