If you’ve noticed that some labels in your Excel chart are missing, such as skipped categories or dates not displaying, there are a few methods to fix the missing labels so that they are all seen. Missing labels can often occur because of the way Excel handles axis intervals or interprets dates, and the size of the chart (how much space there is for the label.
Table of contents
YouTube: Excel axis shows every 2nd label
Resizing the chart to fix missing text labels
If your chart misses a text-based label, the first step is to try resizing the chart. Sometimes, expanding the chart area will automatically bring the missing labels back into view. To do this, click on any corner of the chart and drag it to resize. However, if resizing doesn’t resolve the issue, the next step is to adjust the axis settings.
Adjusting axis labels to see missing text
For a more precise solution, as shown in the image below, right-click on the axis where the label is missing and select Format Axis (1). Once the formatting pane opens, navigate to Labels (2). In this section, check the interval between labels (3). If the Interval is set to a higher number (like 2), it will skip labels. Adjust the interval back to 1 if needed. This should bring all your text labels into view.
Dealing with missing date labels in charts
Handling date-based labels is slightly different from text labels. If Excel detects that your axis contains dates (see red arrow below), it automatically adjusts the settings based on time intervals, which can result in extra or missing dates. For example, if you have dates like the 3rd, 4th, and 5th, but only the 3rd is shown, Excel may have grouped the dates. Right-click on the axis and select Format Axis (1). In the Axis Options pane, look for Major Units (2) under Units and set it to 1, so every date is displayed.
Converting dates to text for label control (avoid extra dates)
If you see more dates then you expected (the date on your chart does not exist in your dataset), Excel may still be treating your dates as actual date values rather than text. So it will fill in the missing dates. To fix this, right-click on the axis again, go to Format Axis (1), and under Axis Type (2), change the setting from Date axis to Text axis. Once Excel treats the dates as text, you can again specify label intervals in the Labels (3) section, ensuring that all dates are shown without any skipping. As seen in the image below, this gives you full control over how dates are displayed on your chart.
Tips and Troubleshooting
When working with date-based charts, always check how Excel is interpreting your axis values. If Excel treats the values as dates, you’ll have less control over label intervals, but switching to Text axis can give you more flexibility. Remember, resizing the chart can solve minor label issues, but more complex cases require adjusting the Major Units or label intervals in the Format Axis settings.