How to customize chart axis
Most Excel charts consist of an x-axis and a y-axis, Excel allows you to easily change the looks of the chart axis.
The chart below is what Excel returns using a few random values as a data source, there are, however, no axis lines.
I have drawn a blue rectangle surrounding each group of axis values in the chart above.
To make it easier to see the changes I am about to do, I am now going to remove the major horizontal grid lines.
Simply press with left mouse button on the gridlines and press delete on your keyboard to remove them.
Table of Contents
1. Font size of axis values
To change the font size of the axis values select the axis you want to change.
Go to tab "Home" on the ribbon then press with left mouse button on font size.
I chose font size 16.
Tip! If you want to quickly format the y-axis with the same font size, follow these steps.
- Select the x-axis.
- Go to tab "Home" on the ribbon.
- Press with mouse on "Format Painter" button.
- Press with mouse on y-axis.
Both chart axis now have the same font size, this technique can be used on many different Excel objects, not only charts.
2. Axis value font type
- Press with mouse on the axis values you want to change.
- Go to tab "Home" on the ribbon.
- Press with mouse on font.
- Select a font.
3. Axis value font color
- Select axis values
- Press with mouse on font color button.
- Pick a font color.
4. Customize axis line
- Press with right mouse button on on x-axis values.
- Press with mouse on "Format Axis..."
- Press with mouse on the "Fill and Line" button.
- Press with mouse on Line to expand the Line settings
- Now you can change the color of the axis line, thickness, dashed or dotted and so on.
I exaggerated the axis line thickness and changed the color black to make it stand out.
5. Axis line position
- To change the position of the x-axis you must press with right mouse button on on the y-axis and vice versa.
- Press with mouse on "Format Axis..."
- Press with mouse on the "Axis Options" button.
- Find Horizontal Axis crosses and select Axis value.
- Change it to the value on the y-axis you want the x-axis to cross, or vice versa.
6. Add axis title text
The chart above has no descriptive titles, follow these simple steps to add chart axis titles.
- Select chart.
- Go to tab "Design" on the ribbon. The tab will appear as soon as you select the chart.
- Press with mouse on "Add Chart Element".
- Press with left mouse button on "Axis Titles".
- Press with mouse on "Primary Horizontal" or "Primary Vertical"
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Nice! But how do you format the background color of the y axis based on value settings? For example, 0 to 80% is green, 81 to 90% is yellow, the rest is red. Thank you.