The way legend items flow in the designated legend space in a layout is controlled by the legend's fitting strategy. There are five available fitting strategies:
- Adjust font size
- Adjust columns
- Adjust frame
- Adjust columns and font size
- Manual columns
Some fitting strategies work better for dynamic layouts, such as a map series, while other strategies work better for singular layouts. Read the details for each strategy below to learn more.
Caution:
If part of a legend item does not fit in the designated legend space, the entire item is dropped from the legend. For example, if a legend item has 15 classes but only 8 classes fit, that entire item is dropped. No more items are added, even if a smaller legend item fits. If any items are dropped, the overflow symbol 
appears.
Additionally, for each fitting strategy there is a Right to left check box. When checked, this changes how legend items flow, adjusting them to be more ideal for right to left reading languages. It can also be used as a stylistic choice, changing how your legend flows to better match some layout configurations.
Set the legend fitting strategy
To change a legend's fitting strategy, complete the following steps:
- In the Contents pane, right-click the legend and click Properties
from the context menu to open the Element pane.Be sure to click the legend element, not a legend item. The fitting strategy is a property of the legend and can't be changed when a legend item is selected.
- In the Element pane, click the Arrangement tab
. - Choose a fitting strategy from the Fitting Strategy drop-down list.
Adjust the font size
The Adjust font size fitting strategy automatically shrinks the font size for the legend text to fit all the legend items.
You can specify the Minimum font size value to ensure that the text does not shrink smaller than can be read. When the text has shrunk to the minimum font size, legend items that still don't fit are dropped from the legend.
Set the number of columns in the legend by adjusting the Columns value. Legend items are assigned to columns based on their order in the Contents pane. The columns are determined automatically, and longer legend items may span multiple columns. To keep a legend item in a single column, right-click the item in the Contents pane and choose Keep in single column. You can also check Set equal widths to make each column the same width.
Adjust the columns
The Adjust columns fitting strategy automatically changes the number of columns to fit all items in the legend. The font sizes set in the legend are honored.
Legend items are automatically assigned to columns based on their order in the Contents pane. The number of columns may change as items are added or removed from the legend. Longer legend items may span multiple columns. To keep a legend item in a single column, right-click the item in the Contents pane and choose Keep in single column. You can also check Set equal widths to make each column the same width.
Adjust the frame
The Adjust frame strategy automatically changes the legend size, so all the legend items fit using the specified font sizes and the set number of columns. If items are added to or removed from the legend, the size of the legend adjusts accordingly.
Set the number of columns in the legend by adjusting the Columns value. Legend items are assigned to columns based on their order in the Contents pane. The columns are determined automatically, and longer legend items may span multiple columns. To keep a legend item in a single column, right-click the item in the Contents pane and choose Keep in single column. You can also check Set equal widths to make each column the same width.
This fitting strategy is ideal for singular layouts. In a map series, the size of the legend can change for each page, obscuring other layout elements.
Adjust the columns and the font size
The Adjust columns and font size fitting strategy automatically shrinks the font size for legend text and changes the number of columns to fit all the legend items.
You can specify the Minimum font size value to ensure that the text does not shrink smaller than can be read. When the text has shrunk to the minimum font size, legend items that still don't fit are dropped from the legend.
Legend items are automatically assigned to columns based on their order in the Contents pane. The number of columns may change as items are added or removed from the legend. Longer legend items may span multiple columns. To keep a legend item in a single column, right-click the item in the Contents pane and choose Keep in single column. You can also check Set equal widths to make each column the same width.
This fitting strategy works well in a map series because it is the most likely strategy to avoid dropping legend items from page to page.
Adjust the columns manually
The Manual columns fitting strategy allows you to specify the number of columns in the legend, as well as the legend items that go in each column.
Font sizes may shrink to fit all specified items in the column. You can specify the Minimum font size value to ensure that the text does not shrink smaller than can be read when items are added to a specific column. When the text has shrunk to the minimum font size, legend items that still don't fit are dropped from the legend.
To set the number of columns in the legend, adjust the Columns value. Once the number of columns has been set, column headings appear in the Contents pane. Drag legend items from one column to another to determine their position in the legend.
An item may span multiple columns; in this case, the item is only listed in the Contents pane as being part of the first column, even though it draws across multiple columns. If the legend item doesn't fit in the column, it is dropped, as are any items listed below it in that column. To keep a legend item in a single column, right-click the item in the Contents pane and choose Keep in single column. You can also check Set equal widths to make each column the same width.
This fitting strategy is ideal for singular layouts. In a map series, the number of legend elements can change for each page, creating empty or uneven columns.