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How to Make a Line Graph in MicrosoftExcel

Making a Basic Line Chart Adding Another Set of Data

Line graphs are most useful when tracking data over a period of time. The X-

axis represents the passage of time, and the Y-axis tracks the datapoints. Some

examples for uses of line graphs include: tracking sales for the year, seeing

how students’ test scores change over time, displaying the number of traffic

accidents over the years; basically anything that can be expressed as a function

of time. This guide will get you up and running with a basic line graph before you

know it.

1 Enter your data. A line graph requires two axes in order to function. Enter your data

into two columns. For ease of remembering, set your X-axis data (time) in the left

column and your recorded observations in the right column. For example, tracking a sports

team’s wins would see the year in the left column, and the corresponding number of wins in

the right.

Method 1 of 2: Making a Basic Line Chart

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2 Click Insert. Under the Charts heading there will be an option for Line Graphs.

Select it. A blank graph field will appear in your spreadsheet.

There will be several options for line graphs. If you have a lot of datapoints, choose

a standard line graph. If you only have a small number of datapoints, choose the

Line with Markers graph, as it will highlight each piece of data on the line.

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3 Select your data. When you click on the chart, the Chart Design menu will open.

Under the Data heading, click on Select Data. The Select Data Source window will

open up.

Select the Chart Data Range field. With the cursor in this field, highlight your

collected data column, including the header name. This will create you line, and

label it correctly.

Under Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels, click the Edit button. Select the time

column. This will change the x-axis labels to properly reflect the data.

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4 Your basic line chart is now complete. You can edit the visual appearance of the

chart by right-clicking on the chart and selecting Format Chart Area… This will give

you options on line sizes and colors. You can do the same with each individual element of

the chart by right-clicking and selecting the Format option.

You can change your chart title by clicking on the title once to select it, and then

again to activate the text cursor. By default, the title is the same as the label for

your data.

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5

You can resize your chart by clicking and holding a corner with your mouse. Drag

the mouse to resize the chart.

Use the Layout menu to adjust your chart’s visual elements. You can change

many different aspects of your chart through the Layout menu.

You can insert an explanatory text box, or place pictures on the chart to highlight

the datapoints.

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You can use the Layout menu to adjust where the legend shows up, and how the

axes are labeled.

You can also choose from several preset layouts in the Design menu.

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1 Enter your data. To create a second series, enter the data into your spreadsheet as

you did in the first section. The data should line up with the same time values as the

first set. After you finish you should have three equal columns.

Method 2 of 2: Adding Another Set of Data

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2 Click your chart. Then click Select Data under the Data heading. The Select Data

Source window will open again.

Under Legend Entries (Series), click the Add button.

In the Series name field, select the cell with the heading name for your second set

of data.

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In the Series values field, select the cells that contain your new data. This field

needs to have an "=" sign in front of it or Excel will return an error.

Press OK. You will be taken back to the Select Data Source window. Your new line

will appear on the chart.

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3 Highlight your second entry in the Legend Entries (Series) frame. Then, in the

Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels frame, click the Edit button. Select the time column

again. This will prevent conflicting X-axis labels from messing up the graph.

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4 Your second line has been added and properly labeled. Format it using the

steps above to match the aesthetic of your spreadsheet.

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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 61,704 times.

Categories: Microsoft Excel

Recent edits by: Jeff, Noisy_crow, Loni_lings

In other languages:

Italiano: Come Disegnare un Grafico a Linee con Excel, Português: Como Fazer um

Gráfico de Linhas no Excel, Deutsch: Ein Liniendiagramm in Microsoft Excel erstellen

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