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How to Rename Series in Excel Graph

Cody Schneider•

You’ve done the hard work of gathering your data and creating a chart in Excel, but the default legend names - "Series1," "Series2" - are less than helpful. A confusing legend can make even the most beautiful graph useless. This guide will walk you through a few simple methods to rename your data series, transforming your chart from confusing to crystal clear.

Why You Should Always Rename Your Chart Series

Before jumping into the "how," let's quickly touch on the "why." Properly labeling your data series is about more than just tidiness. It's about communication.

  • Clarity First: Descriptive names like "Q1 Sales" and "Q2 Projections" instantly tell your audience what they are looking at, while "Series1" and "Series2" force them to guess.

  • Professional Polish: Custom names give your reports and dashboards a polished, professional look. It shows attention to detail and respect for your reader's time.

  • Prevent Misinterpretation: In a fast-paced business environment, clarity is essential. Ambiguous labels can lead to incorrect conclusions and bad decisions.

Taking a few seconds to rename your series is one of the highest-impact changes you can make to improve your data visualizations.

Method 1: Using the "Select Data" Menu

This is the most straightforward and common method for renaming a series in Excel. It’s a great starting point if you're new to chart formatting.

Follow these steps:

  1. Select Your Chart: Click anywhere on your chart to activate it. You’ll see the "Chart Tools" (or "Chart Design") tab appear in the Excel ribbon at the top of the window.

  2. Open the Select Data Source Window: Right-click on your chart and choose Select Data... from the context menu. This will open the "Select Data Source" dialog box.

  3. Choose the Series to Edit: In the left-hand pane labeled "Legend Entries (Series)," you'll see a list of your data series (e.g., "Series1"). Click on the one you want to rename to highlight it.

  4. Edit the Series Name: With the series highlighted, click the Edit button.

  5. Enter the New Name: A smaller "Edit Series" dialog box will appear. Here you have two options for the "Series name" field:

    • Option A (Static Name): You can simply type a new name directly into the "Series name" text box. For example, you could delete the placeholder text and type in "January Sales". This name is static and won't change unless you manually edit it again.

    • Option B (Dynamic Link): You can link the series name to a specific cell in your worksheet. This is covered in more detail in Method 3 below, but essentially you'd click the cell selection icon and choose the cell containing your desired label.

  6. Confirm Your Changes: Click OK in the "Edit Series" window, and then click OK again in the "Select Data Source" window. Your chart legend will now show the new, descriptive name you entered.

Repeat this process for any other series you need to rename.

Method 2: A Quicker Way Using the Formula Bar

If you're comfortable working with Excel formulas, this method can be much faster, especially for quick edits. Every time you click on a visualized data series within your chart (like a bar, line, or pie slice), Excel displays the underlying =SERIES() formula in the formula bar.

This formula defines what data the series is using. It typically looks something like this:

Don't be intimidated by the syntax. Here’s a simple breakdown:

  • =SERIES(series_name, category_labels, values, plot_order)

The very first argument is the series name. That's the part we want to change. If you didn't define a name, it might be blank, and Excel just calls it "Series1."

How to Rename Using the Formula Bar:

  1. Select the Data Series: Click directly on one of the bars, lines, or points of the series you want to rename within the chart itself. This will select the entire series.

  2. Locate the Formula Bar: Look at the formula bar just above the column headers (the area where you'd normally see cell contents). You will see the =SERIES() formula for the selected series.

  3. Edit the Name Directly: Find the first argument of the formula.

    • If the name is a reference to a cell (e.g., Sheet1!$A$2), that's where the name is being pulled from.

    • If the series name section is missing or blank, you can type your new name directly into the formula. Just be sure to enclose it in double quotes.

For example, you could change this:

To this:

Press Enter:

After you finish typing, press Enter. The legend in your chart will update instantly with the new name.

This method skips the pop-up windows and allows for rapid changes right from the main Excel interface.

Method 3: The Best Practice for Dynamic Charts

The most flexible and efficient way to manage series names is to link them to cells in your worksheet. This creates a dynamic link, so any time you update the text in the source cell, the chart legend updates automatically. This is a game-changer for reports that you update regularly (e.g., weekly or monthly dashboards).

Instead of manually editing the chart each month, you can simply change the content of a cell from "January" to "February," and your chart legend follows suit.

How to Link a Series Name to a Cell:

You can do this using either of the two previous methods.

Using the "Select Data" Menu:

  1. Right-click your chart and select Select Data…

  2. In the "Legend Entries (Series)" list, choose the series you want to update and click Edit.

  3. In the "Edit Series" window, place your cursor in the "Series name:" text box and delete any existing content.

  4. Now, instead of typing a name, simply click on the cell in your spreadsheet that contains the label you want to use. You'll see the cell reference appear in the text box (e.g., =Sheet1!$A$5).

  5. Click OK in both windows, and you're done! The series is now linked to that cell.

This is extremely useful when your series labels are already part of your raw data table, like your column headers.

Using the Formula Bar:

  1. Click directly on the chart series to select it.

  2. Go to the formula bar and look at the =SERIES() formula.

  3. Replace the first argument (the name part) with a direct reference to the cell containing your label. Make sure not to use quotes this time.

For example, if the current formula has a hardcoded name:

And you want to link it to the text in cell B1, you would change it to:

Press Enter:

Press Enter, and the linkage is created.

Tips and Troubleshooting

  • Grayed Out "Edit" Button? If you find the "Edit" button is grayed out in the "Select Data Source" window, it may be because the workbook or sheet is protected. Unprotect the sheet to allow for edits.

  • Keep Names Concise: While descriptive names are good, overly long ones can overcrowd your chart legend. Keep them brief and to the point. Example: Use "Q3 Sales (USD)" instead of "The total amount of sales revenue in US Dollars for the Third Quarter."

  • Use Headers for Names: A great habit is to always link your series names to the column headers of your data source. If you restructure your data, the charts connected to it will update automatically.

Final Thoughts

Renaming the default series in an Excel graph is a simple skill that dramatically improves the effectiveness of your data communication. Whether you use the user-friendly "Select Data" menu, the quick formula bar edit, or the powerful method of linking to a cell, you can easily ensure your charts are clear, professional, and easy to understand.

While mastering these small details in spreadsheets is essential for clear reporting, the entire cycle of pulling data, cleaning it, and manually building charts can consume hours of your week. We created a tool to automate this entire workflow. With Graphed, you simply connect your data sources - like Google Analytics, Shopify, or your CRM - and describe the report you need in simple terms. Live dashboards are built for you in seconds without any tedious chart formatting, letting you focus on the insights, not the setup.