How to Remove a Trendline from an Excel Chart

To remove a trendline from an Excel chart in Microsoft 365 for Windows, click the trendline to select it, then press Delete. You can also select the chart and choose Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Trendline > None; either method removes the line without deleting the chart or its source data.

Remove a trendline with a click

For a chart with one trendline, selecting and deleting the line is usually quickest. Click the chart once to activate it, then click directly on the trendline. Small selection markers should appear along the line, indicating that the trendline—not the whole chart or a data series—is selected. Press Delete on your keyboard.

Be careful when clicking: a data series and its trendline can be close together, especially when both use similar colors. If the chart itself shows handles around its outer border, the chart is selected. If markers appear on the plotted data points, a series is selected. Click again on the line itself, or use the chart menu method below to avoid removing the wrong object.

One click on the chart: selects the chart area.
A click on the plotted line or points: selects a data series.
A click on the trendline: selects the trendline so it can be removed separately.

If a click selects the chart or series instead, try clicking a visible section of the trendline away from data markers. You can also zoom in temporarily or make the chart larger to make the line easier to target.

Use the Chart Design menu

The ribbon gives you a reliable way to turn off a trendline without having to click its exact position. Select the chart, open the Chart Design tab, and choose Add Chart Element > Trendline > None. The menu may show trendline types before the None option; choose None to remove the trendline from the selected series.

This command is useful when the line is thin, overlaps the data, or sits behind another chart element. It is also a convenient way to confirm that you are changing a trendline setting rather than deleting a data series. If the chart has trendlines on several series, check which series is selected before using the menu. Repeat the command for each series whose trendline you want to remove.

After removal, the chart continues to display its original data series, axes, labels, legend, and other elements. The trendline’s equation and R-squared value, if displayed, disappear along with that trendline. Removing the line does not alter worksheet values or change the chart’s source range.

Select the right trendline in a busy chart

A chart can have more than one trendline, such as a linear trendline for each of two data series. In that case, identify the particular line you intend to remove before pressing Delete. Select it directly and check for selection markers; if the wrong object is selected, press Esc and try again rather than deleting it.

Excel’s Current Selection controls can help when a chart contains many overlapping elements. Select the chart, open the chart-formatting ribbon, and use the Current Selection drop-down to inspect the chart elements available for selection. Choose the relevant trendline entry, then press Delete. The exact entry names depend on the chart’s series and on how many trendlines it contains, so use the displayed series name to distinguish them.

For example, imagine a scatter chart with “North” and “South” sales series, each with a linear trendline. Removing the North trendline should leave both sets of sales points and the South trendline in place. Select the North trendline specifically, or select its entry from Current Selection, then delete it. If the legend includes trendline entries, check it afterward: Excel may adjust the legend to reflect the remaining chart elements.

Windows, Mac, and Excel for the web

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, the direct Delete-key method and Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Trendline > None are the standard options. If you use the keyboard to delete a selected chart object, first confirm that the trendline itself is selected; Delete acts on the selected object and does not provide a separate confirmation prompt.

Excel for Mac has comparable chart controls. Select the trendline and use the Delete key on the keyboard, or look for the Trendline > None option on the chart-design ribbon. Keyboard layouts differ: on some Mac keyboards the key labeled Delete behaves like Backspace, and a forward-delete action may require Fn+Delete. If the shortcut does not remove the selected object, use the ribbon option instead.

Excel for the web has chart-editing features, but the available controls can vary with the chart and the version of the web app. Try selecting the trendline and pressing Delete. If the trendline is difficult to select or the relevant chart controls are unavailable, choose Open in Desktop App and remove it in the Windows or Mac version of Excel. Your workbook’s data is not changed by moving between these editing methods.

What changes when you remove a trendline?

A trendline is a chart element that summarizes a pattern in a data series. Removing it changes the chart’s appearance, not the underlying observations. For instance, deleting a linear trendline from monthly revenue does not delete any monthly revenue values or recalculate the source table. It simply stops displaying that fitted line on the chart.

Excel may also remove information attached to the trendline, such as its displayed equation or R-squared value. Those labels are associated with the trendline, so they generally disappear when the trendline is removed. If you add another trendline later, you can choose whether to display an equation or R-squared value in that trendline’s formatting options.

Removing a trendline is different from deleting a series. A series is the collection of plotted values; deleting it can remove those values from the chart while leaving them in the worksheet. If you want to keep the data visible but remove only the fitted line, select the trendline rather than the series. If your goal is to hide the whole chart, deleting the chart is a separate action and is not necessary.

Common problems and how to fix them

Delete removes the data series: Undo immediately with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac, then select the trendline more carefully. The selection markers can help confirm what will be deleted.
The line is hard to click: Use Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Trendline > None, or choose the trendline from Current Selection when available.
There is no Trendline option: Make sure the chart is selected and that the chart type supports trendlines. If the command is unavailable in Excel for the web, open the workbook in the desktop app.
The trendline returns after editing: Check whether another trendline remains on a different series. A chart can have multiple trendlines, so removing one does not necessarily remove all of them.
The equation remains visible: Confirm that the equation belongs to the trendline you removed. If it is a separate text box someone added manually, select and delete that text box on its own.

Undo is useful if the wrong chart element was removed. It restores the last editing action, but it is not a substitute for checking the selection before making several unrelated changes. If the workbook is shared or contains important chart formatting, save a copy before making broad changes.

Remove, hide, or change the trendline?

Deleting a trendline is appropriate when it no longer serves the chart’s purpose. If you may want it again, consider whether changing its appearance would solve the problem instead. Select the trendline and use its formatting controls to change its color, width, or line style. A lighter or dashed line can reduce visual emphasis while preserving the analytical reference.

You can also keep the trendline but remove its equation or R-squared label if those labels clutter the chart. Select the trendline, open Format Trendline, and clear the relevant display options. This keeps the line while removing only the extra text. The precise panel layout can vary slightly by Excel version, but the options are part of the trendline formatting controls.

Use a trendline only when it helps readers understand the data. A fitted line can suggest direction, but it does not prove why values changed or guarantee that the pattern will continue. If the data are cyclical, contain distinct groups, or change sharply over time, a single trendline may oversimplify the picture. Removing it can make the chart less misleading, while a different chart type or clearer annotation may be a better alternative.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I remove only one trendline in Excel?
Select the specific trendline, confirm that its selection markers appear, and press Delete. If you cannot select it reliably, use Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Trendline > None for the selected series, or choose the correct trendline in Current Selection.

Can I remove a trendline without deleting the data?
Yes. A trendline is a chart element, so removing it does not delete the worksheet data or the plotted data series. Select the trendline itself, not the series, before pressing Delete.

How do I remove a trendline equation but keep the line?
Select the trendline and open its Format Trendline options. Turn off the option to display the equation on the chart. If the equation is a manually inserted text box rather than a trendline label, select that text box and remove it separately.

Why can’t I click the trendline?
The line may overlap data points or other chart elements, or the chart may not be in editing mode. Select the chart first, then try the Trendline > None command or choose the trendline in the Current Selection drop-down. If needed, open the workbook in desktop Excel.

How do I remove all trendlines from a chart?
Remove each trendline individually, because a chart may have a separate trendline for each data series. Select one trendline and delete it, then repeat for any remaining trendlines. Check the chart afterward to ensure no fitted line or associated equation remains.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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