Change the look of chart text and labels

You can change the look of all the chart text at once.

1. Click the chart, then in the Format  sidebar, click the Chart tab.

2. Use the controls in the Chart Font section of the sidebar to do any of the following:

   • Change the font: Click the Chart Font pop-up menu and choose a font.

   • Change the character style: Click the pop-up menu below the font name and choose an option (Regular, Bold, and so on).

   • Make the font smaller or larger: Click the small A or the large A.

     All text in the chart increases or decreases proportionally (by the same percentage).

To learn how to style the chart title and value labels so they look different from the other text, see the topics below.

Charts have a placeholder title (Title) that’s hidden by default. You can show the chart title and change it.

1. Click the chart.

2. In the Format  sidebar, click the Chart tab, then select the Title checkbox.

3. Double-click the placeholder title on the chart and type your own.

4. To change the look of the title—for example, its font, size, and color—double-click the title again, then use the controls in the Chart Title tab of the sidebar to make changes.

   To move the title to the center of a donut chart, click the Title Position pop-up menu, then choose Center.

Charts have labels that show the values of specific data points. You can show the value labels in a bar, column, area, scatter, or bubble chart, specify a format for them (for example, number, currency, or percentage), and change how they look.

1. Click the chart.

2. In the Format  sidebar, click the Series tab.

3. Do one of the following:

   • For bubble charts: Click the disclosure triangle next to Bubble Labels, select the checkbox next to Values, then click the pop-up menu and choose a value format.

   • For scatter charts: Click the disclosure triangle next to Value Labels, select the checkbox next to Values, then click the pop-up menu and choose a value format.

   • For the other types of charts: Click the disclosure triangle next to Value Labels, then click the pop-up menu and choose a value format.

   To hide the value labels, deselect the Values checkbox or choose None from the pop-up menu.

4. Fine-tune the value labels (these controls are available only for some chart types):

   • Set the number of decimal places: Click the up or down arrow.

   • Show the thousands separator: Select the Thousands Separator checkbox.

   • Add a prefix or suffix: The text you enter in these boxes is added to the beginning or end of the label.

   • Specify where labels appear: Click the Location pop-up menu and choose an option, such as Top, Middle, Above, or Inside (the options depend on your chart type).

5. To change the font, color, and style of the labels, click any value label on the chart, then use the controls in the Font section of the sidebar to make changes.

   When you click a value label, all value labels for that series are selected (white dots appear to the right and left of each label). Only these labels are modified. To change labels for another data series, click one of its labels, then make changes.

   To select multiple series, select a series, then Command-click another. To select all series, select one, then press Command-A.

You can show the wedge or segment labels in a pie or donut chart, specify a format for them (for example, number, currency, or percentage), and change how they look.

1. Click the chart to change all item labels, or click one item label to change it.

   To change several item labels, Command-click them.

2. In the Format  sidebar, click the Wedges or Segments tab.

3. To add labels, do any of the following:

   • Show data labels: Select the checkbox next to Data Point Names.

   • Show data values: Select the checkbox next to Values.

     To hide a label for a particular item, select the label, then deselect Values or Data Point Names.

4. To format the labels, click the disclosure triangle next to Value Data Format, then do any of the following:

   • Change the number format: Click the Value Data Format pop-up menu and choose a format (percentage, for example).

   • Set the number of decimal places: Click the up or down arrow.

   • Show the thousands separator: Select the checkbox next to Thousands Separator.

   • Choose how to display negative numbers: Choose “-100” or “(100).”

   • Add a prefix or suffix: The text you enter in these boxes is added to the beginning or end of the label.

5. To position the labels and add leader lines to connect them with their item, click the disclosure triangle next to Label Options, then do any of the following:

   • Change the position of the labels: Adjust the Distance from Center slider to set where the labels appear. Moving the labels farther from the center of the chart can help separate overlapping labels.

   • Add leader lines: Select the checkbox next to Leader Lines. You can change the style, color, and thickness of the leader lines and add endpoints to them.

     Click the pop-up menu and choose Straight or Angled. With angled leader lines, the callouts align into columns, as shown below.

     

To change the font, color, and style of item labels, click any item label on the chart, then use the controls in the Font and Shadow sections of the sidebar to make changes.

You can specify which labels appear on an axis, edit their names, change their angle of orientation, set the range and frequency of the tick marks, and more.

1. Click the chart, then in the Format  sidebar, click the Axis tab.

2. Do either of the following:

   • Modify markings on the value axis: Click the Value (Y) button at the top of the sidebar.

   • Modify markings on the category axis: Click the Category (X) button at the top of the sidebar.

3. Use the controls in the sidebar to make adjustments.

   To see all options, click the disclosure triangles to the left of the section headings.

   

4. If you selected the Axis Name checkbox and want to change the name on the chart, click the chart, double-click the axis name on the chart, then type your own.