This article explains how to change the names or legend values of a Microsoft Excel chart using a computer.
Steps
Step 1. Open the Excel sheet you want to edit
Locate the file on your computer and double-click the corresponding icon to open it in Excel.
Step 2. Click on the chart to edit
Find the chart you want to edit in the spreadsheet, then click on it to select it.
At the top of the Excel window, you will see a bar containing chart tools, such as tabs Design, Layout And Format.
Step 3. Click on the Design tab
It is one of the Excel ribbon tabs. A series of tools related to chart settings will be displayed.
Depending on the version of Excel you are using, the tab may be named Graphic design.
Step 4. Click on the Select Data option on the "Design" tab
A dialog will appear that will allow you to edit the legend text in the chart.
Step 5. Select a legend entry listed in the "Legend Entries (Series)" section
Inside this box all the items of the chart legend are listed. Find the item you want to edit and click on the corresponding name to select it.
Step 6. Click the Edit button
In this way, you will have the possibility to change the name of the selected item and its values.
On some versions of Excel there is no "Edit" button. If so, you can skip this step and search for the field directly First name or Series name within the same dialog box that appeared.
Step 7. Type the new element name into the Series Name field
Double click on the indicated text field, delete the current name and enter the new one that will be displayed in the chart legend.
- The text field may be named with the wording First name, instead of "Series Name".
- Alternatively, click the icon to hide the current dialog box and select a sheet cell. This way, the series name will be assigned automatically using the contents of the selected cell.
Step 8. Enter a new value inside the Vertical Axis Labels box
Using this box you can edit or delete the series values of the currently selected legend.
- If you have multiple categories of items for the chart's Y-axis legend, for example in the case of a bar chart, be sure to separate each value with a comma.
- Alternatively, click the icon to hide the current dialog and select a cell or range of cells on the sheet. This way, the selected values will be used as the chart legend labels.
Step 9. Click the OK button
The new values indicated will be saved and applied to the chart which will be updated automatically.
