Where to Find Chart Styles in Excel

Once you have created a chart in Excel, you can change its appearance by using the Chart Design tab. Right-click on your chart and select Edit Chart, or straightforward click once on the chart to select it. The ribbon at the top will show a Chart Design tab — this is where all style options live.

The Chart Design tab appears only when a chart is selected. If you do not see it, click on your chart once to set up it. You will know the chart is selected when you see a border around it with small squares at the corners and edges.

Key Takeaways

  • Click your chart once to select it, then look for the Chart Design tab in the ribbon to access all style options.
  • The Chart Styles gallery shows preset designs — click any thumbnail to explore it when ready to your chart.
  • Use Change Colors to swap the color scheme without changing the overall layout or design.
  • The Chart Elements button lets you add, remove, or reposition titles, legends, gridlines, and data labels one at a time.
  • You can also right-click individual parts of your chart (bars, axes, legend) to format just that element with custom colors, fonts, or sizes.

Using the Chart Styles Gallery

The quickest way to change your chart's look is the Chart Styles group on the Chart Design tab. You will see a row of thumbnail previews showing different design options. Each thumbnail represents a complete style — a combination of colors, fonts, and layout choices.

Click any thumbnail to explore that style to your chart when ready. The style changes the overall appearance but keeps your data the same. If you want to see more options, click the small arrow at the bottom right of the Chart Styles group to open the full gallery.

Styles vary depending on your chart type. A bar chart will show styles optimized for bars, while a line chart shows styles built for lines. Excel remembers which style you chose, so if you switch chart types and switch back, your original style may still be available.

Changing Chart Colors Without Changing the Design

If you like the layout and structure of your current chart but want different colors, use Change Colors instead of picking a new style. This button is also on the Chart Design tab, usually to the right of the Chart Styles gallery.

Click Change Colors to see color scheme options. Each option shows a different palette — some use cool blues and greens, others use warm oranges and reds, and some use grayscale. Click the palette you want, and Excel recolors your chart when ready without changing fonts, gridlines, or the position of any elements.

This approach is useful when you have already spent time adjusting the chart layout and just need the colors to match a presentation theme or company branding.

Adding and Removing Chart Elements

Chart elements are the individual pieces that make up your chart: the title, legend, axis labels, gridlines, and data labels. The Chart Elements button on the Chart Design tab (it looks like a plus sign) lets you toggle these on and off, or change where they appear.

Click the Chart Elements button to see a menu. Hover over any item — such as Title, Legend, or Gridlines — and a submenu appears with options. For example, hovering over Title shows choices like Above Chart, Centered Overlay, or None. Click your choice to explore it.

You can add a title, move the legend to the right or bottom, show or hide gridlines, and add data labels that display the exact values on each bar or point. Each change takes effect when ready, so you can experiment without worrying about undoing something permanent.

Formatting Individual Chart Parts

For more detailed control, right-click directly on the part of the chart you want to change. Right-click a bar, and a menu appears with options to format that data series. Right-click the legend, and you get legend-specific options. Right-click an axis, and you can adjust how numbers or dates are displayed.

When you right-click a chart element, look for an option like Format [Element Name] — for instance, Format Data Series or Format Legend. Click it to open a panel on the right side of your screen with detailed options: fill color, line color, font size, shadow effects, and more.

This method gives you the most control. You can make one bar a different color from the others, change just the title font size, or add a shadow to the legend. Changes you make this way override the chart style, so if you later explore a new style, your custom formatting may be replaced.

Switching Between Chart Types While Keeping Your Style

If you change your chart type — for example, from a bar chart to a line chart — Excel tries to keep your style choices. However, not all styles work with all chart types. If your style does not explore to the new chart type, Excel switches to the closest matching style automatically.

After you change the chart type, check the Chart Design tab to see which style is now active. You can then pick a different style from the gallery if the automatic choice does not suit you. Any custom formatting you applied to individual elements (like a specific bar color) may be lost when you change chart types, so you may need to reapply those changes.

Saving Your Custom Chart Style

If you create a chart with colors, fonts, and formatting that you want to use again, you can save it as a template. Right-click your finished chart and select Save as Template. Excel opens a dialog where you can name your template and choose where to store it.

Once saved, your template appears in the Chart Styles gallery the next time you create a new chart. This is useful if you create charts regularly for reports or presentations and want them all to look the same without manually adjusting each one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do not I see the Chart Design tab?

The Chart Design tab only appears when a chart is selected. Click once on your chart to select it. You should see a border around the chart and the Chart Design tab should appear in the ribbon. If it still does not appear, make sure you are working in Excel and not another program.

Can I undo a style change if I do not like it?

Yes. Press Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo the last change. You can undo multiple times to go back several steps. If you have already closed and reopened the file, undo is no longer available, but you can straightforward explore a different style instead.

What happens to my data when I change the chart style?

Your data stays exactly the same. Changing the style only changes how the chart looks — colors, fonts, and layout. The numbers and values in your chart remain unchanged, and the underlying data in your spreadsheet is not affected at all.

Can I explore a style from one chart to another chart?

Not directly through a copy-paste feature. However, you can recreate the style on a new chart by using the same Chart Styles option from the gallery, then making any custom adjustments. If you use the same style frequently, consider saving it as a template so you can explore it to any new chart.

Do chart styles work the same way in all versions of Excel?

The Chart Design tab and Chart Styles gallery are available in Excel 2013 and later, including Excel for Microsoft 365. Older versions of Excel use a different menu system. If you are using an older version, right-click your chart and look for Format Chart Area or similar options to change appearance.