How to Make All Charts the Same Size in Excel
Nothing ruins the clean look of an Excel dashboard faster than a mess of differently-sized charts. One small bar chart, an oversized pie chart, and a long, skinny line chart can make your professional report look sloppy and detract from the data you're trying to share. This guide will walk you through several easy methods, from a quick manual fix to a powerful automated script, to make all your charts the same size in Excel for a polished, professional finish.
Why Consistent Chart Sizes are So Important
You might wonder if resizing charts is worth the effort, but the impact is bigger than you think. Data visualization is about clarity and communication. When your charts are uniform, your report is instantly easier to read and understand. Readers don't have to squint at one chart and get visually overwhelmed by another, their eyes can move smoothly from one data point to the next.
Consistent sizing also signals professionalism and attention to detail. It shows you've taken the time to present your findings in the best possible light. Imagine a business presentation where every PowerPoint slide used a different font - it would feel disjointed and unprofessional. The same principle applies to your charts in Excel. By standardizing their dimensions, you create a cohesive and trustworthy dashboard that lets your data tell a clear story.
Method 1: Manually Set the Chart Size
If you only have two or three charts to work with, the quickest way to standardize them is by manually adjusting the height and width of each one. It's a straightforward process that gives you precise control.
First, decide which chart already has the perfect size. This will be your "master" chart.
Step 1: Find the Dimensions of Your Master Chart
Click on your master chart to select it.
Once selected, a Format tab will appear in Excel's ribbon at the top of the screen. Click on it.
On the far right of the Format ribbon, you'll see a 'Size' group with boxes for Height and Width.
Take note of these two numbers. For example, your chart might be 3" high and 5" wide.
Step 2: Apply the Dimensions to Other Charts
Now, click on the next chart you want to resize.
Go back to the Format tab.
In the 'Size' group, type the exact same Height and Width values you noted from your master chart.
Press Enter, and the chart will immediately snap to the correct dimensions.
Repeat this process for each remaining chart. While it's a bit repetitive, this method guarantees pixel-perfect consistency across a small number of charts. It's the most common and intuitive approach for quick fixes.
Method 2: Select Multiple Charts to Resize Them at Once
When you're building a dashboard with five, ten, or even more charts, adjusting them one by one is a huge waste of time. Luckily, Excel lets you select and format multiple charts simultaneously, making this the go-to method for most reporting tasks.
A simple keyboard trick is all you need:
First, click on one of your charts to select it.
Next, hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard (or Cmd key on a Mac).
While still holding down the key, click on every other chart you want to resize. You'll see that each chart gets a border around it, indicating they are all selected.
With all the charts selected, release the Ctrl/Cmd key and navigate to the Format tab in the ribbon.
In the 'Size' group on the right, enter your desired Height and Width.
Press Enter, and watch as all the selected charts instantly resize to the exact same dimensions.
This trick is a massive time-saver and is considered the standard practice for efficient dashboard design in Excel. One action updates everything at once, ensuring perfect uniformity without the manual hassle.
Pro Tip: Use the Selection Pane for Hard-to-Click Charts
Sometimes charts overlap, or you have many small objects on your sheet, making it difficult to click each one individually. In this case, the Selection Pane is your best friend.
Go to the Page Layout or Shape Format tab in the ribbon.
Click on Selection Pane.
A new window will appear on the right listing every single object on your worksheet (charts, shapes, text boxes).
You can now hold down the Ctrl key and click the names of the charts in this pane to select them. This is often far easier than trying to click them on the sheet itself.
Method 3: Go Under the Hood with VBA for Automation
If resizing charts is something you do regularly, or if you're building complex template reports, you might want to automate the entire process with a simple bit of code. Don't worry if you've never used a macro before - this is a simple copy-and-paste solution anyone can use.
This method involves using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Excel's built-in programming language. We'll create a small macro that finds every chart on your current sheet and automatically sets their size for you.
Step 1: Open the VBA Editor
Press Alt + F11 on your keyboard (or Option + Fn + F11 on a Mac) to open the VBA editor. This opens a new window over your Excel worksheet.
Step 2: Insert a New Module
In the top menu of the VBA editor, click Insert > Module. A blank white code window will appear.
Step 3: Copy and Paste the Code
Copy the code below and paste it directly into the module window.
Step 4: Customize and Run the Macro
Before running it, you can customize the size. Look for the lines desiredHeight = 216 and desiredWidth = 360. As the comments note, VBA measures in points (72 points = 1 inch). Change these numbers to set your preferred size.
To run the macro, simply click your cursor anywhere inside the code and press the F5 key. Alternatively, you can click the green "Play" button in the toolbar. Go back to your Excel sheet, and you'll see every chart has been perfectly resized. A small message box will pop up to confirm it's done.
Final Consideration for VBA
To use this macro again in the future, you need to save your workbook as a Macro-Enabled Workbook. When you go to 'Save As', choose Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (*.xlsm) from the dropdown menu.
Best Practices: Aligning and Grouping Your Newly-Sized Charts
Once all your charts are the right size, the final step for a clean dashboard is making sure they are perfectly aligned.
Using the Align Tool
You can align your charts in just a few clicks.
Select multiple charts by holding down the Ctrl/Cmd key and clicking them.
Go to the Format tab.
Click the Align button in the 'Arrange' group.
You'll get a dropdown menu with several options:
Align Top: Lines up the top edges of all selected charts with the highest chart.
Align Middle: Lines up their horizontal centers.
Align Bottom: Lines up their bottom edges with the lowest chart.
Distribute Horizontally: Creates equal horizontal space between each chart for perfect spacing.
Distribute Vertically: Creates equal vertical space between the charts.
Experimenting with these alignment tools is the fastest way to get your dashboard looking neat and organized.
Grouping Charts
After you've sized and aligned your charts, you can group them. This locks them together into a single object, making it easy to move the entire dashboard around without messing up your careful alignment. Select your charts, right-click one of them, and choose Group > Group.
Final Thoughts
Creating professional-looking reports in Excel comes down to small details like consistent chart sizes. Whether you prefer the control of manual adjustments, the efficiency of multi-selection, or the power of a one-click macro, you now have the tools to make it happen. A clean, uniform dashboard isn't just nice to look at - it helps your data shine.
All of this illustrates how much manual effort goes into making data look polished inside of a spreadsheet. At Graphed , we built a tool that automates this entire reporting process. You simply connect your data sources - like Google Analytics, Shopify, or Facebook Ads - and describe the dashboard you need in plain English. We handle the rest, instantly generating real-time, professional charts and reports without you ever having to worry about manual sizing, alignment, or updating.