When creating a series of charts for a project, such as an annual report, you will usually need to reuse the same basic format. Excel allows you to create a chart template for those charts, which you can use to create and format new charts much more quickly.
First, create one chart and format it as you want all of the charts to look in the future. To save the chart formatting and appearance (but not the data) as a template, choose Chart Tools, go to the Design tab, select Save as Template, and then type a name for your template. The entry in the Save As Type box should read 'Chart Template Files(*.crtx)'; if it doesn't, select that option from the drop-down list. Click Save. You have now created
a template, which you can use to create new charts with the same format.
To use this template to format a new chart, begin by selecting the data to chart. From the Ribbon toolbar, choose Insert, Other Charts, and then All Charts Types. Now click the Templates option. From the "My Templates" group, select the template you saved, and click OK. Your new chart will have the same formatting as the chart template, saving you from having to do the same formatting work again:
