Line Graph Templates
Some numbers only mean something when you can see which way they are heading. A line graph turns a run of values into a line that climbs, dips, and levels off, so the trend shows before any single figure does. These line graph templates give you the axes, scale, and plotted line ready to use, single or multi-series. Add your data points and watch the trend take shape.
A line graph plots data points along an ordered scale and connects them with a line, which is what makes a line graph the chart for showing change. Time or another continuous progression runs along the x-axis and the measured value up the y-axis, and the line between the points shows the direction at once, rising, falling, flattening, or turning. This is where a line graph parts ways with a bar graph. A bar graph compares separate categories, while a line graph follows a single thing as it moves across a continuous range.
These line graph templates cover the common cases, from a single line tracking one measure over time to multiple lines comparing several series on the same axes. A second or third line, each in its own color, sets up a comparison of how products, regions, or scenarios move against one another over the same period. You set the points and the scale, label the axes, and the line keeps the shape of the trend clear as the data changes, across monthly revenue, a projection over quarters, or performance from one stage to the next.
Worth knowing: A line graph implies the values between your points connect smoothly, so use it only when the x-axis is genuinely continuous, like time or stages. For separate categories with no progression between them, a bar graph is the honest choice.
Line graph elements
The parts that make a trend easy to read on a line graph.
The horizontal axis carrying the ordered scale, most often time. Its progression is what lets the line read as a trend rather than a set of unrelated points.
The vertical axis carrying the value being tracked. Together with the x-axis it fixes where each data point lands.
The plotted marks where a value meets its point on the x-axis, often shown as dots. Each one is a single reading in the series.
The line connecting the points in order, turning separate readings into a visible direction. One line is one series being tracked.
The interval marks on each axis that set how positions translate to values. A consistent scale keeps the slope of the line a true reflection of the change.
The key naming each line when more than one series is plotted, matched by color. A single-series graph rarely needs one.
The faint reference lines across the plot area that help a reader read a point's value and follow the line without tracing back to the axis.
Plotting a line graph
From a series of readings to a trend a reader can follow at a glance.
Put your ordered progression along the bottom, usually time, in even intervals like days, months, or quarters. Even spacing keeps the slope of the line honest.
Tip — Keep the intervals equal even where a reading is missing, rather than skipping the gap. Unequal spacing bends the line and misstates how fast the value changed.
Choose a value range that fits your data with a little room above and below, so the line uses the height of the plot without touching the edges.
Tip — A line graph can start the y-axis above zero to bring out small movements, but note where it begins so a modest change is not read as a dramatic one.
Mark each value at its place on the x-axis. Each point is one reading, and their pattern is the trend the graph exists to show.
Join the points in order to form the line. A straight join reads as steady change between readings; a smoothed curve suits data that moves gradually.
For a comparison, plot each additional series as its own line in its own color and add a legend, so a reader can track each one across the same period.
Tip — Keep it to a few lines. Past four or five, the lines cross often enough that the comparison gets harder to follow than it is worth.
Name both axes with their units, title the graph with the trend it shows, and set the colors and markers to fit your report or brand.
FAQs
When should I use a line graph instead of a bar graph?
Use a line graph when the x-axis is continuous and you want to show how a value changes across it, like revenue over months or a measure across stages. Use a bar graph when you are comparing separate categories with no progression between them. The quick test is the connection between points. If drawing a line between them makes sense, a line graph fits.
Can I plot more than one line on the same graph?
Yes. Each line is a separate series, so you can add a second or third to compare products, regions, or scenarios over the same period. Give each line its own color and add a legend so they stay easy to tell apart. A few lines compare cleanly; many overlapping lines start to obscure the trends they are meant to show.
Does the y-axis on a line graph have to start at zero?
Not necessarily. Unlike a bar graph, where length is the message, a line graph reads through the slope and shape of the line, so starting the value axis above zero to reveal small movements is accepted practice. Make the starting value clear, since a non-zero baseline can make a small change look larger than it is.
Can I update these line graph templates with my own data?
Yes. The axes, points, lines, and labels are all editable, so you replace the placeholder values with your own and the line redraws to your data. Several of these templates are set up so the chart is driven by an underlying data range, which means editing the figures updates the plotted line directly.