In Excel, you can create dynamic chart titles that automatically update based on changes in specific cells.
The process removes the need to manually adjust the titles whenever your data changes and eliminates the chances of forgetting to update them.
I will show you how to create a dynamic chart title in Excel by linking the chart title to a cell.
Create a Dynamic Chart Title by Linking to a Cell
Consider the chart below based on source data in the cell range A4:B7. The overall header of the source data is in cell A1.
To set the chart title to, for example, ‘Sales Revenue 2024,’ manually enter this text in the chart title box, replacing the default title. Remember that the title won’t update automatically, so when you paste new data into the worksheet each year, you’ll have to update the title manually. There’s a good chance you might forget to do this.
To efficiently manage the chart title, you can make it dynamic by linking it to a specific cell. For example, if the overall header of your data is always in cell A1, you can set the chart title to reference that cell. The chart title automatically adjusts to reflect the new header whenever you paste new data with a header into the worksheet.
Here’s how to do it:
- Click the chart title and notice that the chart title box becomes visible.
- Type the equals sign (=) on the formula bar.
- Select cell A1 containing the header of the source data.
- Press Enter.
The chart title is linked to cell A1 and displays the contents of cell A1 as shown below.
Whenever you paste new data into the worksheet the title of the chart is updated accordingly to reflect the content of the linked cell.
Also read: How to Add Axis Titles in Excel?
Create a Dynamic Chart Title By Linking to Cell Formula
You can also link a chart title to a cell with a formula to create a dynamic chart title. In the previous example, you manually updated the linked cell that the chart title referenced.
You can enter a formula in a cell and link it to the chart title. The formula automatically generates updated content that is reflected in the chart title.
Suppose you have the below chart with a default title.
You want to create a dynamic chart title that updates annually, based on the result of a formula in a specific cell.
Here’s how you can do it:
- In cell A1 enter the formula below that generates the content for the dynamic chart title.
="Sales Revenue " & TEXT(TODAY(), "YYYY")
- Click the chart title and notice that the chart title box becomes visible.
- Type the equals sign (=) on the formula bar.
- Select cell A1 containing the formula generating content for the chart title.
- Press Enter.
The chart title is linked to cell A1 and displays the results of the formula in cell A1 as shown below.
Explanation of the Formula
="Sales Revenue " & TEXT(TODAY(), "YYYY")
This formula creates a dynamic label that says ‘Sales Revenue’ followed by the current year, which updates automatically annually.
Here’s a breakdown of the formula:
- “Sales Revenue ” – This is a static text string with a trailing space to ensure proper spacing before the date.
- TODAY() – This function returns the current date (the day the formula is executed). However, the TODAY function returns the full date (e.g., 2024-09-25), not just the year.
- TEXT(TODAY(), “YYYY”) – The TEXT function formats the result of the TODAY() function. The “YYYY” argument specifies that the date should be displayed as a 4-digit year. So, if today is 2024-09-25, this part will return 2024.
- &: This concatenation operator joins the text “Sales Revenue ” with the result of the TEXT(TODAY(), “YYYY”) formula, combining them into one string.
I have shown you how to create dynamic chart titles in Excel. I hope you found the tutorial helpful.
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