How to Create a Dynamic Chart Title in Excel

Last Updated: June 22, 2023
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- Written by Puneet

We all love dynamic and interactive charts. They are awesome. But, do you know what is the most important part of a dynamic chart?

That’s ➜ Chart Title

By creating a dynamic chart title you can make your Excel charts more effective.

Just think this way. You have created a dynamic chart in which values will change when current year changes. But what about chart title, you need to change it every time.

The bad news is, there’s always a chance of missing it. But here is the good news, you can link a chart title with a cell to make it dynamic. And in today’s post, I’d like to share with you exact steps to make a chart title dynamic by connecting it to a cell.

Let’s get started.

Steps to Create Dynamic Chart Title in Excel

Converting a normal chart title into a dynamic one is simple. But before that, you need a cell which you can link with the title.

Here are the steps:

  1. Select chart title in your chart.
  2. Go to the formula bar and type =.
  3. Select the cell which you want to link with chart title.
  4. Hit enter.

Related: Top 10 ADVANCED Excel Charts and Graphs (Free Templates Download)

Combine Cell Links and Text to Create a Dynamic Chart Title

Now, let me show you how to combine a cell and a text to create a dynamic chart title. For example, if you want to link a cell having a year name that will change with chart data and you want to add the label “Monthly Sales Trend:” before it.

  • First of all, just enter the formula (=”Monthly Sales Trend: ” &H3) in the formula bar in a new cell.
  • Select the chart title.
  • Go to the formula bar and press =.
  • Now, just select the new cell.
  • Hit enter.

Creating Dynamic Title in Pivot Chart

You can also use the same method to create a dynamic title in a pivot chart. Once you create a pivot chart, use the same steps as you have used in a normal chart.

dynamic-chart-title-with-linking-to-a-cell-with-formulas-for-pivot-chart

Create a Dynamic Chart Title with Shapes

If you want to save some space from your chart then you can also use a separate rectangular shape as a chart title.

  • Just insert a shape into your worksheet.
  • Link it to the cell as you have linked the cell in normal chart title.

Important Points

  1. You can’t use formula in chart title, but you can link it with a cell having a formula.
  2. If you want to enter a line break in chart title you can create that line break in the cell you are linking to.

Sample File

Download sample file from here to learn more.

Conclusion

A dynamic chart title depends on a cell that has a formula which will change when you change value in your chart. So basically, your chart title is linked to a cell which is dynamic. I hope this charting tip will help you to create advanced charts ans now tell me one thing.

Have you ever used a dynamic title in a chart before?

Share your views with me in the comment section, I’d love to hear from you. And please don’t forget to share this tip with your friends.

More Charting Tips and Tutorials

11 thoughts on “How to Create a Dynamic Chart Title in Excel”

  1. I want to create a dynamic pivot chart title to describe the count of part-time & full-time and male & female hires (horizontal axis) along with the Month, Quarter, or Year (vertical axis) for drill downs. Is that possible?

    Reply
  2. Wow – no idea that it would be so simple. I have used Excel for 20 years in my career and for some reason never knew I could put a formula in as the Title. What a blessing you are to share such a simple task and educate us.

    Reply
  3. Linking the title to a cell works for scatter plots and histograms, but I can’t get it to work with boxplots. Selecting the title in a boxplot deactivates the formula bar. Bummer.

    Reply
  4. I’ve tried this countless times and researched to see if there was more to it, but like always I have failed. I am not sure why but every time I click on the chart title, the formula bar goes off. I need help!

    Reply
  5. it is in excel sheet your sample file but cannot see the chart bar changing even though it is downloaded correctly, we have to convert to see , where we can see the bar change

    Reply
  6. Linking to a cell with a formula is a nice workaround for lack of direct formula in the title. Good one.

    Reply

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