Modify chart legend entries

Applies To
Excel for Microsoft 365 Excel 2024 Excel 2021 Outlook 2016

When you display a legend for a chart, you can change each legend entry by editing the corresponding data on the worksheet. To access more editing options, or to change legend entries without changing the worksheet data, use the Select Data Source dialog box.

What do you want to do?

Edit legend entries on the worksheet

  1. On the worksheet, select the cell that contains the name of the data series that appears as an entry in the chart legend.
  2. Type the new name, and then press Enter.
    The new name automatically appears in the legend on the chart.

Edit legend entries in the Select Data Source dialog box

  1. Select the chart that displays the legend entries you want to edit.
    This selection displays the Chart Tools, adding the Design, Layout, and Format tabs.

  2. On the Design tab, in the Data group, select Select Data.
    Excel Ribbon Image

  3. In the Select Data Source dialog box, in the Legend Entries (Series) box, select the legend entry that you want to change.

  4. Select Edit.

    Tip

    To add a new legend entry, select Add. To remove a legend entry, select Remove.

  5. In the Series Name box, do one of the following actions:

    • Type the reference to the worksheet cell that contains the data you want to use as the legend entry text.

      Tip

      You can also select the Collapse Dialog button Collapse Dialog button. at the right end of the Series name box, and then select the worksheet cell that contains the data you want to use as the legend entry. When you finish, select the Collapse Dialog button again to display the entire dialog box.

    • Type the legend entry name that you want to use.

      Note

      When you type a new name, the legend entry text is no longer linked to data in a worksheet cell.

    • To add a new legend entry, type the reference to the worksheet cell or type a new name. Then, in the Series values box, type a reference to the data series on the worksheet that you want to use for the new legend entry.

      Tip

      You can also select the Collapse Dialog button Collapse dialog button. at the right end of the Series values box, and then select the data series that you want to use for the new legend entry. When you finish, select the Collapse Dialog button again to display the entire dialog box.