How to Zoom in Excel Graph: 5 Methods

Method 1 – Create Dataset

  • Put some months in column B.
  • Insert the total unit sales of each month in column C.
  • Finally, the total amount of sales for each particular month in column D.

how to zoom in excel graph


Method 2 – Insert Graph

  • We selected the whole data that we have just created.
  • Go to the Insert tab from the ribbon.
  • Click on the Insert Line or Area Chart drop-down menu under the Charts group.
  • Choose the Stacked Line from the option, the second option of the 2-D Line list.

how to zoom in excel graph

  • You can see the Total Sales graph in your spreadsheet.

how to zoom in excel graph


Method 3 – Display Format Axis

  • Click the graph axis and right-click.
  • This will appear a context menu, click on Format Axis.

  • The Format Axis dialog will show up on the right side of the spreadsheet.


Method 4 – Set Axis Options

  • Click on the Axis Options drop-down menu.
  • Under the menu, click on the Axis Options, the tiny bar icon.
  • From the Bounds category, set the Minimum and Maximum. This totally depends on how much you want to zoom in or zoom out on that graph.
  • It was set automatically while plotting any graph. In our case, the minimum bounds were 0.0 and the maximum bounds were 14000.0.
  • Set the minimum bound 2000.0 and maximum bound 8000.0  to zoom in on the graph and have a close look at the graph.

  • We will see the graph is now zoomed in.

  • The clearer visualization, we will click the Chart Elements and checkmark the Data Labels to show the data on the graph.

how to zoom in excel graph


Method 5 – Final Output

This is the final output after zooming in the Excel graph.

how to zoom in excel graph


Things to Keep in Mind

  • Consistently structure your X and Y axes to the lowest quality of the data for simplicity of use.
  • The chart will be simple to understand if the data labels, axis title, and data points are formatted correctly.

Download Practice Workbook

You can download the workbook and practice with them.


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Sabrina Ayon
Sabrina Ayon

Sabrina Ayon, a Computer Science and Engineering graduate from United International University, has been an integral part of the ExcelDemy project for two years. She authored 150+ articles, excelling in instructing through visually engaging Excel tutorials. With a passion for teaching, Sabrina conducted sessions on Excel VBA, sharing her knowledge and insights with others. Currently holding the position of Project Manager for the ExcelDemy Visual Development Project, she oversees various aspects of the project, ensuring its smooth operation... Read Full Bio

2 Comments
  1. In excel 2016, my chart has multiple series with a common horizontal scale (think of a set of serial binary data signals over a time range). There are no “Bounds” minimum and maximum data entry fields. any thoughts?

    • Hello JOE,

      Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Since you have no Bounds command in your Excel 2016 version, let’s find an alternative way. Today, I am going to show you how to zoom your charts using VBA applicable in any Excel version. Let’s dive into it.

      1. First, create (+) and (-) buttons in your workbook >> name them Zoom_Button in the NameBox. Or, you can copy them from the attached workbook and paste them into your chart.
      Zoom Buttons
      2. Enter the below VBA code to your module >> Assign the Zoom_Chart macro in the buttons:
      (If you do not understand this step, see this article)
      How to Write VBA Code in Excel
      The VBA code:

      
      Sub Zoom_Chart()
      
      Dim i As Integer
      Dim strButtonName As String
      Dim strChartName As String
      Dim strZoomState As String
      Dim dZoomInWidth As Double
      Dim dZoomInHeight As Double
      Dim dOutWidth As Double
      Dim dOutHeight As Double
      Dim rngZoom As Range
      Dim rngChart As Range
      Dim strZoomInText As String
      Dim strZoomOutText As String
      
              strZoomInText = "+"
              strZoomOutText = "-"
                                                    
              dZoomInWidth = 3
              dZoomInHeight = 2
              dOutWidth = 1 / dZoomInWidth
              dOutHeight = 1 / dZoomInHeight
          
          strButtonName = Application.Caller
          
        
          Set rngZoom = Range(ActiveSheet.Shapes(strButtonName).TopLeftCell.Address)
          
          With ActiveSheet
              
              For i = 1 To .Shapes.Count
                  strChartName = .Shapes(i).Name
                  Set rngChart = Range(.Shapes(i).TopLeftCell.Address)
                  
                  If Not Intersect(rngZoom, rngChart) Is Nothing Then
                      strZoomState = .Shapes(strButtonName).TextFrame.Characters.Text
                      With ActiveSheet.Shapes(strChartName)
                          
                          
                          If strZoomState = strZoomInText Then
                              .ZOrder msoBringToFront
                              .ScaleWidth dZoomInWidth, msoFalse, msoScaleFromTopLeft
                              .ScaleHeight dZoomInHeight, msoFalse, msoScaleFromTopLeft
                              ActiveSheet.Shapes(strButtonName).TextFrame.Characters.Text = strZoomOutText
                              ActiveSheet.Shapes(strButtonName).ZOrder msoBringToFront
                         
                          Else
                              .ScaleWidth dOutWidth, msoFalse, msoScaleFromTopLeft
                              .ScaleHeight dOutHeight, msoFalse, msoScaleFromTopLeft
                              ActiveSheet.Shapes(strButtonName).TextFrame.Characters.Text = strZoomInText
                          End If
                      End With
                      GoTo EndLoop
                  End If
              Next i
          End With
      
      EndLoop:
      
      End Sub
      

      3. Click the Plus (+) button to zoom in on your chart.
      Clicking Plus Button
      4. Click the Minus (-) button to zoom out on your chart.
      Clicking Minus Button
      You can set the zoom height and width in the given code in these lines:

      
      dZoomInWidth = 3
      dZoomInHeight = 2
      

      Note: Here, 3 means 300% zoom and 2 means 200% zoom.
      Download the workbook file here to practice.
      Zoom Excel Chart.xlsm
      Best Regards,
      Yousuf Khan Shovon

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