How to set up a graph (chart) template with customised colours and font(s)

Hi

I think you are referring to the same feature I mentioned earlier, Save as Template:

This makes a .crtx file that you can use to apply to other data sets.

Here's a tip: When setting up your template, use a data set that has more columns than you think you will ever need. The reason is that when you set your formatting, the template will apply the formatting to the number of columns that existed when you made the template. If you apply the template to a data set with fewer columns, there's no problem. If you apply the template to a data set that has more columns than your template, only the number of columns that were in the template will have the formatting applied and the extra columns won't get the formatting.

Hi

Before we get too into the weeds here, not only can you have custom colors, there are several different ways to go about it.

The dialog referred to in the article you linked to is found in PowerPoint on the Mac. It's on the Format > Theme colors menu. This will make an Office Theme (.thmx) file that will work across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and if you do it right, will display in the Themes section on the Ribbon.

There is a great discussion and resultant clarification of terms in this thread here in the forum:

After going through that, there is yet another thing you can do. If you customize a chart and want to save your chart as a Chart Theme, you can right click on the Chart border and use Save as Template. This will generate a chart template file (.crtx). If you go this route, when you make your template, format more columns than you think you will ever need. If you apply a chart template to a data set and there are more columns, only as many columns as were formatted when the template was made will get the formatting.

There is even a way to add a submenu to the default color palette, but I don't remember the directions on how to do it. I think you need to modify some XML manually.

Long story short "Save graph template" is the best solution. This is exposed to the user in the contextual menu item when clicking on a graph border that says "Change Graph type…" At the bottom of the sub-menu are the installed user templates. Your newly created template will be added to that list. It will save custom colours, typeface fonts and sizes and all other graph element settings. If need  can then change to a different chart type, say from line to stacked graph and colours will be retained after the change.

Surprising our MS Moderator couldn't answer this question for us.

Thanks Jim. I did chance upon the "Save as Template" right-click option. But i wasn't able to apply it to my new graphs, or set it as a default for the file. Any ideas on how to use it? Thanks again for the response. And now you mention it, I do recall trying to set a colour palette in PowerPoint some years ago but struggled to get it into Excel IIRC.

Fast forward to now on latest version of PowerPoint 365 for macOS and there is no option to create a customized colour palette, not for me anyhow.

Here's what the popup Help file says:

And here is what I see when I click on the little arrow below the theme selection panel:

As you can see, no colour options at all.

EDIT ::

… typical MS Office nonsense, there are two different boxes that look like one box and the relevant arrow is under the other right hand theme box. Who knew… hope this saves someone else a few hours in the future trying to navigate the rock bottom garbage MS UI concepts. How do they manage to keep going from bad to worse. The OneDrive UI/US is a text-book case of breaking more UI principles in one implementation than you can poke a stick at. The entire ribbon concept could be consigned to the garbage heap for floating and/or docked palettes like mature software interfaces. The Ribbon info hierarchy and UI is confusing as hell I think, one often needs to access 3 or more ribbon tabs in a row to do a simple thing to one element in the sheet.

Roadblock: this awkward method to save a colour set for graphs limits one to six colours for graphs (4 are assigned to text/background and 2 to hyperlinks). Great work MS not only is this method frustrating, it doesn't even work for more than 6 chart colours.

Even better, while the colours are immediately available in Excel without a restart of Excel (good), they aren't available as chart colours directly, you still have to make a theme, but limited to six colours so you may as well just use the macOS colour inkwell dock on the macOS colour picker. And when i loaded the theme, it didn't change the colours of the last graph I manually hand coloured and but did change the colours of several other graphs. Basically, I hate the entire concept of themes — they don't work for graphs. I need multiple themes and I'm limited to one per sheet or per file (not sure which yet).

I hope I work out how to load a chart template into a new graph… it's the only hope left that I can automate this process inside Excel. As I'm a designer with Adobe Illustrator it's my clear best option is the one I've been using for 10 years, print the graphs to individual PDF files, on per graph. Open in AI, remove a load of clipping paths and other empty boxes and gunk and hand colour using efficient tools made for professionals whose time is valuable.

Hi Macmaninaustralia,

Thanks for posting the question on our forum.

Per your description, I have tested this on our side, I am sorry to say that there is not the option to customize the chart color and font.

I could understand your feeling, I know it will be more convenience for you if we can meet the requirement.

Given the situation, I suggest you post the requirement on our uservoice, it is the best way to let our related team hear your voice.

Besides, I would also like to welcome community members who has experience in this area to share some ideas with us.

Thanks for your understanding.

Qing