Add a Line to a Waterfall Chart in Excel

Excel for Microsoft 365 does not provide a supported Combo Chart option for adding a data-driven line series directly to its built-in Waterfall chart. To show a line alongside waterfall bars, rebuild the waterfall from stacked-column helper data and add the line as a second series in a combo chart; for a one-off annotation, draw a line shape over the existing chart instead.

Why a line cannot be added directly to Excel’s Waterfall chart

A native Waterfall chart is a specialized chart type: it displays how increases and decreases move a running total from a starting value to an ending value. Excel treats it differently from ordinary column charts, and its Change Chart Type settings do not offer the usual way to combine Waterfall bars with a separate line series. Adding a new data series to the chart therefore does not automatically give you a line plotted across the steps.

This limitation matters because a line might represent something different from the waterfall’s running balance. It could show a target, a forecast, a percentage, or the cumulative balance after each change. Excel’s standard Waterfall chart is designed to explain the changes, while a combo chart is needed when you want different series to use different chart forms.

There are two practical approaches. A custom stacked-column combo chart makes the bars and line data-driven, so they update when the source changes. A drawn line shape is quicker for a fixed visual annotation, but it does not follow updated data and can shift when the chart is resized.

Choose the approach that fits the chart

Use a custom combo chart when the line must reflect changing values, appear in a legend, or be maintained as part of a recurring report.
Use a line shape when you need a simple target marker or visual guide on a chart that will not change often.
Use a separate line chart when the line has a different scale or meaning that would make a combined chart difficult to read.

A custom combo chart takes more setup because Excel’s automatic waterfall formatting is replaced by helper columns. In return, you can control the line, colors, labels, axes, and bar behavior together. The steps below use a small example with positive and negative changes.

Prepare the waterfall data and helper columns

Enter the steps in columns A and B. Use the first row for the opening balance, the middle rows for changes, and the last row for the closing balance. For example, start at 100, increase by 40, decrease by 25, then increase by 10. The closing value is 125. The custom chart will use three helper series: a hidden base that positions each floating bar, positive changes, and negative changes. A fourth series supplies the cumulative line.

With step labels in A2:A6 and values in B2:B6, enter Opening, Increase, Decrease, Increase, and Closing in column A. Enter 100, 40, -25, and 10 in B2:B5. With the closing amount in B6 and the preceding values in B2:B5, use =SUM(B2:B5) in B6; this returns 125.

Put Base, Increase, Decrease, and Cumulative in C1:F1. For the opening row, set C2 to 0, D2 to 100, E2 to 0, and F2 to 100. These are the opening bar’s base, positive segment, negative segment, and cumulative value. For the closing row, set C6 to 0, D6 to 125, E6 to 0, and F6 to 125.

For the movement rows, calculate the base differently depending on whether the change is positive or negative. With the current row’s change in B3 and the rows above it containing the opening and earlier changes, enter =IF(B3>=0,SUM($B$2:B2),SUM($B$2:B3)) in C3 and fill it down through C5. The example returns bases of 100, 115, and 115. A positive bar starts at the balance before the change; a negative bar starts at the lower balance after the decrease, so its visible segment can rise from that lower point to the previous balance.

With a movement value in B3, enter =MAX(B3,0) in D3 and =-MIN(B3,0) in E3, then fill both formulas down through row 5. The results separate positive amounts from negative amounts: row 3 has 40 and 0, row 4 has 0 and 25, and row 5 has 10 and 0. With the same data layout, enter =SUM($B$2:B2) in F2, then fill down through F6. This cumulative series returns 100, 140, 115, 125, and 125. The repeated 125 at the final step gives the line a point over the closing bar.

Create a stacked-column and line combo chart

Select the category labels in A1:A6 and the helper data in C1:F6. If selecting non-adjacent ranges is awkward, select A1:A6, then hold Ctrl while selecting C1:F6 on Windows. On Excel for Mac, use Command instead of Ctrl. You can also place the category labels beside the helper columns so the full chart range is contiguous.

On Windows, choose Insert > Insert Waterfall, Funnel, Stock, Surface or Radar Chart > Waterfall only if you want the native chart; for the custom method, instead open Insert > Insert Column or Bar Chart and choose a column chart to start, or use the next step’s combo chart command.
For the combo approach, choose Insert > Insert Combo Chart if that command is available in the Charts group, or open Insert > Recommended Charts > All Charts > Combo.
In the Custom Combo Chart dialog, set Base, Increase, and Decrease to Stacked Column, and set Cumulative to Line. Keep the line on the primary axis when its values use the same units as the waterfall balance.
Click OK. If the categories or series are arranged incorrectly, select the chart and use Chart Design > Switch Row/Column, or use Chart Design > Select Data to correct the ranges.

Excel for Mac also supports combo charts in current Microsoft 365 versions, though the ribbon layout and wording can vary slightly. Look under Insert for the chart or combo-chart choices, then assign the three helper columns to stacked columns and the cumulative series to a line. Excel for the web has fewer chart-editing controls than the desktop app; if it does not expose the required combo settings, create or adjust the chart in desktop Excel.

Format the floating bars and line

The Base series should be invisible. Click one of its column segments, open Format Data Series, and set Fill to No fill and Border to No line. The positive and negative segments remain visible and appear to float because the hidden base offsets them vertically. Give increases and decreases contrasting colors, such as green and red, and use a neutral color for the opening and closing bars.

Format the cumulative series so it is easy to distinguish from the columns: select the line, choose a clear color and width, and add markers if individual step values matter. You can add labels to the line or to the bars using Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels. Avoid labeling every series if the chart becomes crowded. A legend or a short note can explain that the line represents the cumulative balance.

Check the value axis after formatting. The base, bars, and cumulative line normally belong on the same axis because they represent amounts in the same units. Putting the line on a secondary axis can make it look steeper or flatter simply by changing the scale, which may mislead readers. Use a secondary axis only when the line measures a genuinely different quantity, such as a percentage; then label both axes clearly and choose sensible bounds.

Use a line shape for a fixed reference

If you only need a visual target across a native Waterfall chart, leave the chart type intact and draw a line on top. Select the chart, then choose Insert > Shapes > Line and drag across the plot area. Hold Shift while dragging if you want to constrain the line to a horizontal or vertical direction. Use Shape Format to change its color, width, or dash style.

A shape is not connected to a worksheet value. If the target changes, move the shape yourself. It may also no longer line up with the intended value if the chart’s size, plot area, axis limits, or data changes. Treat it as an annotation rather than a plotted data series. For a line that must stay at a specified value as the chart updates, use the helper-series combo method instead.

Common problems and fixes

The bars do not float: confirm that Base is a stacked-column series and that its fill and border are both set to none. If Base is plotted as a separate visible column, the offset will look like an extra bar.
Negative bars point the wrong way: the Decrease helper must contain positive magnitudes, such as 25, while Base is set to the cumulative balance after the negative change. Do not put the negative source value directly into the Decrease segment.
The line appears far above or below the bars: check whether it is on a secondary axis and compare the axis bounds. For values measured in the same units, assign it to the primary axis.
The closing bar is missing or has the wrong height: check that the final source value is the total, not another movement, and that its helper row has a zero base and the total in the positive segment.
The line has no point over the last bar: include the closing total in the cumulative series, as in the example, or deliberately omit that last point if the chart’s purpose is to show only intermediate balances.

One common misconception is that the line series itself creates the floating waterfall behavior. It does not. The hidden Base series positions the stacked columns; the line is a separate series plotted across the same category labels. Keeping those jobs distinct makes it easier to troubleshoot the chart.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a trendline to an Excel Waterfall chart?
Excel does not offer the standard trendline and combo-chart workflow for a native Waterfall chart in the same way it does for ordinary chart types. To show a calculated line over the steps, rebuild the visual as a stacked-column combo chart and add a line series. A drawn shape is an option for a static reference.

Can I add a target line without rebuilding the waterfall?
Yes. Insert a line shape over the plot area and format it as a target marker. It is a visual object rather than data-linked chart content, so reposition it if the chart or its scale changes.

Can the line show percentages while the bars show dollars?
Yes, but the scales differ. Add the percentage as the line series and assign it to a secondary axis in the combo-chart settings. Label both axes and check the bounds so readers can understand the relationship without mistaking the line’s visual height for a dollar value.

Will the custom chart update when I change the source values?
It will update when the cells used by the helper formulas and chart series change, provided the chart ranges include those cells. If you add new steps, extend the formulas and chart ranges as well; converting the source range to an Excel table can make range expansion easier to manage, but verify the chart series after adding rows.

Can I keep the native Waterfall chart and add a data-linked line?
Not through Excel’s standard supported chart-type settings. A line shape can sit on top of the native chart, but it will not track data. For a line driven by worksheet values, use the custom stacked-column combo-chart construction.

Try it: the Percentage Formula Generator: percent of, percent change, increase and decrease, with the formula.

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

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