Move, resize, or hide a legend in your Excel chart
A legend in Excel is the box that identifies what each color or pattern in your chart represents. By default, Excel places it to the right of the chart, but you can move it to any edge, resize it, change what it shows, or hide it altogether. The steps depend on whether you want to reposition the legend, change its contents, or adjust its appearance.
The fastest way to change a legend is to click the chart, then click the legend itself. A small menu appears with your most common options. For more control, you can right-click the legend to open the full formatting panel.
Key Takeaways
- Click your chart once to select it, then click the legend to select it separately before making changes.
- Right-click the legend and choose "Format Legend" to open a panel where you can move it, resize it, or hide it entirely.
- The legend position options are Right, Left, Top, Bottom, or Overlay (floating over the chart data).
- You can remove individual data series from the legend by editing the chart data range, without deleting them from the chart itself.
- If your legend is too crowded, you can make it wider or taller by dragging its edges after selecting it.
Select the chart and then the legend
Before you can change anything, you need to tell Excel which legend you want to edit. Click once on the chart itself — you will see a gray border around the entire chart area. Then click directly on the legend box. The legend will now have small squares at its corners and edges, showing it is selected and ready to be edited.
If you click the chart but not the legend, you are selecting the chart as a whole. If you click the legend and nothing happens, make sure the chart is active first. In Excel, you must select the chart container before you can select individual parts inside it.
Move the legend to a different position
With the legend selected, right-click it and choose Format Legend. A panel opens on the right side of your screen. Look for the section labeled "Legend Position" or "Legend Options." You will see buttons or a dropdown menu with these choices: Right, Left, Top, Bottom, and Overlay.
Right is the default. Top and Bottom place the legend horizontally above or below the chart. Left places it on the left edge. Overlay floats the legend over the chart data itself — useful if your chart has empty space but you want to see all the data behind the legend. Click the position you want, and the legend moves when ready.
Resize the legend by dragging its edges
If your legend is too small and text is cut off, or if it takes up too much space, you can resize it. With the legend selected (you will see the small squares at its corners), position your cursor on one of those corner or edge squares. Your cursor will change to a resize arrow. Click and drag outward to make the legend larger, or inward to make it smaller.
Dragging a corner square resizes both width and height at once. Dragging a side or top/bottom square resizes only that dimension. This is useful when you have many data series and the legend text wraps awkwardly.
Hide the legend entirely
If you do not want a legend on your chart at all, select it and right-click, then choose Delete. The legend disappears. You can bring it back later by clicking the chart, then going to the Chart Design tab at the top and clicking Add Chart Element > Legend > choose a position.
Alternatively, with the legend selected, right-click and choose Format Legend. In the panel that opens, look for a checkbox or toggle that says "Show Legend" or "Display Legend" and uncheck it. This hides the legend without deleting it, so it is easier to turn back on later.
Remove specific data series from the legend
Sometimes you want to keep the legend but remove one or two series from it. Right-click the chart and choose Select Data. A dialog box opens showing all the data series in your chart. Highlight the series you want to remove from the legend and click the Remove button. The series stays in the chart but no longer appears in the legend.
This is different from deleting the series entirely. The data still plots on the chart; it just is not labeled in the legend anymore. This is useful when you have a reference line or a series that does not need identification.
Change legend text and formatting
The text in a legend comes from your data labels — usually the column headers or series names in your spreadsheet. To change what the legend says, you must change the source data. Right-click the chart and choose Select Data. Under "Legend Entries (Series)," you can click a series name and edit it directly in the dialog box.
To change how the legend looks — font size, color, background — select the legend and right-click it. Choose Format Legend. The panel on the right has tabs for "Fill & Line," "Effects," and "Text Options." Use these to adjust colors, borders, shadows, and text properties like font and size.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I move the legend to the top of the chart?
Yes. Select the legend, right-click it, choose Format Legend, and select Top from the position options. The legend will display horizontally above your chart data.
What if the legend is covering my chart data?
Move it to a different position using the Format Legend panel, or choose Overlay and then drag the legend box to an empty area of the chart. You can also resize the legend to make it smaller.
How do I change what text appears in the legend?
Right-click the chart and select Select Data. Click the series name you want to change and edit the text in the dialog box. The legend updates automatically.
Can I delete the legend and add it back later?
Yes. Select and delete the legend as described above. To restore it, click the chart, go to the Chart Design tab, click Add Chart Element, then Legend, and choose a position.
Why does my legend show entries I do not want?
The legend displays every data series in your chart. To hide a series from the legend without removing it from the chart, right-click the chart, choose Select Data, select the series, and click Remove.