This article explains how to display, hide, and edit the three main axes (X, Y, and Z) in an Excel chart. We’ll also explain more about chart axes in general. Instructions cover Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010; Excel for Microsoft 365, and Excel for Mac.

What to Know

  • Select a blank area of the chart to display the Chart Tools on the right side of the chart, then select Chart Elements (plus sign).To hide all axes, clear the Axes check box. To hide one or more axes, hover over Axes and select the arrow to see a list of axes.Clear the check boxes for the axes you want to hide. Select the check boxes for the axes you want to display.

Hide and Display Chart Axes

To hide one or more axes in an Excel chart:

  • Select a blank area of the chart to display the Chart Tools on the right side of the chart.
  • Select Chart Elements, the plus sign (+), to open the Chart Elements menu.
  • To hide all axes, clear the Axes check box.
  • To hide one or more axes, hover over Axes to display a right arrow.
  • Select the arrow to display a list of axes that can be displayed or hidden on the chart.
  • Clear the check box for the axes you want to hide.
  • Select the check boxes for the axes you want to display.

What Is an Axis?

An axis on a chart or graph in Excel or Google Sheets is a horizontal or vertical line containing units of measure. The axes border the plot area of column charts, bar graphs, line graphs, and other charts. An axis displays units of measure and provides a frame of reference for the data displayed in the chart. Most charts, such as column and line charts, have two axes that are used to measure and categorize data:

Select a blank area of the chart to display the Chart Tools on the right side of the chart.

Select Chart Elements, the plus sign (+), to open the Chart Elements menu.

To hide all axes, clear the Axes check box.

To hide one or more axes, hover over Axes to display a right arrow.

Select the arrow to display a list of axes that can be displayed or hidden on the chart.

Clear the check box for the axes you want to hide.

Select the check boxes for the axes you want to display.

The vertical axis: The Y or value axis.

The horizontal axis: The X or category axis.

3-D Chart Axes

In addition to horizontal and vertical axes, 3-D charts have a third axis. The z-axis, also called the secondary vertical axis or depth axis, plots data along the third dimension (the depth) of a chart.

All chart axes are identified by an axis title that includes the units displayed in the axis. Bubble, radar, and pie charts are some chart types that do not use axes to display data.

Vertical Axis

The vertical y-axis is located along the left side of the plot area. The scale for this axis is usually based on the data values that are plotted in the chart.

Horizontal Axis

The horizontal x-axis is found at the bottom of the plot area, and contains category headings taken from the data in the worksheet.

Secondary Vertical Axis

A second vertical axis, which is found on the right side of a chart, displays two or more types of data in a single chart. It is also used to chart data values.

A climate graph or climatograph is an example of a combination chart that uses a second vertical axis to display both temperature and precipitation data versus time in a single chart.

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