Exact dates in chart

Question

I created a line chart in PowerPoint 2010, but it will not allow me to use the exact dates for the horizontal axis.  The dates are 4/16/2009, 12/31/2008, 12/31/2009, 6/30/2010.  However, PowerPoint keeps changing the first date to 4/1/2008, the last date to 6/1/2010, and forcing me to use even intervals.  Is there any way to make PowerPoint just put the dates I am entering and stop making up its own dates?

Answer 1

Pretty easy to fix, luckily.

Put an apostrope (ie, single quote) before each of the dates.

For example, instead of entering 4/16/2009, enter '4/16/2009

That tells Excel to treat the information as text rather than as a number or date.  Excel won't display the apostrophe and won't try to be smarter than you about how the dates are supposed to be formatted.  It'll let you be Emperor of the Chart.  ;-)

---

Steve Rindsberg PowerPoint MVP

PowerPoint FAQ

PPTools Add-ins for PowerPoint