In Excel: put time or ordered categories in the first column, values in the next column, select both, then Insert ▸ Line or Area Chart ▸ Line.
Arrange the x-axis labels in the first column and the values in the next column.
Select only the label and value range, excluding totals.
Choose Insert ▸ Line or Area Chart ▸ Line.
Add a chart title, axis labels and markers when the individual points need to be visible.
What this does
A line graph connects values in order, usually across time, so the slope makes direction and change visible. The first column should hold dates, months or ordered categories; the second holds the values to plot. Excel treats each additional numeric column as another line, which is useful for comparing series but messy if totals or helper columns are accidentally selected. Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. Treat “plot a line graph on excel” as a small repeatable workflow rather than a one-off click you hope to remember next time. Use a small test block before the live file, so any surprise in the affected chart shows up while it is still harmless. When this is a ribbon command, the selection matters more than the button: confirm the range, apply the command, then spot-check the output before saving. That turns a visual that makes the number obvious at a glance into a method you can reuse, explain, and defend when the workbook leaves your screen.
A worked example
Months Jan through Jun are in A2:A7 and sales 42, 51, 48, 61, 67, 73 are in B2:B7. Select A2:B7, choose Insert ▸ Line Chart, and Excel draws a six-point line rising from 42 to 73. Add markers if individual months matter, and format the vertical axis to start at zero only when that supports the story rather than flattening the change. Line graphs are strong for trends: monthly sales, weekly traffic, running totals, error rates, production output and any metric where readers need to see direction over a sequence. One habit worth forming early: name the cells that hold your inputs, so the formula reads in plain language instead of a string of cell addresses. A reviewer — or you in three months — can then follow the logic without decoding what B7 and D2 were supposed to mean, which is most of what makes a sheet maintainable.
In Google Sheets
If you are in Google Sheets rather than Excel, the good news is that the formula shown here is identical and the workflow barely changes — menus sit across the top instead of in a ribbon, and a few function names differ slightly, but anything you build here moves across with little or no rework. Keep this page bookmarked for the next time the same question comes up. Better still, rebuild the example once in your own sheet — doing it yourself, with the tool above to check against, is what turns a copied formula into a technique you own. The short version of “plot a line graph on excel”: the answer is at the top of this page, the tool proves it on your own numbers, and the sections above explain why it holds so the next variation does not stump you. Excel rewards people who reference cells instead of typing values and who keep inputs separate from formulas, because that is what makes a result you can audit months later. Build it once, deliberately, with the live tool as a check, and you convert a one-off lookup into a reusable skill — which is the whole point of learning the why and not just the what.
Common mistakes
- Using a line chart for unordered categories, where a bar chart would compare values more honestly.
- Including a total row, which creates a sudden fake spike at the end.
- Letting Excel treat text dates as categories; convert them to real dates when spacing matters.
- Plotting too many series at once, turning the chart into unreadable crossing lines.
Frequently asked questions
When should I use a line graph?
Use it for ordered data, especially time series, where the change from one point to the next matters.
How do I add a second line?
Place the second value series in another column beside the first, include it in the selected range, and Excel plots it as a separate line.
Line chart or scatter plot?
Use a line chart for ordered categories or dates; use a scatter plot when both axes are numeric measurements.
Other ways people ask this
On the way here you may have searched this as “how to plot line graph on excel”, “how do i plot a line graph in excel” and “how do you plot a line graph in excel” — it is all the same task, and this page is the single, complete answer to it.
Why do people search for this in so many different ways?
Because the same task has many names. “how to plot line graph on excel”, “how do i plot a line graph in excel”, “how do you plot a line graph in excel” all point at the one operation explained on this page, which is why they all lead here.