Copied Chart Loses Formatting in Axes

Question

_{Tuesday, October 18, 2016 11:35 PM}

1. Make a new Excel file
2. Enter the following table starting with A1:

3. Change the formatting of the dates to "mmm yy". Now, the worksheet should show something like "Jan 16" in the A column.

4. Select all the cells

5. Insert a "Line with Markers" chart. Notice that the labels at the bottom are formatted as "mmm yy".

6. Copy the chart to a new Excel file.

7. Save the new file.

8. Close all instances of Microsoft Excel

9. Open the file from step 7. The dates will now appear as big integers.

How do I get Excel to keep the formatting?

I am running Office 2010 on Windows 10.

Crossposted from Microsoft Answers at Microsoft's request.

All replies (1)

_{Wednesday, October 19, 2016 8:26 AM ✅Answered}

Hi,

The date format issue usually occurs because the axis formats are linked to the source data in the original file.

To keep the data format, please take the steps below to delink the source data before copying the chart:

1. Double click on the axis.
2. Click the Number tab on the Format Axis pane.
3. Uncheck the Link to Source checkbox.
4. Press Ctrl + S to save your change.

Hope it’s helpful. Please feel free to post back if you need further assistance. J

Best Regards,
Yuki Sun