Naming Basics Best practice recommendations are to create a chart placing independent variables on the horizontal, x-axis and dependent variables on the vertical, y-axis.

The y-axis is the vertical range, and it displays the value. Essentially, the y-axis shows the value relative to the corresponding category.

Layout 11: Layout 11 shows the following chart elements: Legend (Right), Horizontal Axis, Vertical Axis, and Major Gridlines. Any Layout Style you have chosen is how the layout is going to be.

If you have uneven distribution of data in your Excel chart, here is a better way to change the automatic axis settings.