Excel Waterfall Chart: Remove Connector Lines

To remove connector lines from a waterfall chart in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the chart, then choose Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Lines > Connector Lines. If the command is checked, clicking it turns the lines off; this changes the chart’s appearance, not its data or calculations.

What connector lines show in a waterfall chart

A waterfall chart shows how a starting value changes through a sequence of increases and decreases before reaching an ending value. Each floating bar represents a change, while the chart’s vertical position shows the running total. Connector lines bridge the space between bars to make the transition from one cumulative level to the next easier to follow.

For example, a company might start with revenue of $100,000, add $25,000 in new sales, subtract $12,000 in returns, and finish at $113,000. The increase and decrease bars show the changes; connector lines visually connect the level reached after one step to the next step. Excel draws these lines as part of the waterfall chart rather than as separate worksheet data.

Connector lines are not the same as gridlines. Gridlines run across the plot area to help readers estimate values against the vertical axis. Connector lines run between the columns to show the sequence of cumulative levels. They are also separate from data labels, axis lines, and the colored columns that identify increases, decreases, and totals.

Turn connector lines off from the ribbon

In the Windows desktop version of Excel for Microsoft 365, use the chart’s contextual design controls:

Click the waterfall chart once to select it. The contextual Chart Design and Format tabs should appear on the ribbon.
Choose Chart Design > Add Chart Element.
Point to or open Lines, then select Connector Lines.
If a check mark indicates that connector lines are on, select the command to switch them off.

The chart should update immediately. If you open the same menu later, use its check mark to tell whether the option is enabled. The command is specific to a waterfall chart; it may not appear for an ordinary column chart or another chart type.

If the chart is selected but the Chart Design tab is not visible, click the chart again rather than a worksheet cell. If the ribbon is minimized, expand it or use the chart tabs that appear when the chart object has focus. The exact ribbon layout can vary slightly with window size, but the chart element is still under the chart design controls.

Use Format Data Series as an alternative

You can also change this setting in the formatting pane. Click one of the waterfall bars to select the data series, right-click it, and choose Format Data Series. In the pane, open Series Options and clear Show connector lines. If the pane displays a paint-bucket icon and several sections, switch to the series options icon first; the wording and layout can differ slightly across builds.

This route is useful when you already have the formatting pane open to change gap width or other series settings. It also makes the setting explicit: you are changing whether the selected waterfall series displays connector lines, not deleting worksheet cells or editing the values used by the chart. Close the pane when finished, or leave it open to continue formatting.

What changes when the lines are removed

Hiding connector lines does not remove categories, bars, labels, totals, or source values. It does not recalculate the running total, change the chart’s source range, or convert the chart into a different type. The bars remain at the same heights and positions. The visual path between consecutive bars is simply no longer drawn.

This distinction matters because deleting a chart element is not the same as deleting underlying data. If someone later decides the chart is difficult to read without the guides, turn Connector Lines back on using the same menu or reselect Show connector lines in the formatting pane. No rebuilding or undoing the source-data changes is required.

Removing the lines can make a chart look less cluttered when it has many categories, especially in a compact dashboard. The trade-off is that a reader may have to infer the cumulative level at each transition from the bars and axis. If the chart has many small changes or the bars are far apart, the connector lines may be doing useful explanatory work even if they look busy.

When to keep the lines and when to hide them

Whether to show connector lines is a presentation choice, not a mathematical one. Consider who will read the chart and what they need to understand quickly. A short chart with clearly labeled values may work well without lines; a dense chart that explains how a total builds up may be easier to interpret with them.

Hide them if the lines overlap labels, make a small chart feel crowded, or compete with the bars and colors.
Keep them if readers need to trace the running total from one category to the next, particularly when values are unlabeled.
Try both views at the final chart size. Lines that look distracting on a large monitor may help when the chart is reduced in a report, or the reverse may be true.
Use clear labels if you hide the lines and still need readers to distinguish the cumulative level from each individual increase or decrease.

A useful practical check is to show the chart to someone who has not seen the data. Ask whether they can identify which bars are changes and where the running total ends after each step. If the answer is unclear, turning the connector lines back on—or adding more informative labels—may be better than removing additional chart elements.

Common problems and how to fix them

Connector Lines is unavailable. Confirm that the selected object is a native Excel Waterfall chart, not a picture, a pasted chart from another program, or a stacked column chart formatted to look similar. The command is tied to the waterfall chart type. If needed, select the chart and inspect Chart Design > Change Chart Type to see whether Waterfall is the current type.

The lines are still visible after using the command. Check that the chart itself is selected and that the menu item is no longer checked. Also make sure the visible lines really are connector lines. Horizontal lines spanning the plot area are likely gridlines; select a gridline and use the chart element controls for gridlines if those are what you intend to change. Lines around the chart may instead be a chart-area or plot-area border.

Only one line disappears or is selected. A connector line may be selected individually, or you may have selected a different object. Use the chart-level Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Lines > Connector Lines control to toggle the series’ connector lines as a group. Pressing Delete after selecting a single object can remove only that object, which is not the same as changing the chart-wide connector-line setting.

The chart looks wrong after removing them. The data has not changed, so first check for a readability issue rather than a calculation problem. Increase the chart’s size, add or retain useful data labels, or restore the connector lines. If bars or totals themselves have changed, investigate the source data and the chart’s total settings separately; hiding connector lines does not change those settings.

Excel for Mac and Excel for the web

In Excel for Mac, select the waterfall chart and look for the chart-specific Chart Design tab. The ribbon’s placement or wording can differ by build, but the chart element controls are the closest equivalent to the Windows path. If the connector-line command is not apparent, open the series formatting pane by Control-clicking or right-clicking a bar and look under Series Options for Show connector lines.

Excel for the web has fewer chart-formatting controls than the desktop app, and the precise options available can depend on the current web version. If you cannot find a connector-line toggle in the browser, choose Open in Desktop App and make the change in Excel for Windows or Mac. The workbook remains the same; this is a way to access the fuller desktop chart controls, not a requirement to alter the data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I remove connector lines without changing the waterfall chart data?
Yes. Toggling Connector Lines off changes only the chart’s display. It does not edit the worksheet values, categories, or calculations.

How do I put connector lines back?
Select the chart and choose Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Lines > Connector Lines again. Alternatively, select the series and check Show connector lines in the Format Data Series pane.

Why is Connector Lines missing from the menu?
The chart may not be a native Waterfall chart, or the chart itself may not be selected. Select the chart object and check its type under Chart Design > Change Chart Type.

Are connector lines the same as gridlines?
No. Connector lines join levels between waterfall columns. Gridlines span the plot area and help estimate values on the axis. They have separate controls and can be shown or hidden independently.

Can I remove just one connector line?
Excel’s standard connector-line control switches the connector lines for the waterfall series on or off as a group. Deleting a selected line may remove an individual chart object, but it is not the reliable chart-wide setting and can make the chart harder to maintain.

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

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