Excel Scatter Plot Series Colors: How to Change Them

To change a scatter plot series color in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, right-click a marker in the series, choose Format Data Series, then open Fill & Line and set the marker’s fill or border color. If the series has connecting lines, set the line color separately; to recolor just one marker, select that data point and format it as a data point rather than as the whole series.

What Excel Means by a Scatter Plot Series

A scatter chart plots pairs of numeric values as points: one value determines each point’s horizontal position and another determines its vertical position. A series is a group of those paired values that Excel plots together. For example, a chart comparing two product types might contain one series for Product A and another for Product B. Each series can have its own marker style, marker color, and, in chart types that include connecting lines, line style and color.

That distinction matters when you choose what to format. Changing a data series changes every point in that group, while changing a data point affects only one observation. Excel’s default chart colors usually distinguish series from one another, but they do not necessarily assign a different color to every point within a series. If all the observations belong to one series, they will generally share that series’ marker formatting unless you customize individual points or split the observations into multiple series.

Scatter charts are often used for relationships such as height versus weight, time versus temperature, or advertising spend versus sales. Color can make groups easier to compare, but it does not change the underlying values or the positions of points. It is a visual encoding: the chart still depends on its axes and data to communicate the numerical relationship.

Change the Color of an Entire Series

Use the formatting pane when you want a precise color rather than one of Excel’s automatic chart colors. The exact controls available depend on whether the chart uses markers only, lines only, or both.

Click the scatter chart, then click a marker in the series you want to change. A single click on one marker normally selects the entire series; check that the other markers in that group show selection handles.
Right-click the selected series and choose Format Data Series. If the right-click menu offers Format Data Point, you have selected an individual point instead; click the chart area and select the series again.
In the formatting pane, select Fill & Line (the paint-bucket icon), then expand Marker.
Under Fill, choose Solid fill and choose a color for the inside of the markers. Under Border, choose a line color and width if you want to change the marker outline too.
If the chart connects points with lines, expand Line and choose the line color and style separately. A marker’s fill color does not automatically determine the connecting line’s color.

For a series with no visible markers, the marker settings may not produce a visible change. In that case, use the Marker options to turn markers on, or format the series’ line if the chart type draws one. A markers-only scatter chart has no connecting line to recolor.

Change One Marker Without Changing the Series

An unusual or important observation may deserve its own color—for example, a target value, an outlier, or the latest measurement. You can format one point separately without changing the formatting of all the other points in that series.

Click a marker once to select its whole series.
Click the same marker a second time, slowly, to select only that data point. The selection handles should now identify a single point.
Right-click the selected point and choose Format Data Point.
In Fill & Line, open Marker and choose the fill or border color you need. If applicable, adjust the point’s line settings as well.

Take care when selecting points that overlap: clicking may select the visible point on top rather than the one beneath it. You may need to temporarily move a point, change the axis scale, or use the selection controls on the Format tab to reach the intended object. Individual point formatting is useful for a few exceptions, but it can be tedious to maintain if the data changes often. For a recurring category, separate series are usually easier to manage.

Use Different Colors for Categories

Excel does not automatically read a text category column and assign every category its own color within a single scatter series. If the source table has a group column—such as region, machine, or product type—Excel may still plot all the X and Y pairs as one series, depending on how the chart was created. In that case, changing the series color changes all its markers together.

For stable category colors, create one scatter series per group. Each series needs its own X values and corresponding Y values. A common layout is to create helper columns that return each group’s X and Y values and leave nonmatching rows empty or use a chart-friendly arrangement, then add each group as a separate series through Chart Design > Select Data > Add. In the Edit Series dialog, specify that group’s X values and Y values. After adding the groups, format each series with a distinct color and give the series meaningful names so the legend explains the categories.

For example, suppose a table contains X, Y, and Region columns, with North and South as the two regions. Use a North series for the X/Y pairs belonging to North and a South series for the pairs belonging to South. Assign blue to North and orange to South, then keep those assignments consistent in other charts. This structure also makes the legend useful: readers can identify a category by its name and color rather than relying on color alone.

Adding separate series is more robust than manually recoloring many individual points. If categories are added or the source data is refreshed, however, the helper ranges or series definitions may need to be updated. Consider using an Excel Table and clearly labeled helper columns if the chart will grow over time.

Choose Colors and Marker Styles That Read Well

A good color choice distinguishes series without making the chart harder to interpret. Start with the number of groups and the chart’s purpose. Two or three groups can often use a small, high-contrast palette; a chart with many groups may need marker shapes, labels, or a different presentation rather than a large collection of similar colors.

Check contrast: Make markers distinguishable from the chart background and from one another. Very pale fills can disappear, while several dark blues may look nearly identical.
Use more than color when needed: Different marker shapes, such as circles and squares, can help readers distinguish series in print or when viewing a chart with color-vision differences. A legend should make the mapping clear.
Consider marker borders: A contrasting outline can help small markers remain visible, especially when points overlap or sit on a gridline.
Keep meaning consistent: If blue represents one region in one chart, using blue for a different region elsewhere can confuse readers comparing the charts.
Limit decoration: Transparency, gradients, and strong outlines may reduce legibility. Use them only when they solve a specific problem.

Color alone is not a reliable way to communicate an exact value. If a point is important, consider adding a data label or explaining it in a note. For a presentation or printed report, check the chart at its final size: markers that appear clear on a large monitor may become difficult to distinguish when reduced.

Use Excel’s Built-In Chart Colors

For a quick, coordinated change, select the chart and choose Chart Design > Change Colors. Excel offers chart color schemes based on the workbook theme. These options are convenient when the chart has several series and you want a coordinated set of colors, but they apply preset schemes rather than giving you precise control over one selected series.

To choose a particular color, format the series directly using Format Data Series. Workbook theme colors can also be changed through Page Layout > Colors; theme changes can affect other workbook elements that use theme colors, not only the selected chart. If you need an exact, repeatable appearance, set each series color deliberately and consider saving the finished chart as a template for reuse. Review a template after applying it, since chart templates and theme choices may affect formatting.

Built-in schemes are a good starting point, not a guarantee that every combination will suit your audience. Check the legend, point visibility, and contrast after applying a scheme. If the chart contains many series, Excel’s color sequence can become difficult to follow; reorganizing the data into fewer, more meaningful groups may be clearer than assigning more colors.

Common Color Problems and Fixes

Every marker changes together: You formatted the series. Select one marker a second time to format only that data point, or split the data into separate series if the points represent categories.
The markers change but the line does not: Marker fill and series line are separate settings. In the series pane, expand Line and set its color independently.
The color picker seems to have no effect: Confirm that the correct chart object is selected and that the marker has a visible fill or border. A marker set to No fill will not show a new fill color; a line-only series may have no visible marker fill.
A new chart uses different colors: Excel’s automatic colors can depend on the workbook theme, chart color scheme, and order of series. Apply explicit colors when a specific color assignment must stay consistent.
The legend is missing or misleading: A scatter chart’s legend identifies series, not individual points. Rename series in Chart Design > Select Data, or add a separate series for each category you want shown in the legend.
Colors look alike on another screen: Check the chart at its intended size and consider changing marker shapes, outlines, or labels as well as colors.

When a chart is copied, pasted, or restyled, its appearance may also be affected by the destination workbook’s theme or by the paste option used. If exact colors matter, inspect the chart after copying it and reapply the series formatting if needed. Do not assume that changing a theme or choosing a new chart style will preserve every manual color adjustment.

Windows, Mac, and Excel for the Web

The instructions above describe Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows. In Excel for Mac, select the series and use Format Data Series to open the formatting pane; the chart tabs and pane layout can differ slightly by release. A right-click on a Mac may require a two-finger click or Control-click, depending on the mouse or trackpad settings. The core distinction remains the same: series formatting affects the group, while data-point formatting affects one observation.

Excel for the web supports chart editing, but the available formatting controls and their layout can vary. If you cannot find a specific marker or line setting in the browser, open the workbook in the desktop app and use its Format Data Series pane. If a chart is shared with people using different Excel versions, use standard marker fills and line colors when possible, then verify the appearance in the versions your audience uses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I give every point in one scatter series a different color automatically?
Not by changing the series color alone. For a small number of exceptions, format points individually. For categories that need consistent colors, create a separate series for each category and format each series.

How do I change only the outline of scatter plot markers?
Select the series, open Format Data Series > Fill & Line > Marker > Border, then choose a solid line and its color. To change just one marker’s outline, select that point and use Format Data Point instead.

Why does changing the marker color not change the connecting line?
Excel formats marker fill, marker border, and series line separately. Open the series’ Fill & Line settings and change the Line color as well if the chart connects its points.

Can I color points based on a text label in another column?
Excel does not automatically assign a distinct scatter-series color for each text label within one series. Separate the categories into their own series, then assign and name each series so the legend identifies them.

Will changing the chart theme keep my custom series colors?
Do not assume it will. Theme and chart-style changes can alter chart appearance, and automatic colors can be theme-dependent. After changing a theme or moving a chart to another workbook, review the series colors and reapply explicit formatting if consistency is important.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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