Excel Line Chart Examples: How to Choose and Format

Excel line chart examples include monthly sales trends, several product lines compared over time, actual results against a target, and daily measurements with missing dates. To make one in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, arrange time periods in the first column and each data series in its own column, select the range, then choose Insert > Insert Line or Area Chart > 2-D Line.

What a line chart shows

A line chart connects values in sequence, making it useful for seeing how one or more measures change across ordered categories. The horizontal axis commonly shows dates, months, quarters, or stages; the vertical axis shows the measured values. The line makes direction and continuity easy to see, while separate colors distinguish series.

Line charts work especially well when the order of the categories matters. For example, a sequence of monthly revenue figures tells a time-based story. If you sort the months alphabetically instead of chronologically, the chart may still draw a line, but it will communicate the wrong sequence. Check the source data order before interpreting the shape.

A line chart is not necessarily a statistical trend line. The connected segments simply join the data points in order. Excel can add a trendline separately, but that is a different chart element and should be used only when a fitted trend is relevant to the question.

Four practical Excel line chart examples

These examples show common questions a line chart can answer. Each can be built from a simple worksheet table with headings in the first row.

Monthly sales for one product: Put January through December in column A and sales in column B. A 2-D Line chart shows whether sales generally rise, fall, or fluctuate during the year. If the months span multiple years, include the year in the date values so the same month is not mistaken for a single point.
Comparing several products: Put the months in column A and each product in a separate column, such as Product A, Product B, and Product C. Excel draws a line for each series. This is useful for comparing seasonal patterns, though many overlapping lines can become difficult to read.
Actual results versus a target: Put the period in column A, actual results in column B, and the target in column C. The two lines make it easy to see when results meet, exceed, or fall short of the target. A fixed target can be repeated in every row; for example, enter 100 in each target cell if the goal is 100 units per month.
Daily temperature or website visits: Use dates in column A and the measured value in column B. A line chart is a natural choice when the records are taken at regular intervals and the dates are in chronological order. A gap can represent a day with no measurement rather than a value of zero.

For a quick illustration, a small table might have Month, Actual, and Target as its headers, followed by April 82 and 100, May 95 and 100, and June 108 and 100. The chart would show actual results moving upward across the three months and crossing the flat target line in June. The point is not the particular numbers; the layout makes the comparison clear.

Choose the right line chart type

Excel offers several 2-D line chart variations. The plain Line chart connects points without emphasizing each one. Line with Markers adds a visible symbol at each data point, which can help when there are only a few periods or readers need to identify individual observations. With many points, markers may clutter the chart, so test whether they improve readability.

Stacked Line charts add the values in each series as they are plotted. They can show how components contribute to a changing total, but the height of a later line represents a cumulative value rather than that series alone. This makes direct comparisons harder. A 100% Stacked Line chart shows each series as a share of the total at each category; use it to compare proportions, not absolute amounts.

For most straightforward comparisons of values over time, start with a plain 2-D Line or Line with Markers. Avoid 3-D line charts for analytical work: perspective can make values and relationships harder to judge. If the horizontal values are genuinely numeric and unevenly spaced—for example, elapsed time of 1, 2, 10, and 30 minutes—an XY (Scatter) chart with lines may be more appropriate. A line chart treats its horizontal categories as ordered positions, rather than spacing points according to numeric distance.

Arrange data and create the chart

Use a rectangular table with one header row, no blank header cells, and one row for each time period or category. Dates should be real Excel date values where possible, not text that merely looks like a date. Keep each series in a separate column and avoid inserting blank rows inside the data.

Select the data range, including the headers. For a table with dates in A1:A13 and two series in B1:C13, select A1:C13.
On the Windows ribbon, choose Insert > Insert Line or Area Chart, then select a 2-D option such as Line or Line with Markers.
Check that Excel has interpreted the categories and series correctly. If the chart has months as separate lines and products on the horizontal axis, select the chart and choose Chart Design > Switch Row/Column.
Add a descriptive title and, if needed, axis titles. Use Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Chart Title or Axis Titles. A title such as Monthly Orders by Product is more informative than Chart Title.
Move or resize the chart so that the axis labels, legend, and data are easy to read. Click the chart to access the Chart Design and Format tabs.

If you prefer, select a cell in a continuous data range before inserting a chart; Excel may detect the surrounding table. Selecting the intended range explicitly is safer when the worksheet contains other nearby values. On Excel for Mac, the chart options are also available from the Insert tab, though ribbon placement and some dialog details can differ. Excel for the web has chart insertion and basic formatting, but some advanced formatting controls may be more limited than the desktop app.

Format the chart so the message is clear

Give the chart a title that states the measure and period. Label the vertical axis with units when the values might otherwise be ambiguous, such as Dollars, Orders, or Degrees Celsius. Keep the legend if there are multiple series and use short, distinct series names in the worksheet headers so the legend is useful.

Use color consistently and make the series distinguishable without relying on color alone when possible. Markers, line styles, and clear labels can help readers distinguish lines, especially in a printed chart or for readers with color-vision differences. Avoid using a separate color for every point unless each point represents a distinct category that needs emphasis.

Pay attention to the vertical axis scale. Excel chooses bounds automatically, but you can right-click the value axis and choose Format Axis to inspect or set its bounds and units. A line chart does not always need a zero baseline; however, a narrow range can visually magnify small changes. Choose a scale that makes the variation legible without exaggerating its practical significance, and state the scale clearly when it matters.

Gridlines can help readers estimate values, but too many make the plot busy. Keep only useful major gridlines. Data labels are helpful for a small number of important points, but labels on every point in a long series often overlap. For an actual-versus-target chart, emphasize the target with a contrasting line style and explain it in the legend rather than adding labels everywhere.

Handle dates, gaps, and changing data

Dates sometimes appear at uneven intervals because weekends or holidays are absent. A line chart may display dates as categories or use a date axis, depending on the data and Excel’s interpretation. Right-click the horizontal axis and choose Format Axis to review its axis options. If dates are stored as text, Excel may treat them as ordinary category labels; convert them to actual dates if you need date-based spacing or reliable date formatting.

Missing observations deserve deliberate treatment. A blank cell is not the same as zero: zero says a measurement was made and its value was zero, while a blank can mean no observation. To control how blanks appear, select the chart and use Chart Design > Select Data > Hidden and Empty Cells. The available setting can display empty cells as gaps, zeros, or connect data points with a line. Choose the behavior that matches the meaning of the data, rather than filling gaps automatically.

For a chart that should grow as new periods are added, convert the source range to an Excel table with Insert > Table, confirming that the table has headers. Charts based on a table can include added rows as the table expands. This is often more maintainable than editing the chart’s source range after every update. Still, verify the chart after adding data, especially if the new rows contain a different format or an unexpected blank.

Common problems and how to fix them

The chart shows the wrong series: Use Chart Design > Select Data to inspect the chart data range and series names. Switch Row/Column if the rows and columns have been interpreted in the opposite direction from what you intended.
Dates or labels appear in the wrong order: Sort the source table by date from oldest to newest. Check that date cells contain actual date values and that months from different years are not grouped as though they were one year.
A line drops to zero unexpectedly: Look for zero values, formulas returning zero, or blanks configured to display as zero. Decide whether the source value is truly zero or whether the observation is missing.
Lines are too crowded: Reduce the number of series, chart a smaller time window, or split the comparison into separate charts. Clear series names and a concise legend help, but formatting cannot make dozens of overlapping lines easy to interpret.
The chart looks misleading: Check axis bounds, units, date order, and whether a stacked chart is showing cumulative values. A line can make change look continuous even when observations were collected only occasionally, so do not imply measurements exist between points.

Line charts compared with other chart choices

Choose a line chart when the order of categories—usually time—is central and you want to see movement across that sequence. Use a column chart when comparing values among a small number of discrete categories, such as sales by department, especially when each category stands on its own. A line chart can imply continuity between categories, which may be inappropriate for unrelated groups.

Use an XY (Scatter) chart when both axes represent numeric measurements and the horizontal distances matter. For example, comparing output against a numeric temperature range with unevenly spaced observations usually calls for a scatter chart, not a standard line chart. A scatter chart can still connect points if the order and relationship warrant it. The chart type should reflect what the horizontal values mean, not simply how the data is arranged in the worksheet.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a line chart in Excel?
Select the data range with category labels and series headers, then choose Insert > Insert Line or Area Chart > 2-D Line. Check the series and axis, then add a title and labels as needed.

How do I add another line to an existing chart?
Add the new series as a column in the source table when possible. If it does not appear, select the chart and use Chart Design > Select Data to update the chart data range or add the series.

Should a line chart start at zero?
Not always. The best scale depends on the measure and the comparison, but a tightly cropped vertical axis can make small differences look dramatic. Review the bounds and make the scale clear when readers could misread the size of a change.

Why are my months out of order?
The month labels may be text, or the source rows may be sorted alphabetically. Use actual dates and sort them chronologically. If the data covers more than one year, include the year in each date so the sequence remains unambiguous.

Can a line chart show missing data?
Yes. Excel can show empty cells as gaps, zeros, or connected points, depending on the chart’s Hidden and Empty Cells setting. Use a gap when no measurement was recorded, unless your reporting rules require a different treatment.

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