How to Create a Line Graph in Excel: Step-by-Step Tutorial on Excel Line Charts

Excel is an advanced data analysis tool by Microsoft Office. If you have any experience using Excel, then you may realize that Excel also contains several visualization tools. One of them is the line graph maker.

However, some functions of Excel are hard to use and adjust. Without experience, even a little task, like creating a line graph, can be time-consuming. 

Thus, in this blog post, we will share a step-by-step tutorial on how to make line graphs in Excel. With this detailed and visualized guide, prepare your line graphs with ease. In addition, a more aesthetic way to present your line graphs will be explained with the help of Decktopus!

What is a Line Graph? 

Definition of Line Graphs

A line graph is a special type of graph. The line graphs are designed to show differences or changes over time. While each data point shows the specific value for that time period, the lines emphasize the trends and changes between these data points.

Line graphs are widely employed in various fields, such as economics, science, and psychology. Line charts are an invaluable tool for data analysis and presentation because of their simplicity and clarity. Because line graphs are easy to understand and read, apart from being widely used in scholarly research, they are also commonly employed in everyday situations to effectively communicate information.

Parts of a Line Graph

• For more information about line graphs, please visit out this blog post: How to Make a Line Graph: Definition, Types, and Examples. In this popular post, several line graph types and how to make them have been explained!

How to Create a Line Graph in Excel

There are many tools specifically designed for creating line graphs. Several online tools are providing easy-to-use tools for creating line graphs, including Decktopus!

• In our blog post before, we have shared a list of the top 10 line graph makers! Check out our “Create Line Graphs Chart Simple: Explore Our Easy-to-Use Line Graph Maker” post!

A Quick Walkthrough to Create a Simple Line Graph

Step 1: Open Excel

Click on the Excel on your computer.

Step 2: Create a Blank Workbook

Create a blank workbook. This spreadsheet is where we will enter the data and create the line graph. 

• You may already have a workbook that includes your data. Then, click on the “Open” on the left and choose your data file. You can move on to step 5, afterwards.

Step 3: Enter your labels

Your data should be as a table. For this, you should add data labels for your table. Enter the axis labels for the X-axis on the A1 cell. Similarly, enter the label for the Y-axis on the B1 cell.

• For example, our data is the number of products sold by a business throughout the year. We want a table that can show the monthly changes in sales. Thus, our X-axis will be “Months,” and the Y-axis will be “Sold Products.”

Step 4: Enter your data

Under labels, enter the corresponding data. In the A column, enter the time variables, whereas enter the dependent variables in the B column. 

• In our example, A column includes months, as our time variable.B column includes the quantity of the sales.
• If you want to create other types of line graphs, you should enter more columns. 
• Tip: While preparing your data, choose more short phrases. Longer phrases may disrupt the look of your graph.

Step 5: Select your data

In Excel, you can select the whole table just by clicking one cell of it. However, if you want to manually select the whole table or want to select it partially, you should hold the Shift key and drag your cursor.

• In our example, we will select the whole table.
• Tip: Be sure to select only your data. Do not add any blank cells to your selection. This may disturb the created bar graph.

Step 6: Insert Line Graph

Click on the “Insert”. On the editing ribbon, click on the “Line Chart” icon. This symbol can be seen in the group of functions in the “Charts” tab/ category.

• Make sure you are still selecting your table.
• Tip: There is also another “Line” function in Sparklines on the left. Do NOT choose that.

Step 7: Choose a Line Graph

When you click on the “Line Graph” option, Excel offers 13 options. Each of them represents a different type of line graph.

• 2-D Line Graphs: These graphs are divided into 5 different types.
• Line
• Stacked Line
• %100 Stacked Line
• Line with Markers
• Stacked Line with Markers
• %100 Stacked Line with Markers
• 3-D Line Graphs:
• 2-D Area Graphs
• Area
• Stacked Area
• %100 Stacked Area
• 3-D Area Graphs
• 3-D Area
• 3-D Stacked Area
• 3-D %100 Stacked Area
• Tip: You can review and get more information about each graph type if you hover over them. The purpose of the graphs and when to use them are explained in the box provided.
• For our example, we will move on with the Line with Markers. Markers will allow us to differentiate each data point for months.

Step 8: Review the created table

Now, Excel has created a default line graph. Review it, display the data and see if you need to make any changes to the data. If not, we can move to the customizations!

Step 9: Customization Options

As you may realize, the created line graph needs some adjustments. To change its colors and general look, click on the “Chart Design” on the top.

After, you can choose any color palette or choose one of the chart styles. On the right, you can also access the "Format" tab. You can change the shapes and fonts available.

• Chart styles also change the background and fonts of the graphs.
• Double-clicking and right-clicking on the line graph will also offer the same customization options.

Create AI-generated Charts on Decktopus

Excel is a multi-functional data analysis tool. However, when it comes to creating an aesthetic line graph, it lacks some functions. But don’t worry!

You can create beautiful charts on Decktopus.

Decktopus is an AI-powered slide-maker that specializes in anything that can be added to slides.   

Decktopus has several functions that can be useful for a variety of reasons. This tool is designed to make the creation process easier for you!

Here is a short list of the most popular features on Decktopus: 

1. Bar Chart Maker
2. Pie Chart Maker
3. Line Chart Maker
4. Donut Chart Maker
5. AI Image Generator
6. PDF to Deck Import
7. AI Assistant
8. AI created Q&A Session Notes
9. Rehearsal Mode
10. Presentation Notes
11. 100+ templates

Decktopus Line Graph Maker

On Decktopus, you can create aesthetically pleasing graphs. These graphs will capture your audience's attention! 

Decktopus has several functions and customizations available! You can create graphs, change their color palettes, add them to a slide, change their background and position in the slide, and much more. You can choose one of the several slides available or upload your brand’s font. 

• For a detailed step-by-step tutorial on bar graph maker on Decktopus, you can take a look at our other related posts! Click here to see our post!

Here are some examples of line graphs on Decktopus:

• Decktopus is able to create any line graph you want. You can either enter the data manually or copy-paste it. Either way, the graph will be automatically created.

• You can choose to enter a sub-heading to explain your graph or not. Similarly, templates and color palettes in the graphs are up to you! You can tweak and change till you find the perfect match!

• Decktopus allows you to edit the text, colors, and lines. You can also add your line graphs into slides easily!

Frequently Asked Questions

1) How do you create a line graph in Excel in 2023?

1. Click on the "Insert" in the top ribbon.
2. Choose Line Graph on the charts tab.
3. Your graph will be ready.

For customizations:

• Click on the Design tab or Format tab at the top.
• You can also choose to double-click on the line graph.

2) How to create a line graph in Excel from a table?

• Create a table in Excel. After selecting the whole table or selecting the parts you want to turn into a line graph, choose the line graph icon from above. Follow our tutorial for any questions! For more beautiful graphs, try Decktopus!

3) How to create a line graph with two data sets?

• Creating a line graph with two data sets is a bit trickier than a basic line graph.
• First, enter your two sets of data in the same worksheet. Afterward, select both of them simultaneously and click on the "Line Graph" icon.
• On this part, choose to show "all charts" and click on "Combo." This will allow you to combine both data sets in one chart. You can edit the axes data and choose different formatting as well.

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