How to How to Create Custom Chart Templates in Excel in Excel - Practical Guide

Learn to create and save custom chart templates in Excel to standardize your data visualizations. This skill saves time by allowing you to apply consistent formatting, colors, and styles across multiple charts, ensuring professional appearance and brand consistency in reports and presentations.

Why This Matters

Custom chart templates ensure brand consistency, accelerate report creation, and eliminate repetitive formatting tasks. Professional templates enhance data presentation quality and improve workflow efficiency in data-driven organizations.

Prerequisites

•Basic Excel knowledge and chart creation experience
•Understanding of chart formatting options
•Access to Excel 2016 or later

Step-by-Step Instructions

Create and format a chart

Insert a chart using Insert > Charts > [Chart Type], then customize colors, fonts, labels via Chart Design and Format tabs until it matches your desired template style.

Select the chart

Click on the chart border to select the entire chart object (not individual elements); ensure the chart is fully selected before saving as template.

Save as chart template

Right-click the chart > Save as Template, name your template (e.g., 'Corporate Sales Chart'), and Excel saves it to the default Charts folder automatically.

Apply template to new charts

Create a new chart, then right-click > Change Chart Type > Templates tab, select your custom template and click OK to apply all formatting instantly.

Manage and organize templates

Access File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Trusted Locations to find your templates folder, or organize templates by creating subfolders for different chart types.

Alternative Methods

Using Chart Styles instead of templates

Apply pre-built Chart Styles via Chart Design tab for quick formatting without creating templates. This works well for simple formatting needs but lacks customization depth.

Duplicating formatted charts

Copy and paste an existing formatted chart, then update its data. Faster for one-off use but less efficient than templates for multiple similar charts.

Tips & Tricks

✓Name your templates descriptively (e.g., 'Sales-Quarterly-ColumnChart') to easily identify them later.
✓Test your template with different data ranges to ensure formatting scales properly and labels remain readable.
✓Keep templates simple and professional; avoid excessive effects that may distract from data insights.
✓Create a template library with consistent naming conventions for your team to maintain organizational standards.

Pro Tips

★Export templates as .crtx files and share them with team members via shared drives for consistent branding across departments.
★Create both light and dark theme templates for different presentation contexts and audience preferences.
★Combine data labels, legends, and gridlines strategically in your template for maximum clarity without visual clutter.

Troubleshooting

Template not appearing in Templates tab

Verify the file was saved in the correct Charts folder. Check File > Options > Trust Center > Trusted Locations and ensure the Charts folder path is listed. Restart Excel if needed.

Template formatting looks different when applied to new data

This is often due to data range size differences affecting label spacing. Edit the template to use relative sizing for labels and ensure axes are set to auto-scale appropriately.

Cannot save chart as template (option grayed out)

Ensure you've selected the entire chart object, not just a data series or axis. Click the outer chart border, not individual elements, then right-click again.

Deleted template cannot be recovered

Check your Recycle Bin immediately, as deleted templates are moved there. Navigate to Documents > Charts folder and restore the .crtx file if available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I edit a custom chart template after saving it?

Yes. Open the template file (.crtx) directly from Documents > Charts folder, make your changes, and save it. Alternatively, create a new chart with the template, modify it, and save as template again using the same name to overwrite.

What file format are custom chart templates saved in?

Custom chart templates are saved as .crtx (Chart Template) files in the default Charts folder, typically located at C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Documents\My Charts or AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Charts.

Can I share custom chart templates with colleagues?

Yes. Export your .crtx template files and send them to colleagues, who can paste them into their Charts folder. You can also save templates to shared network drives for team access and consistency.

Are custom templates available across all Excel applications?

Custom templates are specific to your local Excel installation on each computer. They don't automatically sync across devices, so sharing via file transfer or shared drives is necessary for team use.

What happens if I apply a template to incompatible chart data?

Excel applies the formatting but may adjust labels, legends, or axis scaling to fit your data. The template's core design remains intact, ensuring consistent appearance even with different data types or ranges.