Move data labels

Applies To
Excel for Microsoft 365 Word for Microsoft 365 Outlook for Microsoft 365 PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 Excel 2024 Word 2024 Outlook 2024 PowerPoint 2024 Excel 2021 Word 2021 Outlook 2021 PowerPoint 2021

If data labels you added to your chart get in the way of your data visualization, or if you want to move them elsewhere, change their placement by choosing another location or dragging them to the desired location.

Screenshot that shows a pie chart with data labels formatted as percentages.

  1. Select all data labels by clicking any data label once, or select a specific data label by double-clicking it.

  2. Right-click the selection, select Chart Elements , select the Data Labels arrow, and choose the placement option you want.

    Screenshot that shows Data label options under Chart Elements.

    Different options are available for different chart types. For example, you can place data labels outside of the data points in a pie chart but not in a column chart.

    Tip

    To show your data labels inside a text bubble shape, select Data Callout.

    Screenshot that shows pie chart with data callouts.

  3. If the labels make your chart look too cluttered, remove any or all of them by selecting the data labels and then pressing Delete.

Tip

If the text inside the data labels is small, click and drag the data labels to the size you want. You can also change their format to make them easier to read.