

Microsoft Excel allows adding more than one trendline to a chart.
MICROSOFT EXCEL TRENDLINE HOW TO
How to insert multiple trendlines in the same chart
MICROSOFT EXCEL TRENDLINE SERIES
On a chart, click the data series for which you want to draw a trendline.

To add a trendline in Excel 2010, you follow a different route: Another quick way to add trendline to an Excel chart is to right-click the data series and then click Add Trendline…. Optionally, you can also display the trendline equation in the chart. The default Linear trendline will be pre-selected automatically. This will open the Format Trendline pane, where you switch to the Trendline Options tab to see all the trend line types available in Excel and choose the one you want. Click the arrow next to Trendline, and then click More Options.Click the arrow next to the Trendline box and choose one of the suggested types:.Check the Trendline box to insert the default linear trendline:.On the right side of the chart, click the Chart Elements button (the cross button), and then do one of the following:.Click anywhere in the chart to select it.In Excel 2019, Excel 2016 and Excel 2013, adding a trend line is a quick 3-step process: You cannot add a trendline to 3-D or stacked charts, pie, radar and similar visuals.īelow, there is an example of a scatter plot with an extended trendline: Excel graphs that support trendlinesĪ trendline can be added to a variety of Excel charts, including XY scatter, bubble, stock, as well as unstacked 2-D bar, column, area and line graphs. In some cases, it can also be used to forecast trends. A best-fit line shows the general trend in all the data, ignoring statistical errors and minor exceptions. Visually, a trendline looks somewhat similar to a line chart, but it doesn't connect the actual data points as a line chart does. This analytical tool is most often used to show data movements over a period of time or correlation between two variables. Extend a trendline to forecast future or past trendsĪ trendline, also referred to as a line of best fit, is a straight or curved line in a chart that shows the general pattern or overall direction of the data.How to insert multiple trendlines in the same chart.Nevertheless, there are a few little secrets that make a big difference, and I will share them with you in a moment. Luckily, Microsoft Excel has made inserting a trend line very easy, especially in newer versions. This can be done by adding a trendline to a chart. When plotting data in a graph, you may often want to visualize the general trend in your data. So, if you’re extending a trendline as a prediction into the future, checking this would help people see how closely your current data matches the trend, with a closer match giving better evidence that the trend may continue with all factors being equal.Ĭlick here to watch this video on YouTube.The tutorial explains how to do trend analysis in Excel: how to insert a trendline in a chart, display its equation and get the slope of a trendline. The closer it is to one, the closer your actual data is to the data indicated by the trendline match. To give you the short version of the statistics involved, an R-squared value will land somewhere between 0 and 1. You’ll also see an option to display an R-squared value.Now, if you want to use a moving average instead of a linear trendline, you can go into More Options and select Moving Average and indicate how many periods the moving average should use.These are the most commonly used options, which is why they are here, but you can also click into More Options to get more ways to configure your trendline, including a logarithmic or power line. You will notice that there is a sideways arrow next to the Trendline box where you can choose different types of trendlines: exponential, linear forecast, or two period moving average.In Excel, once you have a chart with data in it, click on the green “+” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the chart and check off the Trendline box.Trend lines can be added to a variety of charts, including bar charts, line charts, scatter plots and more, but they’re not an option for 3-D charts, pie charts or other similar chart configurations.

It can also be very helpful to extend the line beyond existing data to communicate a forecast of future trends. It’s a great way to make your charts easily interpreted at a glance, as the line will indicate to viewers where the general trend of your data is pointing. Here’s how to add a trendline to your charts in Excel.
