How to Add Two Y-Axes in WPS Office Charts

Creating detailed and comprehensible charts is a cornerstone of data presentation. Whether you’re plotting financial trends, comparing different data sets, or reporting on stats across categories, sometimes a single Y-axis simply doesn’t suffice. That’s where having two Y-axes can dramatically enhance the clarity of your data. If you’re using WPS Office—a highly popular and free alternative to Microsoft Office—you’ll be pleased to know that adding a second Y-axis in a chart is both possible and surprisingly simple once you know how.

TLDR:

Adding a second Y-axis in WPS Office can greatly enhance your charts when you’re dealing with data sets that have different units or scales. To do this, create your chart, select one data series, and choose the option to move it to a secondary axis. Customize the labels and titles as needed. This feature helps make your visual data comparisons more meaningful and easier to understand.

Why Use Two Y-Axes?

Multiple Y-axes are especially useful when dealing with dual-scale data. A single Y-axis might compress one data set too much to be useful, or exaggerate another. By plotting each data series against its own Y-axis, you avoid distortion and reveal true trends and comparisons.

Let’s say you want to compare monthly sales revenue (in dollars) with units sold. Because the values for revenue might range in the thousands and units might stay in the hundreds, presenting them on the same axis can make one or both hard to interpret. With two Y-axes—each scaled appropriately—your chart becomes far more informative.

How to Add a Second Y-Axis in WPS Office Charts

WPS Office, particularly its spreadsheet tool WPS Spreadsheet, resembles Microsoft Excel in many ways. If you’re familiar with chart-making in Excel, this will be a smooth ride. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Create Your Chart

1. Open WPS Spreadsheet and input your data in a table format.
2. Select all the data you want to include in your chart, including headers.
3. Click on the Insert tab in the top menu.
4. Choose the type of chart that suits your data—Line chart or Column chart usually works well for dual-axis plotting.

Step 2: Select a Data Series

After the chart is created, it’s time to assign one of the data series to the secondary Y-axis:

1. Click on the chart to enable its editing features.
2. Click once on the data series you want to move to a second Y-axis. Make sure it is the specific series and not the entire chart.
3. Once selected, right-click on the data series.
4. From the context menu, choose Format Data Series.

Step 3: Enable the Secondary Axis

The Format Data Series pane will now appear. This gives you options to adjust how the data series is presented.

1. In the Format Data Series panel, find the Series Options.
2. Under Plot Series On, choose Secondary Axis.
3. Your chart will immediately update to show this data series using its own Y-axis on the right-hand side.

Congratulations! You’ve now added a second Y-axis to your chart.

Step 4: Customize Your Chart for Clarity

Now that your chart includes multiple Y-axes, it’s crucial to make it reader-friendly. Consider these enhancements:

• Add axis titles to both Y-axes so the audience knows what is being measured. Click on your chart, then use the Chart Elements button (+) to add Axis Titles.
• Differentiate line styles or colors between the two data series. This helps visually separate the data sets at a glance.
• Use legends to label which data corresponds to which Y-axis.

When to Avoid Using a Secondary Y-Axis

Although powerful, two Y-axes can be confusing if not used correctly. Avoid this setup when:

• The two variables you’re plotting aren’t related or comparable. For instance, plotting “Number of Trees Planted” and “Employee Satisfaction Rating” on the same graph could mislead viewers, unless context strongly supports it.
• You have more than two data sets with vastly different units. Charts with multiple Y-axes (more than 2) can be chaotic rather than helpful.
• Both data sets are of similar scale. In that case, a single axis may actually suffice, simplifying visual interpretation.

Remember: the goal is clarity. Use a dual-axis chart only when it truly enhances data understanding.

Troubleshooting Tips

Encountering issues when trying to assign the second Y-axis? Here are some common hurdles and how to overcome them:

• Can’t select data series? Try enlarging the chart or changing the chart type to one that allows dual axes like Combo Charts.
• Data overlaps poorly? Tweak the axis scale manually for each set, or change the layout.
• Wrong chart type? Not all chart types support secondary axes. Line and combination charts do; pie charts do not.

Alternatives and Related Features

If two Y-axes still don’t paint the picture perfectly, WPS Office offers related tools you may explore, such as:

• Combo Charts: Mix chart types—for instance, display one data series as a bar and another as a line. This makes distinction easy.
• Custom Data Labels: Add exact values for both left and right Y-axes directly on the graph points.
• Interactive Chart Tools: These tools allow dynamiс scaling and formatting for presentations.

Conclusion

Adding two Y-axes in a chart within WPS Office’s spreadsheet application is more than just a trick—it’s a valuable tool for storytelling with numbers. Whether you’re comparing revenue and traffic, temperatures and humidity levels, or any two data sets with different scales, a dual Y-axis chart offers a clear, professional, and versatile way to visualize your figures.

By following the steps outlined above, and maintaining good design principles, you can use this feature to make your charts not only more informative but also visually impactful. With just a few clicks, WPS Office gives you the ability to upgrade your charts from standard to standout.