Let’s take a look. Normally, when you choose a chart type on the ribbon, Excel creates an embedded chart which floats over the worksheet grid below. But if you’re short on space, or, if you’d just rather have a chart in its own worksheet, you can easily do so. To move a chart into its own sheet, first, select the chart. Then, go to the Design tab under Chart Tools and click the Move Chart button. The Move Chart dialog will open and you’ll see two options: “New Sheet” and “Object in.” Select New Sheet. You could also give the chart a different name at this point. When you click OK, Excel will remove the chart from the existing worksheet and place it into a new worksheet. The new sheet will be to the left of the sheet you started on. Standalone charts are more spacious than embedded charts. If you visit the Print pane under the File menu, you’ll see that the chart has been configured to occupy the entire page. You’re free to change the page orientation if you like. To move the chart back to Sheet1, click Move Chart again. This time, select Object in, and choose Sheet1. When you click OK, Excel will remove the standalone chart from the workbook, and place the chart back into Sheet1. You can also right-click to move a chart. Just select the chart, right-click, and choose Move Chart from the menu. This works in both directions. Finally, note that the Move dialog does two things. It allows you to change the location of a chart, but it also reports the current location. If you bring up the Move dialog and just press OK, nothing happens, since the Chart is already in the location shown.
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.
