How to Add Trendline in Excel Chart

Add Trendline in Excel Chart - A Trendline is an additional line that indicates the slope (or trend) in a particular data series and is also known as a line of best fit. Trendlines can be helpful when you are analyzing data because they can forecast future values based on your current data. Not all chart types include trendlines in their charts. However, you can apply a trendline to a 2-dimensional area, bar, line, column, stock, scatter, or bubble chart.

Note: Radar, pie, 3-D or stacked charts, and other similar graphics cannot have a trendline added to them.

Choose the Appropriate Trendline Type for Your Chart and Data

Linear for straightforward data sets with data points in a line that rise or fall at a constant rate, linear trendlines work well.

Logarithmic trendline is the ideal to use if your data experiences rapid rises or declines before leveling off. They can be applied to charts with both positive and negative values and are curved trendlines.

Polynomial: if your data set changes, and you need to evaluate the highs and lows of a sizable data set, use these. Curved lines are used to represent polynomial trendlines in data with positive values. 

Exponential: data sets with positive values can be used with exponential trendlines. They work well with data that changes quickly, either up or down.

Power trendlines are the ideal to employ if your data increases at a set rate.

A Moving Average trendline is the ideal option if your data exhibits significant changes. They aid in balancing out differences so you can see the underlying trend more clearly.

Adding Trendline in Excel

Follow the below steps to add Trendline in Excel:

Step 1: Select a Chart

Step 2: Click on the CHART ELEMENTS (PLUS icon) in the Upper Right Corner of the Chart

Step 3: From CHART ELEMENTS, Select the TRENDLINE Option

Step 4: FORMAT TRENDLINE by further Clicking on the Trendline Arrow

Step 5: Now Click on More Options... and Select Any Option from the List

At this point, you have successfully added the Trendline to a chart in Excel.

Hopefully, this overview of How to add Trendlines in Excel has given you a general idea of how Trendlines in Excel operate, along with an overview of the different types of trendlines available. We advise you to read more articles on Excel if you want to understand more.