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Excel - How to Highlight a Segment of a Line Chart WITHOUT Diagonal Lines - Episode 1026

673 views · Published 1 June 2009 · 3:12 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: MrExcel.com · 2009 · Education

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Microsoft Excel Tutorial:  How to Highlight a Segment of a Line Chart WITHOUT Diagonal Lines.

Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast! In this episode, we're diving into the world of data analysis and pivot tables. We'll be tackling a common problem that many Excel users face - how to highlight a segment of a line chart without those pesky diagonal lines. In episode 1016, I shared my frustration with this issue, but thanks to a brilliant solution from Excel master Mario, we now have a workaround that will blow your mind.

In Excel 2003, highlighting a segment of a line chart with a surface chart would result in those annoying diagonal lines. But with Mario's solution, we can now highlight a segment without those lines, making our charts much cleaner and easier to read. It may not be the prettiest solution, but it gets the job done and that's all that matters.

So, what's the secret behind this workaround? It's all about manipulating the chart series. By changing the fill color of certain series and making sure they match the Excel background, we can avoid those diagonal lines. And for the remaining series, we can use line charts to ensure they appear on top of the column charts. It may seem like a lot of work, but trust me, it's worth it to have a clean and professional-looking chart.

Of course, if you're using Excel 2007 or newer, you won't have to deal with this issue at all. But for those still using Excel 2003, this workaround is a game-changer. And if you find yourself needing to use this workaround frequently, it may be time to upgrade to a newer version of Excel. But for now, let's give a big thanks to Mario for sharing this brilliant solution with us. And as always, thank you for tuning in to the MrExcel netcast. See you next time!

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Mario sends in an UGLY solution to episode 1016. Episode 1026 will show you how to highlight one segment of a line chart in Excel 2003. This episode wins an award for the ugliest workaround.

Table of Contents:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:11) Award for ugliest work around in Excel
(00:21) Highlighting a segment of a line chart in Excel 2003
(00:34) Solution from Mario
(00:51) Ugly but effective solution
(01:02) Adjusting chart data
(01:27) Trick for solving the problem
(02:01) Explanation of the solution
(02:49) Clicking Like really helps the algorithm

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This video answers these common search terms:
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