Chart display options change according to page setup (211933)

SUMMARY

When you create a chart as a new sheet in Microsoft Excel, the chart appears similar to how it is displayed in Print Preview. This view shows how the layout of your chart and all of its elements appear when you print it. In this view, you can size, move, and format the plot area (the region bounded by the axes) and chart items, such as graphic objects, titles, text boxes, and the legend.

This article discusses how options in Page Setup affect what you can move and size in this view, and how to change the view so that the chart fills the window.

MORE INFORMATION

To Change What You Can Move and Size in Chart Window (Page Setup Options)

The way the chart window appears on your screen or when you print it depends on how you set various options in the Page Setup dialog box (these options include paper size, orientation, and margin size). For example, if the page orientation is set to Landscape,the window appears to be wider than it is tall.

The option that you select under Printed chart size on the Chart tab in the Page Setup dialog box (a chart must be present on the worksheet for the Chart tab to appear) affects how you can move and size the chart area, plot area, and the chart elements. When you select the Use full page option, you can size and move the plot area but not the chart area. When you select the Scale to fit page or Custom options, you can size both the plot area and the chart area. With either of these options selected, the positions of chart elements such as titles, text boxes, and arrows shift relative to the chart area.

The following table lists the Printed chart size options that are located on the Chart tab, how they affect the way the chart is displayed and printed, and how they affect what you can move and size.

     Option        Effect on chart          Moving and sizing
   -------------------------------------------------------------

   Use full       Fills the page within   The chart area cannot
   Page           the margin settings.    be sized. Chart items
                                          must be individually
                                          sized or moved.

   Scale to       Scales to fit the       The chart area can be
   fit page       page within the         sized either vertically
                  margin settings in      or horizontally, but not
                  terms of width          both. Chart items move
                  or height               relative to the chart
                  (depending on the       area.
                  orientation of your
                  chart).

   Custom         Adjusts to any size     The chart area can be
                  or placement within     moved and sized
                  the margin settings.    vertically and
                                          horizontally. Chart
                                          items move relative to
                                          the chart area.

To Change View So That the Chart Fills the Window

The chart window is zoomed in to display your entire chart area. To view the chart in its full size on your screen, do either of the following:

On the View menu, click Zoom, select 100% under Magnification, and then click OK.

-or-
Select 100% in the Zoom box on the Standard toolbar.

To display the chart with its size determined by the size of the window, click Sized with Window on the View menu (only available with chart sheets not embedded charts), or follow these steps:

On the Tools menu, click Options.
Click the Chart tab, and then click to select the Chart sizes with window frame check box.