Chart Legend

Excel assumes that when you create a chart, it needs an accompanying legend to explain the contents of the chart. You can move and edit the legend somewhat if you want it to appear differently than how Excel automatically inserts it. Use the following articles to explore what you can do with the chart legend in Excel.

Tips, Tricks, and Answers

The following articles are available for the 'Chart Legend' topic. Click the article''s title (shown in bold) to see the associated article.

   Adjusting the Order of Items in a Chart Legend
When charting your data, a legend is always a nice finishing touch. You may want to change the order in which items appear in the legend. In Excel, this order is tied to the order in which your data series are plotted, as discussed in this tip.

   Formatting the Border of a Legend
When you create a chart, Excel often includes a legend with the chart. You can format several attributes of the legend's border, as discussed in this tip.

   Moving a Chart's Legend
Need to move a chart legend to a different place on the chart? It's easy to do using the mouse, as described in this tip.

   Putting a Chart Legend On Its Own Page
Displaying information using charts in Excel is easy and there are a variety of chart styles to choose from. Integrated into each chart is a legend that defines what the chart contains. What if you want to view the legend without the chart? This can be done, but requires manipulating Excel to some degree.

   Turning the Legend On and Off
When you create a chart in Excel, the program may automatically add a legend that explains the contents of the chart. In some cases, the legend may not be necessary, so you may want to turn it off. This tip explains how you can "flip the switch" and turn the legend on or off.

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