How to Add a Best Fit Line in Excel

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

This wikiHow teaches you how to create a line of best fit in your Microsoft Excel chart. A line of best fit, also known as a best fit line or trendline, is a straight line used to indicate a trending pattern on a scatter chart. If you were to create this type of line by hand, you'd need to use a complicated formula. Fortunately, Excel makes it easy to find an accurate trend line by doing the calculations for you.

Steps

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7a\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/7a\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-1.jpg\/aid12443242-v4-728px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    The data you select will be used to create your scatter chart. A scatter chart is one that uses dots to represent values for two different numeric values (X and Y). [1]
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7d\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/7d\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-2.jpg\/aid12443242-v4-728px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's at the top of Excel.
    Advertisement
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c8\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c8\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-3.jpg\/aid12443242-v4-728px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's in the toolbar at the top of the screen. The icon looks like several small blue and yellow squares—when you hover the mouse cursor over this icon, you should see "Insert Scatter (X, Y)" or Bubble Chart (the exact wording varies by version). [2] A list of different chart types will appear.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/68\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/68\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-4.jpg\/aid12443242-v4-728px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's the chart icon at the top-left corner of the menu. This creates a chart based on the selected data. [3]
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/40\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/40\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-5.jpg\/aid12443242-v4-728px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This can be any of the blue dots on the chart. This selects all of the data points at once and expands a menu. [4]
    • If you are using a Mac and don't have a right mouse button, hold down the Ctrl button as you click a dot instead.
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/86\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/86\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-6.jpg\/aid12443242-v4-728px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Now you'll see the Format Trendline panel on the right side of Excel. [5]
  7. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/44\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/44\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-7.jpg\/aid12443242-v4-728px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's the second option in the Format Trendline panel. You should now see a linear straight line that reflects the trend of your data. [6]
  8. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/88\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/88\/Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-8.jpg\/aid12443242-v4-728px-Add-a-Best-Fit-Line-in-Excel-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's toward the bottom of the Format Trendline panel. This displays the math calculations used to create the best fit line. This step is optional, but can be useful for anyone viewing your chart who wants to understand how the best fit line was calculated. [7]
    • Click the X at the top-right corner of the Format Trendline panel to close it.
    9. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      • While your chart is selected, you can customize its colors and other features by experimenting with the options on the Design tab. Click Change Colors in the toolbar to choose a color scheme, and then scroll through the "Chart styles" options to find one that looks good for your data.
        Thanks
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Recover a Corrupt Excel File
      How to Merge Cells in Microsoft Excel: A Quick Guide
      Easily Create a Drop-Down List in Microsoft Excel: Setup & Customization
      How to Use If‐Else in Microsoft Excel: Step-by-Step Tutorial
      How to
      Unprotect an Excel Sheet
      How to Create a Graph in Excel
      How to Fix Ethernet Doesn't Have a Valid IP Configuration on Windows
      How to
      Link Sheets in Excel
      How to
      Create a Mortgage Calculator With Microsoft Excel
      How to
      Make a Spreadsheet in Excel
      How to
      Insert Pictures in Excel That Automatically Size to Fit Cells
      How to Unhide Multiple Rows in Microsoft Excel
      How to Combine Columns in Excel Without Losing Data
      How to Create an Inventory List in Microsoft Excel: Step-by-Step Guide
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/select-cell-contents-in-excel-23f64223-2b6b-453a-8688-248355f10fa9
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/present-your-data-in-a-scatter-chart-or-a-line-chart-4570a80f-599a-4d6b-a155-104a9018b86e#OfficeVersion=Windows
      3. ↑ https://researchguides.library.vanderbilt.edu/c.php?g=69346&p=855833
      4. ↑ https://researchguides.library.vanderbilt.edu/c.php?g=69346&p=855833
      5. ↑ https://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/lab/datareports/excel/bestfit.html
      6. ↑ https://chem.libretexts.org/Ancillary_Materials/Laboratory_Experiments/Wet_Lab_Experiments/General_Chemistry_Labs/Online_Chemistry_Lab_Manual/Chem_11_Experiments/01%3A_Using_Excel_for_Graphical_Analysis_of_Data_(Experiment)
      7. ↑ https://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/lab/datareports/excel/bestfit.html

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Highlight the data for your chart.
      2. Click the Insert tab.
      3. Click the Scatter icon.
      4. Click the first Scatter chart.
      5. Right-click one of the data points on the chart.
      6. Click Add Trendline .
      7. Select "Linear."
      8. Check the box next to "Display equation on chart."

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 123,627 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement