Selecting a Chart Element

Modifying an element in a chart is similar to everything else that you do in Excel: First you make a selection - in this case, select a chart element - and then you issue a command to do something with the selection.

You can select a chart element in any of the following three ways:

1. Click the chart element. If the element is a series, clicking the series once selects all the points in the series. Clicking the series twice selects individual points in the series.
2. Press the up-arrow or down-arrow key to cycle through all the elements in the chart. If a data series is selected, you can press the right-arrow or leftarrow key to select individual points in the series.
3. Click the Format tab on the Ribbon and select a chart element from the Chart Elements drop-down list (located above the Format Selection button) in the Current Selection group.

If you move the mouse pointer over a chart element, a ScreenTip displays the name of the element. If the element is a data point, the ScreenTip displays the value. The ScreenTip is useful in ensuring that you're selecting the intended element.

Before you can modify a chart, the chart must be activated. To activate an embedded chart, click it. Doing so activates the chart and also selects the element that you click. To activate a chart on a chart sheet, just click its sheet tab.