How to automate dynamic chart titles in Excel 365?


Creating dynamic and automated chart titles in Excel can significantly enhance your data presentations, making them more interactive and easier to understand. This post will walk you through the process of automating chart titles based on cell values, allowing your charts to update automatically as your data changes.

Create dynamic graph titles in Excel

Follow these steps to create an automated chart title in Excel:

Prepare Your Source Data


Ensure you have a dataset ready in Excel. For example, let’s assume you have some HR hiring data for different months:

Create a bar Chart

  • Select your data range (use the Shuft + Ctrl + up/down arrows)
  • Hit on the Insert tab.
  • Choose a chart type, such as a Column Chart.
  • The following bar chart is created. The bar chart title is taken by definition from the KPI column metric.

Add a Cell for the Dynamic Title

  • Choose a cell where you want to define your dynamic title. For example, B2.
  • Enter a Formula for the Title:

In cell B2, enter a formula that combines text and cell values. In our example:

= "Hiring by Month " & TEXT(TODAY(), "mmmm yyyy")


This formula will create a title like “Hiring Data for July 2024”.

Link the Chart Title to the Cell

  • Click on the chart title area to select it. If the chart does not have a title, you can add one by clicking on the chart and selecting Chart Elements > Chart Title.
  • Click in the formula bar.
    Type = and then click on the cell you designated for the title (in our case B2 – replace with your sheet and cell name).
=Sheet1!$B$2
  • Press Enter.

The chart title will now display the text from cell B2, and it will automatically update whenever the value in B2 changes.