How to select an invisible element in the chart

Excel 365
Some chart elements are hard to find for customization, or they are not visible at all. For example, added or updated data series may not be visible due to chart settings: located in an invisible data range, displayed with invisible markers, with disabled fill color, or because of the background image:
Invisible elements in chart Excel 365

You can select any chart element for customization using the ribbon tab command or from the Format *** pane.


Using the ribbon tab

   1.   Select the chart to display the Chart Design and Format tabs:

Chart Design and Format tabs in Excel 365

   2.   On the Chart Format tab, in the Current Selection group, click the arrow of the Chart Elements dropdown list, then select the chart element you need.

For example:

Select elements in Chart Format tab Excel 365

If you need to open the Format *** pane to customize the selected element, click the Format Selection button in the Current Selection group:

Format Selection button in Excel 365

Using the Format pane

   1.   Open the Format *** pane for any of the chart elements.

For example, right-click the chart plot area and select Format Plot Area... in the popup menu:

Format Plot Area in popup menu Excel 365

   2.   In the Format *** pane, click the arrow next to *** Options (Plot Area Options in this example) and choose the element you need to customize from the dropdown list:

Select elements in Format pane Excel 365

Please, disable AdBlock and reload the page to continue

Today, 30% of our visitors use Ad-Block to block ads.We understand your pain with ads, but without ads, we won't be able to provide you with free content soon. If you need our content for work or study, please support our efforts and disable AdBlock for our site. As you will see, we have a lot of helpful information to share.

How to select an invisible element in the chart

How to select an invisible element in the chart

Some chart elements are hard to find for customization, or they are not visible at all. For example, added or updated data series may not be visible due to chart settings: located in an invisible data range, displayed with invisible markers, with disabled fill color, or because of the background image:
Speedometer chart

Speedometer chart

A speedometer, dial, or gauge chart displays a single value (usually displayed as an arrow) on a colored or sectored dial. The speedometer dial can be a half or a whole circle (the simplest option) or a sector located symmetrically vertically:
How to add a vertical line to the line or bar chart

How to add a vertical line to the line or bar chart

To show progress, highlight current or any date, or demonstrate the difference between the target value and the actual one, you can add bullets to the chart, horizontal or vertical lines: