How to Label the Axes of an Excel Graph

A quick guide to clearly labeling your graph's axes in Excel

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: April 14, 2024 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to place labels on the vertical and horizontal axes of a graph in Microsoft Excel. You can do this on both Windows and Mac.

Things You Should Know

Click your graph to select it, and then click + in its top-right corner.
Check the box next to Axis Titles to make text boxes appear on each axis.
Select an "Axis Title" text box and edit its text.

Steps

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1
Open your Excel document. Double-click an Excel document that contains a graph.
- If you haven't yet created the document, open Excel and click Blank workbook, then create your graph before continuing.
Click your graph to select it.

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It's to the right of the top-right corner of the graph. This will open a drop-down menu.
4
Click the Axis Titles checkbox. It's near the top of the drop-down menu. Doing so checks the Axis Titles box and places text boxes next to the vertical axis and below the horizontal axis.
- If there is already a check in the Axis Titles box, uncheck and then re-check the box to force the axes' text boxes to appear.
Click either of the "Axis Title" boxes to place your mouse cursor in it.
6
Enter a title for the axis. Select the "Axis Title" text, type in a new label for the axis, and then click the graph. This will save your title.
- You can repeat this process for the other axis title.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I put words of axes labels on two or three lines?

Community Answer

You need to use macros for this. Go to Settings and add the Developer tab. Then enable the file as macro-enabled. This will allow you to right-click onto edit mode; from here you can add words on any amount of lines you need.

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Tips

The steps for labeling axes in this article can also apply to charts you create in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

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Edit the labels of your axes at any time by clicking directly on the labels. A cursor will appear, and you'll have the ability to enter the desired text.

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Warnings

If you switch your chart type to a type that does not support axis labels such as a pie chart, your axis labels will disappear. However, your axis labels will reappear if you switch back to the original chart type.

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