Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Changing Chart Types.

Changing Chart Types

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 18, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


1

Excel makes changing chart types of an existing chart a breeze. You can change chart types by following these steps:

  1. Select the chart you want to change. You do this by clicking on the chart, if you are selecting an embedded chart. (A selection border appears around the perimeter of the chart.) If you are selecting a chart sheet, simply make sure the sheet is displayed.
  2. Make sure the Design tab of the ribbon is displayed.
  3. In the Type group click the Change Chart Type tool. Excel displays the Change Chart Type dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Change Chart Type dialog box.

  5. Select any of the major chart types shown in the left of the dialog box. When you select a type, the information at the right of the dialog box changes.
  6. Click on one of the charts shown at the right of the dialog box.
  7. Click on the OK button. Your chart is reformatted using the chart you selected.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9747) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Changing Chart Types.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Copying Named Ranges

Named ranges are a great tool to use in developing formula-heavy workbooks. You may want, at some point, to copy your ...

Discover More

Finding Text Not Using a Particular Font

Word makes it easy to find text that uses a particular font or font characteristics. What it doesn't do is make it easy ...

Discover More

Viewing Your Entire Document Width

The Zoom tool is very useful to help you see all of your document information. Here's how to make sure you can see all ...

Discover More

Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2019 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Easily Changing Chart Data Ranges

Want a handy way to make the data ranges for your chart more dynamic? Here are some great ideas you can put to work right ...

Discover More

Labeling X-Y Scatter Plots

Figuring out how to get the data points in an X-Y scatter plot labeled can be confusing; Excel certainly doesn't make it ...

Discover More

Creating a Bar Chart for Temperatures

Excel can create a large variety of charts, but sometimes it can take some real creativity to get exactly the chart you ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is nine minus 1?

2025-03-18 06:31:19

jamies

And -
from experience -

Sometimes the chart (window display) needs to have the zoom level changed to get Excel to refresh the displayed chart representation, mode, layout, colour options etc.,
such as up (maybe)10%, wait for the redisplay, then you can go back to the original setting !


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.