What is Line Graphs / Chart in Excel?

In Excel, charts and graphs represent data in graphical format. There are so many types of charts in excelTypes Of Charts In ExcelExcel offers a variety of chart types based on your requirements. Column Charts, Line Charts, Pie Charts, Bar Charts, Area Charts, Scatter Charts, Stock Chart, and Radar Charts are the different types of charts.read more. The line chart in Excel is the most popular and used.

Types of Line Charts / Graphs in Excel

There are different categories of line charts that we can create in Excel.

  • 2D Line Charts3D Line Charts

These types of Line graphs in Excel are still divided into different graphs.

#1 – 2D Line Graph in Excel

The 2D line graph in Excel is basic. We can take this graph for a single data set. Below is the image for that.

These are again divided as follows:

Stacked Line Graph in Excel

This stacked line chart in Excel shows how it will change the data over time.

We can show this in the below diagram.

In the graph, all the 4 data sets are represented using 4 line charts in one graph using two axes.

100% Stacked Line Graph in Excel

This graph is similar to the stacked line graph in Excel. The only difference is that this Y-axis shows % values rather than normal values. Also, this graph contains a top line. It is the 100% line. It will run across the top of the chart.

We can show this in the below figure.

Line with Markers in Excel

This type of line graph in Excel will contain pointers at each data point. So, we can use this to represent data for every important point.

The point marks represent the data points where they are present. When hovering the mouse on the point, the values corresponding to that data point are known.

Stacked Line with Markers

100% Stacked Line with Markers

#2 – 3D Line Graph in Excel

This line graph in excel is shown in 3D format.

The below line graph is the 3D line graph. All the lines are represented in 3D format.

All these graphs are types of line charts in Excel. The representation is different from chart to chart. As per the requirement, you can create the line chart in Excel.

How to Make a Line Graph in Excel?

Below are examples to create a Line chartExamples To Create A Line ChartThe line chart is a graphical representation of data that contains a series of data points with a line. read more in Excel.

Line Chart in Excel Example #1

We can use the line graph in multiple data sets also. Here is an example of creating a line chart in Excel.

In the above graph, we have multiple datasets to represent that data. Also, we have used a line graph.

Select all the data and go to the “Insert” tab. Next, select the “Line” graph from “Charts.” It will display the required chart.

Then, the line chart in Excel created looks like as given below:

Line Chart in Excel Example #2

It is the basic process of using a line graph in our representation.

  • Go to the “Insert” menu -> “Charts” Tab -> Select “Line” charts symbol. We can select the customized line chart as per the requirement. Then, the chart may look like as given below.

To represent a line graph in Excel, we need two necessary components. They are the horizontal axis and vertical axis.

The horizontal axis is called X-axis, and the vertical axis is called Y-axis.

There is one more component called “legend.” It is the line in which the graph is represented.

One more component is “plot area.” It is the area where it will plot the graph. Hence, it is called the plot area.

We can represent the above explanation in the below diagram.

The X-axis and Y-axis are used to represent the scale of the graph. Next, the legend is the blue line in which the graph is represented. It is more useful when the graph contains more than one line to define. Next is the plot area. It is the area where we can plot the graph.

In the line graph, if there are multiple datasets to represent the data, and if the axes are different for all the columns, we can change the scale of the axes and represent the data.

From this line graph, we can easily represent timeline graphs. If the data contains years of data related to time, it can be presented better than other graphs. We can also represent a line graph with points for easy understanding.

For example, sales of a company during a period, salary of an employee over a period, etc.

Relevance and Uses of Line Graph in Excel

We can use the line graph for:

  • Single dataset.

The data having a single data set can be represented in Excel using a line graph over a period. It can be illustrated with an example.

  • Multiple Datasets

We can also represent the line graph for multiple datasets.

The different data set is represented using another color legend. In the above example, revenue is represented by a blue line. We can represent customer purchase % by using an orange color line, Sales by grey line, and the last one profit% by using a yellow line.

We can customize the graph after inserting the line graph, such as formatting grid lines, changing the chart title to a user-defined name, and changing the axis’s scales. It can be done by right click on the chart.

Formatting the grid lines: Gridlines can be removed or changed as per our requirement by using an option called formatting grid lines. It can be done by,

Right-click on Chart-> Format Gridlines.

We can select the types of gridlines as per the requirement or remove the grid lines completely.

The three options on the top right side of the graph are the graph options to customize them.

The “+” symbol will have the checkboxes of what options to select in the graph to exist.

The “paint” symbol is used to select the style of the chart to be used and the color of the line.

The “filter” symbol indicates what we should represent as part of the data on the graph.

Customize Line Chart in Excel

These are some default customizations made to a line chart in Excel.

#1 – Changing the Line Chart Title:

We can change the chart title as per the user requirement for better understanding or the same as the table’s name for a better experience. For example, we can show that as below.

We should place the cursor in the “Chart Title” area, and we can write a user-defined name in place of the chart title.

#2 – Changing the Color of Legend

The color of the legend can also be changed, as shown in the below screenshot.

#3 – Changing the Scale of the Axis

The scale of the axis can be changed if there is a requirement. For example, If there are more datasets with different scales, we can change the scale of the axis.

A given process can do this.

Right-click on any of the lines. Now, select “Format Data Series.” It will show a window on the right side and select the secondary axisSecondary AxisThe secondary axis is the other axis that is used to denote different data sets that cannot be displayed on a single axis. The primary axis, for example, depicts time, whereas the secondary axis displays production.read more. Now, click “OK,” as shown in the below figure.

#4 – Formatting the Gridlines

We can format Gridline in excelGridline In ExcelGridlines are little lines made of dots to divide cells from each other in a worksheet. The gridlines have slight faint invisibility; you can find it in the page layout tab. This option has a checkbox; for activating the gridlines, you can tick on it and untick if you wish to deactivate gridlines.read more. In addition, they can be changed or removed completely. We can do this as per the requirement.

After right-clicking on the gridlines, select “Format Gridlines” from the options, and then it will open a dialog box. In that, we can choose the type of gridlines as per choice.

#5 – Changing the Chart Styles and Color

We can change the chart’s color and style by using the “+” button on the top right corner. For example, we can show this in the below figure.

Things to Remember

  • We can format a line graph with points in the graph where there is a data point and can also be formatted as per the user requirement.We can also change the color of the line as per the requirement.While creating a line chart in Excel, the very important point is that we cannot use these line graphs for categorical data.

This article is a guide to Line Graphs and Charts in Excel. We discuss creating a line chart/graph in Excel, practical examples, and a downloadable Excel template. You may also learn more about Excel from the following articles: –

  • Examples of 3D Maps in ExcelExamples Of 3D Maps In Excel3D map is a new feature provided by Excel in its latest versions of 2016. It introduces map elements in the Excel graph axis in three dimensions. It is an extremely useful tool provided by Excel, like an actual functional mapread moreHow to Create a 3D Plot in Excel?How To Create A 3D Plot In Excel?3D plots is also known as surface plots in excel which is used to represent three dimensional data. To represent a three dimensional plot, three dimensional range of data which can be used from the insert tab in excel.read moreDynamic Charts in ExcelStacked Chart in ExcelStacked Chart In ExcelIn stacked charts data series are stacked over one another for a particular axes, in stacked column chart the series are stacked vertically while in bar the series are stacked horizontally.read more