How to add Dividers to the chart

Excel 2016 2013 2010 2007 2003
Most reports and presentations contain a lot of boring charts that describe the state before and after some event, action, etc. However, using simple visual tricks, you can shake up the audience and draw attention to the essence of your presentation.

For example, you want to demonstrate the changes in sales due to the company policy during 2015  - 2016 and 2019 - 2020:

Chart with a Decorative Element in Excel 365

To create one chart with separator, follow these steps:

   1.    Insert a blank row between separated parts of the chart (in this example - row 10).

   2.    Select the data cells.

   3.    On the Insert tab, in the Charts group, click the Insert Bar or Column Chart button:

Insert Bar or Column Chart in Excel 365

Choose Clustered Column:

Clustered Column Charts in Excel 365

Excel creates the new chart:

Column chart with gaps in Excel 365

   4.    Right-click the vertical axis and choose Format Axis... in the popup menu (or double-click the axis):

Format Axis popup in Excel 365

   5.    On the Format Axis pane, in the Axis Options tab:

  • In the Axis Options section, choose the field Text axis (to hide the gap period):
    Axis options in Excel 365
  • In the Number section, change the field Format Code (in example to show only years) and click the Add button:
    Add Format Code in Excel 365

   6.    In the source data (B3:C17), clear the duplicate years. As you clear an entry in the worksheet, the corresponding entry along the chart axis disappears.

You can then make any other adjustments to get the look you desire:

Format chart in Excel 365

   7.    Select the chart. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group,choose the type of object what you want to add in the chart:

Illustrations group in Excel 365

See also this tip in French: Comment ajouter des séparateurs au graphique.

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