Use titles on a chart

To make a chart easier to understand, you can add titles, such as a chart title and axis titles, to any type of chart. Axis titles are typically available for all axes that can be displayed in a chart, including depth (series) axes in 3-D charts. Some chart types (such as radar charts) have axes, but they cannot display axis titles. Chart types that do not have axes (such as pie and doughnut charts) cannot display axis titles either.

You can also link chart and axis titles to corresponding text in worksheet cells by creating a reference to those cells. Linked titles are automatically updated in the chart when you make changes to the corresponding text on the worksheet.

You can easily edit the text of titles, and if you no longer want to display the titles, you can remove them from the chart.What do you want to do?

Apply a chart layout that contains titles

Add a chart title manually

Add axis titles manually

Edit a chart or axis title

Link a chart or axis title to a worksheet cell

Remove a chart or axis title from a chart

Apply a chart layout that contains titles

1. Click the chart to which you want to apply a chart layout.

   This displays the Chart Tools, adding the Design, Layout, and Format tabs.

2. On the Design tab, in the Chart Layouts group, click a layout that contains titles.

   

Add a chart title manually

1. Click the chart to which you want to add a title.

   This displays the Chart Tools, adding the Design, Layout, and Format tabs.

2. On the Layout tab, in the Labels group, click Chart Title.

   

3. Click Centered Overlay Title or Above Chart.
4. In the Chart Title text box that appears in the chart, type the text that you want.

Tips

• To insert a line break, click to place the cursor where you want to break the line, and then press ENTER.
• To format the text, select it, and then click the formatting options that you want on the Mini toolbar. You can also use the formatting buttons on the Ribbon (Home tab, Font group). To format the entire title, you can right-click it, click Format Chart Title on the shortcut menu, and then select the formatting options that you want.

Add axis titles manually

1. Click the chart to which you want to add axis titles.

   This displays the Chart Tools, adding the Design, Layout, and Format tabs.

2. On the Layout tab, in the Labels group, click Axis Titles.

   

3. Do any of the following:
   • To add a title to a primary horizontal (category) axis, click Primary Horizontal Axis Title, and then click the option that you want.

     Tip If the chart has a secondary horizontal axis, you can also click Secondary Horizontal Axis Title.

   • To add a title to primary vertical (value) axis, click Primary Vertical Axis Title or Secondary Vertical Axis Title, and then click the option that you want.

     Tip If the chart has a secondary vertical axis, you can also click Secondary Vertical Axis Title.

   • To add a title to a depth (series) axis, click Depth Axis Title, and then click the option that you want.

     Note This option is only available when the selected chart is a true 3-D chart, such as a 3-D column chart.

4. In the Axis Title text box that appears in the chart, type the text that you want.

Tips

• To insert a line break, click to place the cursor where you want to break the line, and then press ENTER.
• To format the text, select it, and then click the formatting options that you want on the Mini toolbar. You can also use the formatting buttons on the Ribbon (Home tab, Font group). To format the entire title, you can right-click it, click Format Axis Title on the shortcut menu, and then select the formatting options that you want.

Notes:

• If you switch to another chart type that does not support axis titles (such as a pie chart), the axis titles will no longer be displayed. The titles will be displayed again when you switch back to a chart type that does support axis titles.
• Axis titles that are displayed for secondary axes will be lost when you switch to a chart type that does not display secondary axes.

Edit a chart or axis title

1. If a chart or axis title is not linked to a worksheet cell, do the following:
   1. On a chart, click the chart or axis title to activate it, and then click it again to place the cursor in the text.

      Tip You can also right-click the title, and then click Edit Text on the shortcut menu.

   2. Type the new text.

      Tip If needed, you can drag to select the text that you want to change, and then type the new text.

   3. Press ENTER.
2. If a chart or axis title is linked to a worksheet cell, double-click that cell, edit the text, and then press ENTER.

   Note The corresponding title text is automatically updated on the chart.

Tips

• To insert a line break, click to place the cursor where you want to break the line, and then press ENTER.
• To format the text, select it, and then click the formatting options that you want on the Mini toolbar. You can also use the formatting buttons on the Ribbon (Home tab, Font group). To format the entire title, you can right-click it, click Format Chart Title or Format Axis Title on the shortcut menu, and then select the formatting options that you want.

Link a chart or axis title to a worksheet cell

1. On a chart, click the chart or axis title that you want to link to a worksheet cell.
2. On the worksheet, click in the formula bar, and then type an equal sign (=).
3. Select the worksheet cell that contains the data or text that you want to display in your chart.

   Tip You can also type the reference to the worksheet cell in the formula bar. Include an equal sign, the sheet name, followed by an exclamation point; for example, =Sheet1!F2

4. Press ENTER.

Remove a chart or axis title from a chart

1. Click the chart.

   This displays the Chart Tools, adding the Design, Layout, and Format tabs.

2. Do one of the following:
   • To remove a chart title, on the Layout tab, in the Labels group, click Chart Title, and then click None.

     

   • To remove an axis title, on the Layout tab, in the Labels group, click Axis Title, click the type of axis title that you want to remove, and then click None.
   • To quickly remove a chart or axis title, click the title, and then press DELETE. You can also right-click the chart or axis title, and then click Delete.
   • To remove chart or axis titles immediately after you add them, you can click Undo on the Quick Access Toolbar, or you can press CTRL+Z.

See also:

• Edit titles or data labels in a chart