Excel Chart Showing DATES NOT IN DATA Problem | Only Show Dates With Data | Excel Graph With Dates

In this Microsoft Excel video tutorial I explain how to solve a problem with dates in Excel charts. The problem occurs when Excel shows dates on the x-axis that don't exist in your data. There is a quick and easy solution!

#exceltutorial #exceltips

[psravi]

Thanks Chester. Very Good Explanation.

[johnmiller]

If you don't see the AXIS type option to select Text or Date Axis, check to see which chart type you're using. For example, a scatter chart won't show text axis as an option and you will make yourself crazy looking for other ways to get Excel to stop replacing the dates from your data with the dates it thinks you want to see.

Here's the solution for this: right click anywhere inside the chart and select CHANGE CHART TYPE. Try changing your Chart type to LINE and select the one with two lines and points intersecting each other at various spots. On my version of Excel, it's the fourth one from the left. Simply adopting this Chart Type may cause the dates from your data to begin to show correctly on the chart. If they don't, you should be able to follow Chester's previous guidance except, this time, you will see AXIS TYPE.

[zed]

Helpful, but it does change the chart appearance.

I have a chart with vertical gridlines coming up from the X-axis that, like in your example, Excel has set at one-month intervals. I have data points that are taken as few as 5 weeks apart and as long as 9 months apart. Using the default Excel view, it's very easy to see how much time has elapsed between data points.

When I use your solution, it reformatted my chart so that all data points along the X-axis are equidistant from each other, implying to the casual observer that the time between each data point is the same when it's not.

[BritishRiver]

Bless you. Clear, quick concise. Can't ask for more.😊

[hazellindsay]

Hoping you can help, when selecting graph data, not all dates in the data source are shown, a list of them are then it says "..." instead of the remaining dates. Any idea what's causing this? Many thanks

[chenchan-xgdq]

only for work for not too much dates, if looks.. i have tons data, the data X axis is not right

[eclipseslayer]

I have a range of dates from 2020 to 2024, and yet for some stupid reason Excel changing ALL of these dats to 1900. I hate Excel.