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Google Sheetsspreadsheet~5 mins

Line charts in Google Sheets - Step-by-Step Guide

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Introduction
Line charts help you see how numbers change over time or categories. They connect points with lines so you can spot trends easily. This is useful when you want to compare data like sales or temperatures over days or months.
When you want to show monthly sales growth for your small business.
When tracking daily temperatures to see if it is getting warmer or colder.
When comparing website visitors each week to find busy and slow periods.
When showing how expenses change over several months to manage your budget.
When visualizing student test scores over a school year to check progress.
Steps
Step 1: Select
- the cells containing your data including labels and numbers
The data range is highlighted on the sheet
Step 2: Click
- Insert menu at the top
A dropdown menu appears
Step 3: Choose
- Chart from the Insert menu
A chart appears on the sheet and the Chart editor panel opens on the right
Step 4: In the Chart editor panel, click
- Setup tab, then Chart type dropdown
A list of chart types appears
Step 5: Scroll and select
- Line chart from the list
The chart changes to a line chart showing your data connected by lines
Step 6: Use
- Customize tab in the Chart editor to adjust colors, titles, and labels
The chart updates with your custom styles
Before vs After
Before
A table with dates in column A and sales numbers in column B, no chart visible
After
A line chart appears showing sales numbers connected by a line over the dates
Settings Reference
Chart type
📍 Chart editor panel > Setup tab > Chart type dropdown
Choose the style of chart to best show your data
Default: Column chart
Chart title
📍 Chart editor panel > Customize tab > Chart & axis titles
Add a clear title to explain what the chart shows
Default: None
Series color
📍 Chart editor panel > Customize tab > Series
Change line colors to make the chart easier to read
Default: Automatic
Axis labels
📍 Chart editor panel > Customize tab > Chart & axis titles
Label the horizontal and vertical axes to show what data they represent
Default: None
Common Mistakes
Selecting only numbers without labels before inserting the chart
The chart will not have meaningful axis labels or titles, making it hard to understand
Always include the labels (like dates or categories) along with numbers when selecting data
Choosing the wrong chart type like pie chart for time series data
Pie charts do not show trends over time clearly
Use line charts for data that changes over time or ordered categories
Summary
Line charts connect data points with lines to show trends over time or categories.
Select your data including labels, then insert a line chart from the Insert menu.
Customize titles and colors to make your chart clear and easy to read.