Adding space between Excel columns is usually a simple matter of increasing your column widths. But when the columns contain different types of data, such as numbers and text, increasing the width doesn't help because one type of data may align to the right while the other aligns to the left. In such cases, you can add space by indenting the data in one of the columns. You can also increase the space between columns in your Excel chart using the Data Series formatting tool.
1. Select one of the two adjacent columns that you want to separate with extra spaces.
2. Right-click the column and select "Format Cells."
3. Select the "Alignment" tab.
4. Activate the "Horizontal" drop-down menu in the Text Alignment section.
5. Select "Left Indent" to insert spaces on the left side of the column, or choose "Right Indent" to insert spaces on the right side of the column.
6. Change the "Indent" setting to the desired number of spaces and click "OK." Excel indents the data in the column, creating a margin between the data and the adjacent column.
7. Adjust the column width if necessary to accommodate the extra spaces.
1. Right-click on a set of columns in a chart and select "Format Data Series."
2. Move the "Gap Width" slider to the right to increase the space between columns.
3. Move the "Series Overlap" slider to the left to add space between individual columns displayed together in a clustered column format.
- Information in this article applies to Microsoft Excel 2013 and Excel 2010. The steps may vary slightly or significantly with other versions.
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