Excel X axis help

Question

I'm using Microsoft Excel 2013 and I'm having trouble with a graph.

I have 4 columns of data. The first column contain years (2007 first row, 2008 second row, etc. I actually want this to be my x axis) while the last 3 contain the data that I want graphed. I'm trying to create a stacked column/bar graph separated into years by the x axis. In other words, I want the x axis to read 2007, 2008, 2009, etc). The graph itself was very easy to create properly but the x axis is labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, etc, and I'm having trouble formatting it into years. I've tried selecting the 1st column along with the rest of the data in hopes that Excel would do this automatically but it didn't. Furthermore, I tried formatting the axis into years with no success. I know the solution is probably simple but for some reason, try as I might, I cannot figure it out.

In a (probably) unrelated bit of information, for some reason the x axis (numbers 1-7) is located in the middle of the graph instead of at the bottom. When I try to format it from "middle centered" to "bottom centered", nothing happens.

Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

I bet you also get one extra series, with the years as the values, right?

Create the chart by selecting all the data, Insert/Chart/Column.

Select the first series and delete it.

Right-click on the chart and select "Select Data..."

Click on the Edit button for the Horizontal Axis Labels

Select the range that has the year values.

Voila!

HTH,

Eric