Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 28, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
When you create a chart in Excel, you may have a need to change the order in which the data series are displayed in the chart. One way to do this, of course, is to change the order of the data in the underlying worksheet range. For instance, you can sort the data in the worksheet range, and the change in order should be reflected in the chart based on that data.
Another way is to manually customize the chart to rearrange the data series. Follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Series Order tab of the Format Data Series dialog box.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2699) 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: Reordering the Display of a Data Series.
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