Changing Chart Type

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 29, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


When you create a chart in Excel, the chart can be either embedded as an object within an worksheet, or you can add the chart as its own worksheet. Each type of chart has its advantages, and at some time you might want to change a particular chart from one type to the other. In order to do this, follow these steps:

  1. Select the chart you want to change. If working with a chart object, then you should see a series of handles around the perimeter of the chart. If working with a chart sheet, the chart sheet should be displayed.
  2. Choose the Location option from the Chart menu. Excel displays the Chart Location dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Chart Location dialog box.

  4. Choose whether you want the chart displayed as a sheet or as an object.
  5. If you choose that you want the chart displayed as an object, use the drop-down list to select the worksheet on which the chart object should appear.
  6. Click on OK.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3030) 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

Deleting an AutoText Entry

At some point you may want to delete an AutoText entry you previously created. Here are the steps to follow.

Discover More

Unlocking Charts

Objects within a workbook are often locked as a form of protection. Your macro, however, may have a need to work with ...

Discover More

Specifying Different Weekends with NETWORKDAYS

The NETWORKDAYS worksheet function can be used to easily determine the number of work days (Monday through Friday) within ...

Discover More

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!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Reordering the Display of a Data Series

Once you create a chart, you aren't limited to keeping the data series in the order they originally appeared. You can ...

Discover More

Labeling X-Y Scatter Plots

Figuring out how to get the data points in an X-Y scatter plot labeled can be confusing; Excel certainly doesn't make it ...

Discover More

Dynamic Data Based on Chart Changes

Change the data on which a chart is based and Excel obligingly updates the chart to reflect the change. What if you want ...

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.

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}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) 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 nine more than 3?

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.