Saving Custom Chart Types

Problem

You find yourself repeatedly creating the same type of chart, with the same custom formats, titles, colors, and so on, and you'd like to be able to save your customizations so you don't have to redo them each time you create a new chart.

Solution

Add your customized chart to the Custom Types list to make it available in the Custom Type dialog box and Chart Wizard. After creating your customized chart, right-click on it and select Chart Type from the pop-up menu. In the Chart Type dialog box, select the Custom Types tab. Select the "User-defined" radio button toward the bottom of the tab. Press the Add...button to bring up the Add Custom Chart Type dialog box. Type a unique name in the Name field and type a short description in the Description field. Press OK when you're done; you should then see your custom chart's name added to the Custom Types chart list. Now you can select this type when creating new charts, instead of having to recustomize one of Excel's built-in charts each time.