Scatter Plot Excel: Change Colors by Point or Series

To change a scatter plot’s color in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the chart, click a marker in the series, right-click, and choose Format Data Series. In the formatting pane, open Fill & Line > Marker > Fill and choose a color; to recolor just one marker, select that data point separately and use Format Data Point instead.

How scatter plot colors work

A scatter chart plots pairs of numeric values as points, with one set of values on the horizontal axis and another on the vertical axis. Excel treats each set of points as a data series. A series can have its own marker fill, marker border, and—if the chart connects points—a line color. By default, Excel assigns colors to series from the chart’s theme or color palette.

That distinction matters when you want a specific result. Changing a series color affects every point in that series. Changing one data point affects only that marker. If you want points to be colored by a label such as region or product type, Excel does not automatically assign a different color to every category in a single scatter series; you will need to format points individually or arrange the data as multiple series.

Before changing colors, click the chart and check which element is selected. A selection handle around the chart means the chart area is active; handles around a group of markers generally indicate a selected series; handles around one marker indicate a selected point. The name shown in the formatting pane helps confirm whether you are editing a series or a single data point.

Change the color of an entire series

Use this method when all points in one group should share a color. It is also the most reliable approach when a chart contains several series, such as one series for each year or location.

Click the scatter chart, then click a marker in the series you want to change. If the chart has overlapping points, click a visible point from the intended series or select the series through the chart’s selection controls.
Right-click the selected marker and choose Format Data Series. You can also use the Format tab’s Current Selection controls to choose a series when clicking the plot is difficult.
In the Format Data Series pane, select Fill & Line (the paint-bucket icon), expand Marker, and open Fill.
Choose Solid fill, then select a color from the palette. Use More Colors if you need to enter a custom color.
To change the outline, expand Border under Marker and select a line color and width. A border can make a pale marker easier to see against a white background.

The marker controls are separate from the series line controls. If your scatter chart uses straight lines or smooth lines between points, expand Line in the same pane to change the connecting line. A chart can therefore have, for example, blue markers with a dark-blue outline and a lighter connecting line.

Color just one data point

To emphasize an outlier, target, or special observation without recoloring its whole series, select an individual marker. First click once on any marker in the series to select the series; then click the specific marker once more to select only that point. Right-click the selected marker and choose Format Data Point. In the pane, use Fill & Line > Marker > Fill to set its fill color, and use the marker’s border settings if you also need a distinct outline.

Take care when clicking: if the second click lands on a different marker, Excel may select that point instead. Confirm that the pane says Format Data Point before applying the color. If you see Format Data Series, the whole series is still selected, so the change will apply to all its points.

Individual formatting is convenient for a small number of highlighted observations, but it is manual. If the data changes, the formatting stays attached to the plotted point rather than expressing a rule such as “color every value above 100 red.” For changing datasets or repeatable rules, separate series are generally easier to maintain.

Color points by category with separate series

Suppose a scatter plot has X values, Y values, and a category column, and you want each category to have its own color. A practical approach is to create one helper Y column per category. Each helper column returns the original Y value for matching rows and NA() for other rows. Add each helper column to the chart as a separate series, using the same X-value range for each. Then format each series once.

For example, assume X values are in A2:A20, Y values in B2:B20, category labels in C2:C20, and category names are in E1:G1. In E2, enter the following formula, fill it down through E20, and copy it across to columns F and G:

=IF($C2=E$1,$B2,NA())

Column E then contains the Y values for rows whose category matches E1 and #N/A for other rows. In the chart, add each helper column as a separate series, pairing its Y range with A2:A20 for X. Excel does not plot the #N/A entries as points, so each series shows only its category’s observations. Give each series a distinct marker color and update the legend names to match the category headings.

This setup is more work than coloring a few points, but it keeps category colors consistent and makes the legend meaningful. It also makes the chart easier to update when values change, provided the helper formulas and chart ranges include the new rows. If a category is added, create a corresponding helper column and series. Avoid treating an empty cell as interchangeable with NA() without checking chart behavior: blank-cell display settings and chart types can affect how blanks are handled.

Use Excel’s chart color palette

If you want to change the overall palette rather than set a precise color, select the chart and choose Chart Design > Change Colors. The available choices depend on the workbook theme and chart. These presets are useful for quickly giving multiple series distinct colors, but they do not provide the same control as formatting a particular marker or point.

Changing the workbook theme can also affect chart colors, especially when the chart uses theme colors rather than custom colors. This can be useful when several charts should share a consistent visual style. However, palette changes may alter more than the one series you had in mind, so check the other series and charts afterward. If preserving an exact color is important, use the formatting pane’s color controls rather than relying only on a theme preset.

Excel for Mac has similar chart formatting options, although the ribbon layout and pane appearance can vary by release. Select the chart or point, open the formatting controls, and look for the series or data-point fill and marker settings. Excel for the web can handle common chart edits, but some detailed formatting controls may be less available than in the desktop app; use Excel for Windows or Mac when you cannot find a particular marker option.

Choose colors that make the data readable

A color change should clarify the chart, not merely decorate it. Use visibly different colors for separate groups, and check that the markers remain distinguishable at the size at which the chart will be viewed or printed. Two similar shades can become difficult to tell apart when points overlap, when the chart is small, or when it is reproduced in grayscale.

Use a restrained palette: assign a few clear colors to categories rather than giving every point a different shade without a reason.
Make important points stand out with a contrasting fill, a clear outline, or a larger marker, not color alone.
Check contrast against the plot area. A light-yellow marker on a white background, for example, may be hard to see.
Keep category colors consistent across related charts, and make sure the legend labels accurately describe the series.
Consider readers with color-vision differences. Pair color with labels, marker shapes, or other visual cues when categories need to be distinguished reliably.

Marker size and transparency can help when many observations overlap. In the series formatting pane, open Marker > Marker Options to adjust marker size or shape where those controls are available. A smaller marker can reveal dense clusters; a larger marker can emphasize a key point. Transparency can reduce visual weight in crowded plots, but too much transparency may make isolated points hard to notice.

Common color-formatting problems

The whole chart changes when you wanted one point. The series was probably selected rather than the individual data point. Select the series first, click the target marker again, and verify that the pane identifies a data point before changing its fill.

The marker fill changes, but the connecting line does not. Marker fill and line color are separate settings. Open Fill & Line > Line to format the line, or choose a scatter subtype without connecting lines if the lines are not useful.

The color seems to reset or change when the chart is edited. A theme palette may be assigning colors to series, or the wrong series may have been selected. Reopen the formatting pane and confirm the selected object. For a stable, specific color, apply a solid fill to the intended series or data point.

The points appear to have the same color. Check whether the chart contains multiple series and whether the correct series is selected. Overlapping series can hide markers underneath one another. Temporarily change one series’ marker shape or size to identify it, then set the final formatting.

The legend does not explain the colors. A legend identifies series, not individually colored points within a single series. If colors represent categories, consider creating one series per category so Excel can show a clear legend entry for each group.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I change the color of one dot in an Excel scatter plot?
Select the series, click the target dot again to select just that point, right-click, and choose Format Data Point. Set its marker fill under Fill & Line > Marker > Fill.

Can Excel automatically color scatter plot points by category?
Not as a built-in automatic category-color rule for points inside one scatter series. Create a separate series for each category, or manually format individual points. Separate series are usually easier to update and can appear in the legend.

How do I change all the dots in one scatter plot series?
Click a marker in the series, right-click, choose Format Data Series, and change Marker > Fill. This affects the markers in that series, not other series.

Why does Excel change every marker when I select one?
You have selected the whole series. Click a marker once to select its series, then click the intended marker again and confirm the pane says Format Data Point before editing.

Can I change the color of the scatter plot line separately?
Yes. In Format Data Series, expand Line under Fill & Line and choose the line color. Marker fill and connecting-line color are independent settings.

How do I make scatter plot colors consistent across charts?
Use the same theme colors or apply matching solid fills to corresponding series in each chart. For charts with category-based colors, keep the category-to-series mapping consistent and check the legend labels.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

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

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