The method below works in the same way in all versions of Excel. We can easily add axis labels to the vertical or horizontal area in our chart. In this tutorial, we will learn how to add axis labels to an Excel chart.įigure 1 – How to add axis titles in Excel Add label to the axis in Excel 2016/2013/2010/2007 But there are times when we may need to have axis labels on those charts so that other users can easily read and understand our chart. We can create charts in Excel to transform data sheets into visual statements. You can hold down the shift key to constrain movement either horizontally or vertically.How to Insert Axis Labels In An Excel Chart Just click once to select, then over until you see the 4-headed arrow, and then drag. It's also important to know that you can freely move many chart elements freely. Then I can use the chart elements menu to enable the vertical axis again. Here I can click to select the data labels, and then delete. And maybe even the vertical axis.Ĭhart elements can also be removed by simply selecting and deleting. In this case, with data labels on the chart, I might want to remove the grid lines. Notice that each top level menu in Chart elements contains a sub-menu of additional options, as you can see. To add data labels to the chart, I can follow the same process. However many elements do remember your customizations, when they are removed and then added back again. Notice here that if you remove and add back a chart title, you'll lose your custom text. To remove the title, I can just uncheck the box again. So, to add a chart title, I just need to check that box. I'll run through a few examples so you can see how this works.Ī nice feature of the chart elements menu is that it builds a preview directly on the worksheet as you hover over each option in the menu. Starting with Excel 2013, the layout tab was removed and replaced by the chart elements control, which appears as a plus symbol when a chart is selected.Ĭhart Elements is actually a fly-out menu, and it lets you quickly add and remove a large number of chart elements with simple checkboxes. In Excel's lingo, chart elements include things like the chart title, the legend, gridlines, data labels, axis labels, and so forth.īefore Excel 2013, chart elements were added using controls on the Layout tab of the ribbon, visible when a chart is selected. In this video, we'll look at how to quickly add and remove elements to a chart.