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How to customize y-axis values on a scatter plot to ONLY show specific values.

Anonymous
2024-02-04T23:10:50+00:00

I created a scatter plot, but I'm having trouble customizing my y-axis values. I want my scatter plot to ONLY show 5 specific values (0.1, 1, 10, 100, 1000). I am using Excel on a Macbook Pro. The scatter plot just auto fills values in between, but I do not want values such as 600 or 800. I only want the ones I listed.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | MacOS

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-02-05T03:14:39+00:00

    Hello Mohamad,

    I'm Ibhadighi and I'd happily help you with your question. In this forum, we are Microsoft consumers just like yourself.

    To customize the y-axis values on your scatter plot in Excel on your MacBook Pro to show only the specific values (0.1, 1, 10, 100, 1000), you can follow these simple steps:

    1. Click on the Chart: Click on your scatter plot to select it.
    2. Access the Chart Elements: Look for a plus sign (+) icon next to your chart. This is the "Chart Elements" button. Click on it.
    3. Select 'Axes' Options: In the Chart Elements menu, hover over 'Axes' or click on the right arrow next to it. Then select 'More Options...'.
    4. Open the Format Axis Pane: This should open a side pane for formatting the axis. Make sure you are editing the Y-axis (it might be selected by default; if not, click on the Y-axis in your chart).
    5. Adjust Axis Options: In the Format Axis pane:
    • Minimum and Maximum Values: You might want to set these according to your range. For your case, set the minimum to 0.1 and the maximum to 1000.
      • Major Unit: Set this to 'Fixed' and enter a value that isn't in your specified list (like 0.2 or 2), so Excel doesn't automatically adjust the scale.
      • Number Format: Set the format to 'Number' with 0 decimal places. This will ensure clean axis values.
    1. Manually Edit Labels: Unfortunately, Excel does not allow specifying arbitrary non-linear values like your set (0.1, 1, 10, 100, 1000) directly in the axis options. To overcome this, you can:
    • Add data labels to your scatter plot and manually edit them to match your desired values.
      • You can also add text boxes manually near the y-axis to represent your desired values and then format the y-axis to not show any labels (set the label position to 'None' in the axis options).
    1. If you want to show gridlines corresponding to your specific values, you might need to manually add lines or use another workaround, as Excel’s gridlines will correspond to the major and minor units.

    This approach involves a bit of manual work, especially for the labels, but it will help you display only the specific y-axis values you want on your scatter plot. Excel's default settings don't support non-linear custom scales directly, so these workarounds are necessary.

    I hope this helps.

    Best Regards, Ibhadighi

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