Using the Mouse to Adjust Your View of 3-D Graphs

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated September 29, 2017)

When you create a 3-D graph with Excel, you might want to adjust the perspective of the graph just a bit. You can use dialog boxes to make the adjustment, but you don't need to go to that trouble—you can use the mouse. All you need to do is follow these steps:

  1. Create and display your 3-D graph as you normally would.
  2. Click on the walls that define the sides of your 3-D graph. Don't click on the objects that represent the data, but on the walls surrounding the data. A good place to click is on the gray back walls of the graph.
  3. Move the mouse pointer over the corners of the graph, where some of the small graphic handles (small black boxes) appear. When you do, a ToolTip should appear that says "Corners."
  4. Click on the corner. This selects the corner.
  5. Click again on the corner, but don't release the mouse button. Instead, start to drag the corner in the direction you want.

When you perform step 5, Excel erases the graph and displays an outline of the box that contains the graph. You can drag the corner any direction you want, and Excel adjusts the angle at which you view the box. When you release the mouse button, the graph is redrawn at the current viewing angle.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (1976) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Understanding View Options

Understanding the options available on the View tab of the Options dialog box based on the view you are using.

Discover More

Creating Custom Labels

There is a whole passel of labels pre-defined in Word. You are not limited to this passel, however; Word allows you to ...

Discover More

Unable to Set Margins in a Document

If you find that you cannot set the margins in a document, chances are good that it is due to document corruption. Here's ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Using the Keyboard to Select and Resize a Chart Object

When working with charts and chart objects, Excel is very dependent on the mouse. If you don't want to use the mouse, but ...

Discover More

Adding a Drop Shadow to a Text Box

One way to make your text boxes "stand off" the page is to add a drop shadow to them. This tip shows just how easy it is ...

Discover More

Changing the Size of a Drawing Object

Add a drawing object to your worksheet, and at some point you may want to change that object's size. You can easily ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 9 + 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.