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How to add a trendline in Excel – our guide to adding trendlines in charts

Here's how you can add a trendline in your Excel charts!
Kevin Pocock
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Reviewed By: Kevin Pocock

How to add a trendline in Excel – our guide to adding trendlines in charts
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Table of Contents

If you want to know how to add a trendline in Excel, we’ve got you covered.

Excel allows its users to add different types of charts to their documents. These charts can help with presenting the information more professionally. To make them even better, you can add a trendline in these charts, which can be further customized as per your needs.

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In this step-by-step guide, we’ll go through how to add a trendline in Excel so you can start making your charts look more professional.

How to insert a trendline in Excel

Here are the steps you need to follow to add a trendline in Excel charts.

Step

1

Open your sheet with the chart

First, open up Microsoft Excel and open the chart that you want to add a trendline to.

If you don’t have a chart, simply highlight the cells of a table, and click on the Quick Analysis button. Then, click on Charts and select a template.

Adding chart in Excel

Step

2

Go to Chart Elements

After creating a chart, click anywhere on it, and three icons will appear on the right side.

Now, click on the Chart Element buttons, which is the first button from the top.

Step

3

Add a trendline

A drop-down menu will appear next to the symbol, with plenty of options to tick or untick, altering your chart in different ways. At the bottom of that list, you will find the “Trendline” option.

Tick it. This will add a linear trendline to your chart, which is a type of best-fit straight line.

A graph with a blue trendline and a plus symbol.

Step

4

Customizing a trendline

If this isn't the type that you want, or the type that is best for your data, then click on the trendline in the chart. An additional will appear on the right side, from where you can choose from several options.

How to create a bar chart with trendline in Excel.

Final thoughts

In this guide, we’ve discussed how you can quickly add a trendline in Excel. As you can see for yourself, if you already have a chart in your sheet, the entire process will take you less than a minute. On top of that, you can also later customize the trendline as per your requierments.

Learn more about Excel and how it works through these helpful guides:

About the Author

Kevin Pocock

Kevin has a broad interest and enthusiasm for consumer electronics, PCs, and all things consumer tech. And more than 17 years experience in tech journalism.