Excel 2003 Line Graph Tutorial

Formatting options for the line graph

Note: For help with these instructions, see the image example above.

Place the graph title on two lines

1. Click once with the mouse pointer anywhere on the graph title to highlight it.
2. Click a second time with the mouse pointer right in front of the word Acapulco to locate the insertion point.
3. Press the ENTER key on the keyboard to divide the graph title into two lines.

Change the background color of the graph

1. Right click once with the mouse pointer anywhere on the white background of the graph to open the drop down menu.
2. Click with the mouse pointer on the first option in the menu: Format Chart Area to open the Format Chart Area dialog box.
3. Click on the Patterns tab to select it.
4. In the Area section, click on a colored square to select it.
5. For this tutorial, select the light yellow color at the bottom of the dialog box.
6. Click OK.

Change the background color/remove the border from the legend

1. Right click once with the mouse pointer anywhere on the background of the graph's legend to open the drop down menu.
2. Click with the mouse pointer on the first option in the menu: Format Legend to open the Format Legend dialog box.
3. Click on the Patterns tab to select it.
4. In the Border section on the left of the dialog box, click on the None option to remove the border.
5. In the Area section, click on a colored square to select it.
6. For this tutorial, select the light yellow color at the bottom of the dialog box.
7. Click OK.