Change Axis Options

1. Click anywhere on the chart that you want to modify.
2. Choose Chart Tools Layout> Labels> Axis Titles.
3. Select Primary Horizontal Axis Title or Primary Vertical Axis Title.
4. Choose an Axis title location. For the Horizontal axis, your choice is only Below the Axis (or None). For the Vertical axis, you have the option to rotate the title, run it vertically along the axis, or run it horizontally. We don't recommend the horizontal option because it takes up a great amount of chart space. Both a Vertical and a Horizontal Axis title.
   
   
    
5. Highlight the axis text and replace it with your desired text.
6. Choose Chart Tools Layout> Axes. Two options are available:
   
   Axes:
   Choose this option to change the way Excel displays either the horizontal or vertical axis. You can choose not to display an axis or you can change the value representation along the vertical axis. Click the More option to change choices such as axis-number formatting.
   
   Gridlines:
   Choose this option to change the way the gridlines display along the chart background. You can add, change, or remove horizontal or vertical gridlines. You can also select More Options to modify the gridline color.

Adding Text Links

You can also add a linked text box to a chart. The process is a bit tricky, however. Follow these steps exactly:

1. Select the chart and then choose Insert Text Text Box.
2. Drag the mouse inside the chart to create the text box.
3. Press Esc to exit text entry mode and select the text box object.
4. Click in the formula bar and then type an equal sign (=).
5. Use your mouse and click the cell that will be linked.
6. Press Enter.
   
   
    

You can apply any type of formatting you like.

After you add a text box to a chart, you can change it to any other shape that supports text. Select the text box and choose Drawing Tools> Format> Insert Shapes> Edit Shape> Change Shape. Then choose a new shape from the gallery.