I have a numbers spreadsheet, I can adjust the number of instances along the “Y” (vertical) axis but how/where do I increase the number along the horizontal “X” axis. For example I would like to squeeze in more dates.
Thank you for any help/advice
iPad, iPadOS 26
Add more dates where? in between the values? After the last date?
First up, your chart has 13 steps on the X axis - the first being Sep 25, and the last 8 being blank. That implies your source table has 13 rows, but only the first 5 have data points.
So the first answer to your question is that the chart will give you steps based on the source data - thirteen rows => thirteen steps on the axis. You just need to have values in them.
Secondly, and slightly off topic, but you likely shouldn't use a line chart for dates. That's because each point on the chart represents a row from the chart, but the intervals are not consistent - for example, there are 44 days between between points 1 and 2, only two days between points 2 and 3, followed by 1-day increments. This could be misleading if you're looking for trends over time.
Instead consider using a scattergraph. For a scattergraph, Numbers will interpret dates correctly and scale the axis accordingly:
This shows a better relationship between the first and second data points, spread over a longer timespan than the other data points.
Additionally, with Scattergraphs, you can set the Min and Max dates for the chart and the number of steps via the sidebar:
The line chart, by contrast, is based on the number of data points in the source data.
Add more dates where? in between the values? After the last date?
First up, your chart has 13 steps on the X axis - the first being Sep 25, and the last 8 being blank. That implies your source table has 13 rows, but only the first 5 have data points.
So the first answer to your question is that the chart will give you steps based on the source data - thirteen rows => thirteen steps on the axis. You just need to have values in them.
Secondly, and slightly off topic, but you likely shouldn't use a line chart for dates. That's because each point on the chart represents a row from the chart, but the intervals are not consistent - for example, there are 44 days between between points 1 and 2, only two days between points 2 and 3, followed by 1-day increments. This could be misleading if you're looking for trends over time.
Instead consider using a scattergraph. For a scattergraph, Numbers will interpret dates correctly and scale the axis accordingly:
This shows a better relationship between the first and second data points, spread over a longer timespan than the other data points.
Additionally, with Scattergraphs, you can set the Min and Max dates for the chart and the number of steps via the sidebar:
The line chart, by contrast, is based on the number of data points in the source data.
Hey, if it works for you, so be it :)
however, I still don’t know what you mean by:
> I would like to increase that number to the maximum
the chart will expand based on the number of rows you select. There is no inherent ‘maximum’ (other than the maximum size of a table). If you want more data, just select more data points to add (even if they’re blank), no?
Thanks Camelot for your response… and suggestions on a proper graph.
I am aware this is a non traditional graph, but it works for me. Currently when this one fills up (in only 8 more instances) I start another one. I would like to increase that number to the maximum, depending on being able to read the dates. But, I can’t find where that setting/adjustment is. It seems to be somewhat random (or chance) given the way I copy and paste to create a new graph. Given this is a messed up graph, perhaps I just have to accept it as it is.
Thanks again
How to add more dates
