Add a trend or moving average line to a chart

Add a trendline to your chart to show visual data trends.

Add a trendline

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1. Select a chart.
2. Select the + to the top right of the chart.
3. Select Trendline.

Note: Excel displays the Trendline option only if you select a chart that has more than one data series without selecting a data series.

Format a trendline

1. Click anywhere in the chart.
2. On the Format tab, in the Current Selection group, select the trendline option in the dropdown list.
3. Click Format Selection.
4. In the Format Trendline pane, select a Trendline Option to choose the trendline you want for your chart. Formatting a trendline is a statistical way to measure data:
   

Add a moving average line

You can format your trendline to a moving average line.

1. Click anywhere in the chart.
2. On the Format tab, in the Current Selection group, select the trendline option in the dropdown list.
3. Click Format Selection.
4. In the Format Trendline pane, under Trendline Options, select Moving Average. Specify the points if necessary.

Note: The number of points in a moving average trendline equals the total number of points in the series less the number that you specify for the period.

Add a trendline

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.
2. In the chart, select the data series that you want to add a trendline to, and then click the Chart Design tab. For example, in a line chart, click one of the lines in the chart, and all the data marker of that data series become selected.

On the Chart Design tab, click Add Chart Element, and then click Trendline.

Choose a trendline option or click More Trendline Options.

• Exponential
• Linear
• Logarithmic
• Polynomial
• Power
• Moving average

You can also give your trendline a name and choose forecasting options.

Remove a trendline

1. On the View menu, click Print Layout.
2. Click the chart with the trendline, and then click the Chart Design tab.

Click Add Chart Element, click Trendline, and then click None.

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1. Click anywhere in the chart to show the Chart tab on the ribbon.
2. Click Format to open the chart formatting options.

Important: Beginning with Excel version 2005, Excel adjusted the way it calculates the R 2 value for linear trendlines on charts where the trendline intercept is set to zero (0). This adjustment corrects calculations that yielded incorrect R 2 values and aligns the R 2 calculation with the LINEST function. As a result, you may see different R 2 values displayed on charts previously created in prior Excel versions. For more information, see Changes to internal calculations of linear trendlines in a chart.

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