- Select your chart in Excel, and click Design > Select Data.
- Click on the legend name you want to change in the Select Data Source dialog box, and click Edit. …
- Type a legend name into the Series name text box, and click OK.
Excel is a powerful data analysis tool that has become a staple for many professionals. It allows users to quickly organize, visualize, and process large amounts of data. One of the most useful features of Excel is the ability to customize and rename legends within the worksheet. Having an organized and descriptive legend within a worksheet can make it easier to understand and analyze data. Renaming legends in Excel is a simple task that can be done in a few quick steps. In this blog post, we will be discussing how to rename legend in Excel. We will look at when to use legends, how to add and edit legend titles, as well as how to manipulate legend data. By the end of this post, you will have a better understanding of how to rename legend in Excel and be able to better utilize this feature.
How to Rename a Legend in an Excel Chart (Two Different Ways)
How to rename legends in Excel
The first step is to ensure the legend is visible in your graph before you can rename your legend in Excel. A dialog box with formatting options for your chart will appear when you select the chart and click the plus sign in the copper right corner of the chart. To select the “Legend” option, check the box next to it by clicking. These are the two ways you can rename your legend after it has become visible:
1. Changing the data
Excel uses the column and row headings to create the names in your legend. You can change the names in the legend by making changes to that data in the original spreadsheet. You can alter your data by following these steps:
2. Using the “Select Data” tab
Excel allows you to edit graphs and charts to create the desired display without changing the original data. With these tools, you can protect data integrity while still perfecting your data presentation. Use the Select Data tab to rename your legend by following these steps:
What are legends in Excel?
A legend is a graphic key that gives context to an Excel chart or graphic you’ve made. It changes when you change the data because it is linked to the data you include in the graph, so it is always current. When you create a chart with multiple categories, Excel automatically adds the legend using the headers in the cell range you chose when designing the graph. Despite the fact that Excel extracts the categories from the original data, you can modify the formatting and names in the legend to better showcase your data.
The legend typically appears on the right side of the graph or chart, and it contains icons for the various types of data. For instance, each product may have a different color on the chart if your graph shows the revenue from three products over four quarters of a fiscal year. The names of the products associated with those three colors would be included in the legend so that they could be easily recognized.
Tips for editing your legend
Here are some additional pointers for Excel legend editing:
Be careful when editing data
If you decide to modify the original data, take care not to change crucial elements of the data that could alter the interpretation of your chart. To ensure that you always have the original data to refer to, try to save the data before you change it. The integrity of data can be compromised by changing it, which could result in duplicate data or human error. To ensure that you are always working with the original, accurate data in your spreadsheets, change your chart as needed without editing the source data.
Make your legends noticeably different
The purpose of the legend is to give background information about your data so that your audience can more easily read or understand charts and graphs. Try to make the colors contrast so they can be easily distinguished from one another to ensure that the information is understandable. Additionally, you can alter the legend names to make them stand out from one another.
Save your changes
When editing your charts and graphs, save after every edit. You can save it after each modification to guarantee that your document is continuously updated. You can guarantee that your changes will be preserved when you reopen the document or share it with others by saving your charts after making changes to them.
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