Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Unselecting a Chart Item.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 1, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Excel includes a very powerful charting feature. As you work with charting your data, it is not unusual to select different objects and then use the various formatting features of Excel to make that object look exactly as you want it to. You select chart objects by simply clicking on the object with the mouse.
If you select an object by mistake, you can easily undo that selection by simply selecting a different object. If you don't want to select a different object, but instead want to "deselect" the item you selected, all you need to do is press the Esc key. Excel obediently cancels whatever selection you made.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2604) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Unselecting a Chart Item.
Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!
Excel is a whiz at creating charts from your worksheet data. When the program tries to determine what should be included ...
Discover MoreFiguring out how to get the data points in an X-Y scatter plot labeled can be confusing; Excel certainly doesn't make it ...
Discover MoreWhen creating charts that will be used by other people, you may need to take some liberties with the presentation of your ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
Comments