Format text in a legend

Legends contain many text items that have properties that can be modified. For example, the title of the legend can be bold and a different color than the labels in the legend. You can include multiple text items in a single legend item. The following text items are available in a legend:

With the exception of Title , each text item can be turned on or off for individual legend items. The text for these items is part of how the layer is symbolized. Not all text items apply to all layer symbology types. For example, the Descriptions and Headings text items are available for unique values symbology, but not for proportional symbols. Update the text itself in the Symbology pane as part of the layer symbology. Update the appearance of the text at the legend or legend item level.

Stylize a text item

By default, legends use the font and appearance set for default text elements in layouts and map graphics. You can update this default to change the font used in new legends. It does not impact any legends currently in the layout. Once a legend has been created, you can update text items individually or as a group, meaning the text item is updated for every legend item in the legend.

Complete the following steps to style a text item:

  1. To modify text items as a group in the Contents pane, right-click the legend and click Properties to open the Element pane. To modify text items for only some legend items, select those legend items in the Contents pane, right-click, and choose Properties .
  2. At the top of the Element pane, click the drop-down arrow next to the Legend text and select a text item from the list.
  3. Optionally, adjust the text symbol properties.

After making adjustments to the text items, consider saving a legend item as the default. This means that future items added to the legend use the same text styles as the default legend item, instead of using the default text element style.

Add or modify legend title text

The default legend title text is Legend and is turned off. You can turn on the legend title and change the title text by completing the following steps:

Properties

  1. In the Contents pane of a layout, right-click the legend and click Properties to open the Element pane.

Be sure to click the legend element, not a legend item. Legend items have different properties.

Options

  • In the Element pane, click the Options tab .
  • Check Show to display the legend title in the legend.
  • Optionally, update the Title text.

    • Enable word wrapping

    Legend labels and descriptions can be wrapped to new lines of text. By default, legend columns are wide enough to accommodate all the label and description text for the widest legend item on one line. You can enable word wrapping to flow text onto another line using standard character breaks once the text has exceeded a set width. This is useful when you have long legend labels or descriptions.

    You can wrap the legend item labels, the legend item descriptions, or both. Word wrapping is enabled at the legend level, so it applies to all legend elements. When either label or description wrapping is enabled, wrapping is automatically enabled for headings and layer names too. They wrap to the total width of the item. Legend titles also wrap to the total width of all the columns.

    To set word wrapping, complete the following steps:

    Properties

    1. In the Contents pane, right-click the legend and click Properties to open the Element pane.

    Be sure to click the legend element, not a legend item. Legend items have different properties.

    Legend Arrangement Options

  • In the Element pane, click the Legend Arrangement Options tab .
  • Under the Word wrapping heading, check Labels or Descriptions to wrap the appropriate text item.
  • Adjust the value in page units for the text to wrap by changing the number next to Labels or Descriptions . For example, set it to wrap all labels wider than 1 inch.

    • Related topics

    In this topic
    1. Stylize a text item
    2. Add or modify legend title text
    3. Enable word wrapping