Excel Line Chart Rising Line: How to Remove It

To remove a rising line in an Excel line chart, first identify what the line represents: select the chart line and press Delete to remove its entire data series, or select and delete a trendline if that is the extra line. If you mean just one upward segment connecting two data points, Excel has no direct command to erase only that segment; use a gap or split the plotted data into helper series.

Identify Which Line You Want to Remove

A line chart can display several kinds of lines, and the right removal method depends on which one you mean. A colored line that follows your values is a data series. A straight or curved line laid over the data may be a trendline. A connector between two neighboring points is part of its data series, not a separate chart object you can ordinarily select and delete by itself.

Click the chart once, then click the line you want to change. Excel should highlight the selected object and show handles or markers. If the whole colored series is selected, its points are highlighted; if you select a trendline, only that line is highlighted. When the selection is unclear, look at the chart’s legend or use Chart Format > Current Selection to identify the selected chart element. The contextual Chart Design and Chart Format tabs appear when the chart is selected.

Remove a colored series to remove all its points and connecting lines.
Remove a trendline to keep the original data series but remove its fitted line.
Hide a data point or create a gap when the unwanted section is tied to one observation.
Change formatting if you want the line to remain in the chart but not be visible.

Remove an Entire Data Series

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, click the chart, then click the colored line for the series you want gone. Press Delete. Check that the whole series—not one marker or the chart area—is selected before pressing the key. Deleting the series from the chart does not delete the worksheet cells that supplied its values.

You can also remove a series through the chart’s data settings. Select the chart and choose Chart Design > Select Data. In the Select Data Source dialog, select the series in Legend Entries (Series), choose Remove, and confirm with OK. This approach is useful when lines overlap and it is hard to click the intended series.

To hide a series temporarily rather than remove its chart entry, select the chart and click the Chart Filters button, shown as a funnel beside the chart. Clear the checkbox beside the series and choose Apply. The series is hidden from the chart, while its worksheet data remains available. This is convenient for comparing alternative views; use Select Data if you want to remove the series from the chart’s source list instead.

On Mac, select the series and press Delete, or use the chart’s Select Data controls if available in your Excel version. Ribbon labels and dialog layouts can vary slightly by platform and update, but the underlying distinction remains: removing a chart series does not erase its source cells. In Excel for the web, select the chart and use its available chart and data controls; if a detailed dialog or selection is missing, open the workbook in the desktop app.

Delete a Trendline Without Removing the Data

A trendline is an added analytical overlay, not the line joining the chart’s actual observations. If the unwanted rising line is straight or smooth and the original series is still visible underneath, it may be a trendline. Click the trendline itself so it is selected, then press Delete. The plotted series and worksheet values should remain.

Excel can add trendlines for specific series, so check whether more than one is present. If clicking selects the data series instead, try clicking directly on the trendline again, away from a crossing point or data marker. You can also use Chart Format > Current Selection to choose the trendline by name before deleting it. Removing a trendline changes only the chart display; it does not change the underlying data or reverse any calculations used to create the trendline.

Remove One Rising Segment or Point

A line segment is drawn between neighboring points in the same series. Excel generally treats that segment as part of the series, so pressing Delete after selecting a point or line may remove more than the one connector you intended. If you want the chart to omit one observation, make a chart-only helper range and represent that observation as missing rather than changing your original data.

For example, suppose the values to chart are in B2:B6 and you copy them into a helper range C2:C6. If the third plotted point should be omitted, replace C4 with =NA(). The formula returns the #N/A error, which Excel does not plot as an ordinary data point in a line chart. Build or edit the chart to use the helper values in column C, keeping column B unchanged as your source data. Since that point is missing, the line will have a break on either side of it; this removes both connecting segments that meet at the omitted point, not just one of them.

If you need to remove exactly one connector while keeping both endpoint markers and the other connections, divide the plotted data into two series at the break. For example, to remove the connection between the second and third points, create one series that contains the first and second values and then missing values, and a second series that has missing values through the second point and contains the third value onward. Add both helper series to the chart and format them alike. Each series stops at the break, so Excel does not draw the unwanted connection. This is more setup than hiding a point, but it keeps the two endpoints available on the chart.

A blank cell can also create a gap, depending on the chart’s empty-cell setting. Select the chart and choose Chart Design > Select Data > Hidden and Empty Cells. In the dialog, choose Gaps for empty cells. If you choose Connect data points with line, Excel may draw across the blank instead, which defeats the purpose. Treat this as a chart display choice and leave original measurements intact where possible.

Hide the Line Instead of Deleting It

If the series should remain in the chart for calculations, the legend, or future use, make the line invisible rather than removing the series. Right-click the selected line and choose Format Data Series. In the formatting pane, open Fill & Line, then Line, and select No line. The markers can remain visible, or you can format them separately under Marker if you want to hide those too.

This option is useful when a line is visually distracting but its points still matter. It can also help when overlapping series make one line difficult to read. Remember that a series with no line may still have markers and a legend entry. If your goal is to conceal the entire series, use the Chart Filters button or remove the series instead.

For a single point, click the series once and then click the specific marker again to select that point, if Excel allows the point to be selected. Use Format Data Point to change its marker or line formatting. Formatting a point is not the same as removing the connector: the line between it and neighboring points may still be visible. Use a missing value or helper-series split when the actual connection must disappear.

Why the Line May Seem to Rise

Sometimes the line is not an unwanted chart element; it is a correct connection between the values Excel has been given. Check the worksheet values and the category order before editing the chart. A date or category can be stored as text, sorted unexpectedly, or included from the wrong row, making the plotted sequence look surprising. In a standard line chart, horizontal positions represent categories in their source order, so the line can rise even when the dates or labels appear out of chronological order.

Also inspect the vertical axis. A nonzero minimum can make modest changes look dramatic, while a reversed axis can make an increase appear to move downward. Right-click the vertical axis, choose Format Axis, and review Bounds and axis direction. Changing the scale can improve interpretation, but it does not remove a line or change the underlying values. If the chart is meant to show the size of change accurately, keep the axis choices clear and avoid altering the scale just to disguise a rise.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Delete removes the whole chart. The chart area was probably selected. Click the specific line first and confirm that only the intended series is highlighted.
The line returns after editing the worksheet. The chart is still linked to its source range. Keep the unwanted observation out of the chart’s helper range, or hide the relevant series through Chart Filters.
A blank does not create a gap. Open Hidden and Empty Cells and select Gaps. Check that the chart is using the blank helper cell you edited.
The marker disappears but the rising connector remains. Hiding a marker does not necessarily remove the segment. Use a missing chart value or split the data into helper series.
The wrong line is selected. Use Chart Format > Current Selection or Chart Design > Select Data to identify the series instead of clicking overlapping lines.
The legend still shows the series. Hiding a line through No line changes its appearance, not its membership. Remove the series or use the chart filter if the legend entry should disappear too.

Choose the Least Disruptive Fix

For a clean chart, use the smallest change that matches the goal. Delete a series only when the entire set of values is unnecessary in that chart. Remove a trendline when only the analytical overlay is unwanted. Use a helper range for a missing observation, and split the data into two series only when you need to remove one specific connector while preserving both endpoint values and the other line segments.

Before changing the chart, consider whether the rise is meaningful. If the plotted values are correct, hiding the increase may make the chart less informative. If the issue is an accidental extra series, a wrong range, or a misleading axis, correcting that source is better than cosmetically suppressing the line. You can also duplicate the chart or workbook before making substantial edits, especially when a chart is linked to a report or presentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I remove a line from an Excel chart but keep the data?
Select the chart series and press Delete, or remove it using Chart Design > Select Data. These actions remove the series from the chart, not the worksheet values. Use Chart Filters to hide it temporarily.

Can I delete just one line segment in an Excel line chart?
Not as a standalone chart object in the usual line-chart workflow. A segment belongs to its series. To break one connection while retaining the rest, split the plotted values into two helper series at that point and format them consistently.

How do I remove a trendline but keep the rising data line?
Select the trendline itself and press Delete. Take care not to select the original data series; use Chart Format > Current Selection if the two lines overlap.

Why does my line chart connect across a blank cell?
The chart may be set to connect data points across empty cells. Choose Chart Design > Select Data > Hidden and Empty Cells, then select Gaps. A missing value such as #N/A can also create a break in the plotted series.

Will removing a chart line delete my worksheet data?
No. Removing a series from a chart changes what the chart plots. It does not delete the source cells. Editing or clearing those worksheet cells is a separate action.

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