Data series often get their names by default when you create a chart in Excel. Isn’t it?
It doesn’t necessarily mean that you will always like that auto-build name and that’s why you need to rename it. Do you know how to rename series in Excel? If not, let’s get to know about it in this article.
In this post, you will get to know how you can edit the data series name in a chart or graph without changing the row or column name. You can find Data series at the lower end of a chart or graph. It could be a row or column name. let’s see how the renaming series process occurs.
How to Rename Series in Excel?
Without changing the column or row name, you can easily rename a data series in Excel, and here’s how you can do it:
- Open the sheet or chart from which you need to rename a series.
- Right-click on the chart.
- Click on the Select Data option from the menu that appears.
- Find the Select Data Source dialog box and move on to the Legend Entries series.
- From there, you can choose the data series to rename and click the Edit option.
- Choose Clear Series Name from the Edit Series dialog box.
- Enter the New Series Name in that box and press OK.
- In the chart legend box, your new name will appear but it will not be added yet to the Excel sheet.
- Note that the series name can be linked to a cell when the original series name is cleared.
- Go back to the Select Data Series box and press the OK button to save changes. Now, the specified data series name is updated.
That’s it!
Tricks to Know about Naming Series:
A few things are considered important while naming a series:
- The name must be short and nice because lengthy names could be confusing as well as difficult to remember.
- The name must be descriptive enough that explains everything about the series. For instance, “Sales by Region” is a short descriptive name. You got an idea easily about what would be in this chart or graph.
- It must be consistent and reliable. When you are having multiple series, you must give similar names for all of them. It helps in understanding the data.
How to Change Series Value in Excel?
- Changing the data range for the data series is easier with the following process. In this process, your Series Name will not get changed instead the Series Values get updated in the Edit Series dialog box.
- First, find the Series Values box.
- Add the data range for the data series.
- Press OK.
- Note that the values added here will appear in the chart only because they will not be added to the sheet.
That’s all!
You are now familiar with how to rename series in Excel as well as how to change series values in Excel. Now, the next part of this post will explain simply how you can rename single and multiple series one by one.
Renaming a Single Series in Excel:
To change the name of a single series, follow these easy-to-go steps:
- Right-click on the series and choose the “Rename” option.
- A new dialog box will pop up to add a new name.
- Add your desired name and press OK to save changes.
Renaming Multiple Series in Excel:
To rename multiple series names all at once, follow these steps:
- Select all series you need to change the name.
- To select all the series, click on the first series and press the SHIFT key and click on the last series while holding the key.
- Right-click on the series once they get selected.
- Choose the “Rename” option.
- A new dialog box will pop up to add a new name.
- Add your desired name and press OK to save changes.
Let’s Wrap Up:
In this post, you have simply learned how to rename series in Excel and how to change series values as well. Hopefully, this short but explanatory post helps you in learning what you are looking for. Practice these tricks and enjoy your Excel tour.
