Formatting the Elements of a Chart

The various components that make up a chart —Plot Area, Axes, Data Series, Arrows, Text, Gridlines, etc. — are the chart elements. The Format menu allows you to customize any of these chart elements. You can change the weight and style of lines, the color and shape of plotting symbols, the numerical ranges of axes, etc. 

Excel Tip As you move the mouse pointer around the chart, yellow Chart Tip boxes appear, with the name of the chart element that the mousepointer is currently passing over. If you find these Chart Tips distracting, you can deactivate them by choosing Options from the Tools menu. Choose the Chart tab and un-check the Chart Tips check box. 

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