Legends are the keys, or codes, which explain which part of a Microsoft Excel bar or graph corresponds to which data set. They are invaluable as a means of making your graphs easy to read and understand and contain many elements which may be edited.
To learn how to edit legends in Microsoft Excel, simply follow our step-by-step tutorials below. For all other information, or if you have further queries which need answering, please see our FAQ section at the end of this article.
Table of Contents
How to add and position a legend to your Excel chart or graph
- Open Microsoft Excel on your device and then load the document containing the graph or chart onto which you wish to add a legend.
- Click on the chart or graph, and then scroll along the Menu bar at the top of the page until you reach ‘Chart Design’
- Under Chart Design, select ‘Add Chart Element’ and then ‘Legend’
- Finally, using the pop-out menu, select where you would like the legend to be positioned. Standard options are: ‘right’, ‘top’, ‘left’, and ‘bottom’. Select any of these and you will see the legend appear in your chosen location.
- Note: You can always choose to hide the legend again by repeating steps 1-3, and selecting ‘None’ from the pop-out menu described in step 4.
- Note: You can always choose to hide the legend again by repeating steps 1-3, and selecting ‘None’ from the pop-out menu described in step 4.
How to change the color and fill of a legend in Microsoft Excel
- Open Microsoft Excel on your device and then load the document containing the graph or chart with the legend you wish to edit.
- Now, right-click on the legend next to your bar or graph, and from the pop-up menu select ‘Format Legend’
- A window will appear on the right of the screen containing various editing options for your legend
- To give your legend a ‘fill’, first click the paint pot icon, and then select what type of fill you’d like, as well as its color and transparency
- To give your legend a ‘border’, click the paint pot icon, and then select ‘border’ and choose which type of border you’d like to give the legend
- To give your legend ‘shadow’, ‘glow’, or ‘soft edges’, click the pentagon-shaped icon and then select the relevant effect, adjusting it as you like
- To give your legend a ‘fill’, first click the paint pot icon, and then select what type of fill you’d like, as well as its color and transparency
How to rename legend keys in Microsoft Excel
A ‘legend key’ refers to each individual component of a legend, responding to a particular data set (whether column or row) in your spreadsheet. Typically, these keys will be automatically named with either a default title or the title you have given the data on the spreadsheet. Here’s how to rename each key individually:
- Open Microsoft Excel on your device and then load the document containing the graph or chart with the legend you wish to edit.
- Click on the chart or graph, and then scroll along the Menu bar at the top of the page until you reach ‘Chart Design’
- Under Chart Design, select ‘Select Data’
- In the pop-up window, you’ll see a list of the Legend Entries, with the names pulled from your data set. Select the first one in the list by left-clicking on it, and then left-click on the ‘Edit’ button located just above the Legend Entries list
- You’ll see that the ‘series name’ of the Legend Entry is actually a bunch of numbers and figures, referring to the specific spreadsheet cell containing the legend key’s name. You can go ahead and delete this by highlighting it and pressing DEL or BACKSPACE on your keyboard, and then enter the legend key’s new name in the box. Press ‘OK’ to confirm your changes.
- Repeat as many times as necessary until you’ve renamed all of the legend entries/keys you need to.
And there you have it! However you wish to edit your legend or its individual legend entries, you can do so easily by following our super-simple step-by-step guides. Happy charting!
For any additional information, or if you have further questions you need to be answered, please see our FAQs below.
FAQs
What is a legend in Microsoft Excel?
When you create a graph or chart in Excel, based on data you’ve input into your spreadsheet elsewhere, a ‘legend’ is the part of the graph or chart explaining what the data set corresponds to.
For example, if you were to create a pie chart pertaining to the various percentages of people who responded to your survey, with each slice representing a survey response (say, Favorite pies: cherry, peach, pecan), then the legend would be the key explaining with words and color coding which slice corresponds to which of these answers.
Usually, Microsoft Excel is located to the side or below any bar graph or chart, however, it’s not always initially present and sometimes needs to be manually included.
Why would I need to edit a legend in Microsoft Excel?
Since the legend is the code instructing viewers as to what they’re looking at, editing it can be really useful, in order to make the graph or chart easier to read, nicer to look at, or to correct mistakes in the various data titles pulled from your data set.
In what ways can I edit a legend in Microsoft Excel?
You can edit Excel legends in lots of ways. You can change its position in relation to the graph or chart (moving it from the bottom of the graph or chart to the side, for example); you can change the color-coding of each legend key, and you can rename each legend key, too, to make them more accurate, more relevant, or more personal.
