Change an Excel chart’s minimum axis value for a cleaner look

If an Excel chart’s vertical axis is incremented by 20,000, and most of its data points are between 70,000 and 550,000, the chart will look somewhat crowded at the top if the horizontal axis crosses the vertical axis at zero. You can try to make the chart easier to read by resizing and enlarging the chart area, but there will still be a lot of white space at the bottom of the chart. Here is a better way to change the automatic axis settings:

1. Open the Excel file containing the chart.
2. Click a value in the chart’s vertical axis to select it.
3. Right-click the selected vertical axis.
4. Click Format Axis.
5. Click the Fixed button for Minimum.
6. Click the Fixed button for Maximum.
7. Click the Fixed button for Major.
8. Click the Fixed button for Minor.
9. Click the Minimum text box and enter 20000.
10. Press [Enter].

Now the horizontal axis crosses the vertical axis at 20,000, making it easier to compare data points and read the chart.

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