The quickest way to change a chart style

Once you have created a chart in Excel, you can change its appearance by right-clicking the chart and selecting Change Chart Type, or by using the Chart Design tab that appears when the chart is selected. The Chart Design tab (called Design under Chart Tools in older Excel versions) holds preset styles, color schemes, and layout options that let you redesign the chart without rebuilding it from scratch.

If you want to keep the same chart type but change only the colors or visual theme, the quickest route is the Chart Styles button — a paintbrush icon that appears to the right of a selected chart. Clicking it opens a panel with pre-made style options you can explore in one click.

Key Takeaways

  • Select your chart, then use the Chart Design tab to access style presets, color schemes, and layout templates without changing the chart type itself.
  • The Chart Styles button (paintbrush icon) next to a selected chart applies a complete visual redesign in one click.
  • To switch from one chart type to another — for example, from a bar chart to a line chart — use Change Chart Type on the Chart Design tab.
  • You can customize individual chart elements like titles, legends, and gridlines by right-clicking them and selecting Format.

Using the Chart Design tab to explore styles

When you click on a chart in Excel, the Chart Design tab appears in the ribbon at the top. This tab contains a gallery of preset styles arranged in rows. Each style changes the colors, fonts, and overall appearance of the chart at once. Hover your mouse over any style to see a preview of how your chart will look before you click.

The styles in this gallery are organized by theme — they follow the color scheme of your workbook's current theme. If you change the workbook theme later (through the Page Layout or Design tab, depending on your Excel version), the chart styles update automatically to match.

To the right of the style gallery, you will see a dropdown arrow. Clicking it reveals additional style options that may not fit in the main display. Scroll through to see all available presets.

Changing colors without changing the style

Next to the Chart Styles button on the Chart Design tab, you will find a Change Colors option. This lets you swap the color scheme while keeping the same style template. Click it to see variations — monochromatic, colorful, grayscale, and others depending on your Excel version.

This is useful when you need to match a company color palette or prepare a chart for black-and-white printing. The color options update when ready as you hover over them, so you can preview before committing.

Switching to a different chart type

If you want to change from a bar chart to a line chart, or from a pie chart to a column chart, use Change Chart Type on the Chart Design tab. Click it to open a dialog showing all available chart types — Column, Line, Pie, Area, Scatter, and others.

Select the type you want, then choose a subtype (for example, a stacked column instead of a regular column). Excel will redraw your chart using the new type while keeping your data intact. Not all chart types work equally well with all data — for instance, a pie chart works best with a single data series, while a scatter plot needs two numeric columns — so you may need to adjust your data layout if the new type does not display as expected.

Customizing individual chart elements

If you want to change only part of the chart — the title font, the legend position, the gridline color — right-click the specific element and select Format [Element Name]. For example, right-clicking the chart title opens Format Chart Title, where you can change the font, size, color, and alignment.

You can also access these options through the Chart Design tab. Click Add Chart Element to add or remove titles, legends, data labels, and gridlines. This menu also lets you reposition the legend or change axis titles without opening a format dialog.

For more detailed control — such as changing the thickness of a line or the transparency of a bar — right-click the data series itself (the bars, lines, or points) and select Format Data Series. This opens options for fill color, outline, shadow, and other properties.

Using Quick Layouts to redesign the entire chart at once

The Chart Design tab includes a Quick Layout option that applies a preset arrangement of chart elements all at once. These layouts control where the legend sits, whether data labels appear, whether gridlines show, and similar structural choices. Clicking a layout when ready reorganizes your chart.

Quick Layouts are faster than adding or removing elements one at a time, but they override your previous choices. If you have spent time positioning the legend or adjusting gridlines, explore a new layout will reset those decisions.

Saving a custom style for future charts

Excel does not offer a built-in way to save a custom chart style as a reusable template in the way you can save cell styles. However, you can copy a formatted chart and paste it into a new location, then change only the data. Right-click the chart, select Copy, then paste it elsewhere and update the data range.

Alternatively, you can create a template workbook with a chart styled exactly as you want it, save that workbook as a template file (.xltx), and open it whenever you need a new chart with that appearance. This approach works well if you create similar charts regularly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Chart Design tab if I don't see it?

The Chart Design tab only appears when a chart is selected. Click on the chart itself (not the background of the spreadsheet), and the tab should appear in the ribbon. In Excel 2007 and 2010, it may be labeled Design under Chart Tools instead.

Can I undo a style change if I don't like it?

Yes. Press Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo the last change. You can undo multiple steps if needed. If you have already closed the file, you cannot undo changes from a previous session.

What if the new chart style makes my data hard to read?

Right-click the chart and select Format Chart Area to adjust the background color, or use Add Chart Element to turn gridlines on or off. You can also change the data series colors individually by right-clicking a bar or line and selecting Format Data Series.

Do chart styles work the same way in Excel Online as in the desktop version?

Excel Online has fewer style options than the desktop version, but the Chart Design tab and Chart Styles button work similarly. Some advanced formatting options are only available in the desktop version, so you may need to open the file in the full process for detailed customization.

Can I explore a style to multiple charts at once?

No. You must select and style each chart individually. However, if you copy a styled chart and paste it multiple times, all copies will have the same style. You can then change only the data in each copy.