Switch X and Y Axis in Excel

Sometimes when you want to create a line chart, it doesn’t look the way you want. You want one set of values to be on the X-axis, but it’s still on the Y-axis, even if you click Design >> Data >> Switch Row/Column.

Take a look at the following example.

If you click inside the table and navigate to Insert >> Charts >> Line, you are going to get the following chart.

If you switch rows (Design >> Data >> Switch Row/Column), you are going to get the following result.

Not exactly what we wanted.

Instead of using the line chart, we are going to use the scatter chart.

Set X and Y axes

  1. Click inside the table.
  2. Navigate to Insert >> Charts >> Insert Scatter (X, Y) or Bubble Chart.
  3. Choose Scatter with Straight Lines.
  1. Click the chart and then Chart Filters.
  1. Click Select Data ….
  2. In the Select Data Source window, click Edit.
  1. Switch Series X with Series Y.
  1. Click OK to accept changes in Edit Series and then click OK one more time.

Now, the scatter chart looks like a line chart, with years on the X-axis.

Tomasz Decker is an Excel specialist, skilled in data analysis and financial modeling.