Charts > Editing charts > Editing chart elements

The X axis of a chart is also called the category axis.

Tip: For more information on showing or hiding axes, see Showing/hiding axes and axis titles.

Changing properties: To change the properties of the category axis, select it, right-click it and choose the command Category axis: Properties from the context menu.

Tip: Alternatively, you can choose this command via the Edit properties icon on the ribbon tab Chart | group Chart elements. The other alternative is to simply double-click on the axis.

You can make the following settings:

Format tab

Tip: Lines can also be conveniently adjusted directly via the buttons of the ribbon tab Chart | group Chart elements. For more information, see Editing chart elements.

▪Line section

Here, you can change the line style used to draw the axis. Auto uses a thin gray standard line. None removes the line. The option Custom lets you customize the line style.

▪Major ticks and Minor ticks sections

Here, you can determine whether small tick marks should be displayed to divide the axis and specify their appearance.

▪Tick labels section

Here, you can determine whether labels should be displayed for the tick marks and where to place them.

Scale tab

You can use this tab to change the scale of the axis.

Note: If the category axis contains date values, other settings appear here that are similar to the scaling options of the value axis (Y axis). For more information, see the descriptions in the next section Value axis (Y axis), "Scale tab".

▪Axis ends... section

This option allows you to determine where to end the visible part of the axis: In categories or Between categories.

Explanation: The first, second, third, etc., data point of all data series is called the category of a chart.

▪Number of categories between... section

By default, Write makes a tick mark on the axis for each category and labels it. You can change these intervals via the following options:

The option Tick marks determines which categories are marked with a tick mark. Enter 1, and a tick mark is set for every category. Enter 2, and a tick mark is set for every second category, etc.

The option Tick labels determines which tick marks to label. Enter 1, and each tick mark is labeled. Enter 2, and every second tick mark is labeled, etc.

▪Intersection between X and Y axis section

You can use this option to determine where the X axis (category axis) should intersect the Y axis (value axis): At low end (where the category axis begins), At high end (where the category axis ends) or at the specified category number.

▪Invert axis direction

If this option is enabled, the direction of the axis is reversed. The order of the categories is also reversed accordingly; the chart thus starts with the last category and ends with the first category.

Font tab

Use this tab to change the formatting of the axis labels.

In addition to font, font size, and text styles, you can also set the alignment, rotate the labels and change the numeric format.

Category axis (X axis)

Category axis (X axis)