After you’ve created a chart, you can select the chart and resize manually using any one of the 8 drag handles. To constrain the chart to the cell grid as you drag, hold down the Alt key. You’ll then see the chart snap to the gridlines as you go. If you know what size chart you want exactly, you can double click the chart area, and enter a height and width manually in the Format Task Pane. You can also enter height and width on Format tab of the ribbon, in the size area. To copy a chart, select it, then copy with control C. Then select a cell on the worksheet and use control V to paste. You can also copy a chart by selecting the chart and dragging with the control key held down. You can add the Alt key to constrain movement to the cell grid. When you release the mouse you’ll have a copy of the chart. Notice both of these charts are plotting the same data. If I switch the data series on the second chart, and then change a value in the data, both charts update automatically. Don’t forget you can use the tools in the Arrange group, on the format tab of the ribbon to adjust the distribution and alignment of multiple charts. These tools work really well, but I personally, I like to align charts to the gridlines with the Alt key when possible, since it’s easy, and the grid lines are always there. You can turn off the display of cell gridlines if you like on the View tab of the ribbon. The Alt key will still constrain movement to the gridlines, even though you can’t see them.
Dave Bruns
Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.
