Excel Chart with Two Y Axes (secondary axis in 4 clicks)

By Srini Vanamala / September 29, 2026 / Charts
Excel Chart with Two Y Axes (secondary axis in 4 clicks)

Units in the hundreds and revenue in the tens of thousands — on one axis the units line is flat on the floor. Give it its own axis.

Steps

  1. Select the data (Month, Units, Revenue with headings). Insert › Line Chart.
  2. Click the series that looks flat (Units).
  3. Press Ctrl + 1. Under Series Options choose Secondary Axis.
  4. A second axis appears on the right, scaled to Units.

Label the axes so nobody guesses

Click the chart › + › Axis Titles › tick both. Type “Units” on the right one, “Revenue ₹” on the left.

Bars and a line

If Revenue should be bars: right-click the chart › Change Chart Type › Combo › Revenue: Clustered Column, Units: Line, tick Secondary Axis for Units. Full lesson: combo chart.

Two bar series, one hides the other

Bars on primary and secondary axes overlap. Make both lines, or use the combo approach with one as a line.

Start both axes at zero

Click each axis › Ctrl + 1 › Minimum 0. Otherwise the two scales exaggerate different things.

Check it worked

Both series fill the chart height; the right axis numbers match the Units column, the left match Revenue.

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Srini Vanamala

20 years with spreadsheets and enterprise systems. Writes one short, plain-English Excel lesson a day. Got an Excel question? learnexceleasycom@gmail.com

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