Learn to create a basic line chart in Excel with this free video tutorial.
Line Chart
In this section, we're gonna go over how to create a basic line chart. now when you're selecting the information for creating your line chart all you'll have to do is select a single cell within the data. that will get you started. you will not have to select the entire table. I playfully call this select-a-phobia which is the fear that unless you select the entire table you won't be able to chart all the data. actually one cell is fine. Excel is smart enough to be able to pick up all the surrounding cells around the single-cell you selected. when you're creating a line chart you'll use this to show continuous time-series data.
Time Series Data
Continuous time-series data could take the form of daily stock prices or daily sales. Here are the steps for creating a chart. now I'll start off by saying they're actually quite difficult so I'll go through this methodically so you understand exactly what you need to do. you can start off by thinking that you need to insert a chart into your sheet so the tab that you're gonna go to is insert. After you click insert you'll need to go to a specific group. Now, this part may be challenging but even if you're new to excel you should be able to figure this out. We have the tables group. We have the illustrations group, we have the add-ins group. we have tours. we have sparklines. I've skipped the obvious option charts so it shouldn't be too difficult but now you're wondering which icon represents a line chart. there's not too much guesswork involved. you can just hover your mouse over the icons and see what the little tooltip displays when it pops up. I'll go over to this icon that looks like Crisscrossing lines and that's the line chart. I'll click once and then I get to choose the type of line chart I want to create. I'll choose from the 2d line options and if I hover my mouse over the first one says line. this is the one I actually need to create.
Chart Design
There are some other types if I hover over this one. this is a stacked line, this one is a hundred percent stack line, and line with markers and so on. I'm gonna go back to line and with one click I've created my chart. what you should know instantly is that if you look up above in the ribbon tab we have two new tabs: chart design and format. those only display when you're in the chart. if I click outside of the chart they are gone. Sometimes this presents an issue because I will tell students to please go to the chart design tab and they will say I don't see one on my ribbon and then I'll say have you clicked inside the chart and they will say no and then when they do I'll hear oh. make sure you're in the chart that way you'll see these tabs because Microsoft is not gonna make these tabs available to you if you're not in the chart because there would be no use for them.
Layouts
we're gonna make three quick design changes to this chart first. we're gonna change the layout on the chart design tab. If you go all the way over to the left, right after add chart element, you'll see quick layout with one click. You'll have a bunch of different layout presets that Microsoft offers you to change your chart layout. this is Microsoft's way of saying leave the layout options to us, you don't have to worry about customizing this yourself. see if you find something that's as close as possible to what you would like for your chart. I'm gonna stick with the first one.
Colors
The next thing I would like to do is change the colors. Well, Microsoft says hey right next to quick layout we have changed colors you don't have to worry about manually making those changes. You can choose from four colorful options and many more monochromatic. just hover your mouse over those options and you'll see the colors change in the chart. Okay, you're done with the colors I'll go with Bluegreen which is the fourth colorful option.
Styles
now I want to take to change the chart styles I can do that by simply hovering my mouse over the different styles and I can watch the chart change instantly. this is something you'll be able to do on Windows. on the Mac, you'll actually have to click on each option to see the result of choosing that option but on the PC you can just hover. if I click on this little drop-down triangle I'll be able to take a look at a couple of more options and just hover my mouse over those options there. if I'm feeling in the 1980s kind of mood maybe I'll go for this dark background with the neon lines that look pretty cool. one click, I can now brag about all the work it took me to come up with that design and all the customizations I needed to make when all I did was actually click on a preset chart style. so that covers the line chart creating it and three simple options.
Learn More in Hands-on Training
Master Excel with our hands-on Excel training in NYC, with top instructors, step-by-step exercises, and more, at a state-of-the-art training facility. We also offer custom curricula with top instructors wherever and whenever for Corporate Excel Training. If you are a data analyst looking to go beyond Excel, see our SQL training classes to get started working in databases.
Other Locations for Excel Training
Learn Excel from the comfort of your home with live online training from anywhere or have us come to your offices anywhere in the US for corporate training in Excel. Learn more about Excel training in your location: